Adventures in Dogsitting

Thought I had lost an hour, but the sun wasn’t setting… a storm had moved in. About the time I was noticing the black sky, the thunder rumbled.

So, being a devoted dog-sitter, I went out to check on the Scaredydog. Couldn’t find her. Lightning flashed! Thunder roared! Black clouds swirled. Leaves blew by. I looked in her usual places and called her name in various pitches, but no dog. Uh-oh.

The rain started to come down and I went inside to peek out the windows. Then, I saw her. She was across the lane from the front porch, sitting forlornly in the pasture as the rain poured. I went out the front and called her. She whined and wagged, but wouldn’t budge.

So. I went out in the rain and realized that she was afraid to crawl under the electric fence. I went to a place where the wire was higher than usual and called her. By now we were both soaked. The poor thing hesitated and then tried to come to me and got zapped by the fence. She yelped, I flinched, and just to remind us that a puny electric fence was the least of our worries, the lightning smashed overhead. It scared her and she ran around all in a panic.

So! I ran barefoot down the gravel road, blinded by the rain, ignoring my suddenly transparent shirt, trying to find a spot with enough room for her to fit under. Finally! Found one and had to squat down to hold the tall grass aside so she could see there was enough room and get the nerve to go for it. Thankfully, she got a running start and scooted under and we ran all the way to the cabin.

Scaredydog is safe and fed. I have changed clothes. All is well inside, even as the storm rages outside.