07-08-2020, 11:11 AM
Maeve and Dani are now 11 and 10. Yet, we still do our walks in the morning. Maeve is constantly on the leash because she can't be trusted. Dani stays pretty close but will wander away, coming back when I reach into my pocket for the chicken treats.
I usually let Maeve off the leash on the way back when I turn off Misty Ridge Rd onto Misty Ridge Ct. Since I own the only home on the Court and there is a slim to none chance there will be any traffic. Maeve usually plops down to take a little rest while Dani and I continue down the court the couple hundred yards to the house. At this point several of the house cats, usually Fainà and Finoula. Today the four kittens joined them as well. The sight of the cats usually gets Maeve moving again but some days she's content to sit out there for an hour or more.
Today as I passed the small swale next to the road, I heard a rustle and I noticed the cats were looking off into the tall grass. Dani promptly left my side to investigate. Maeve popped and joined her.
Suddenly there was grunting and barking and little black feral pigs were running in every direction. The dogs were in hot pursuit. Several pigs ran towards the house. A bunch rand deeper up the creek bank. Several went into the swale. Maeve and Dani followed the ones into the swale and then back out into the road. The chorus of barking rang throughout the neighborhood.
My initial holy fuck look at all those pigs panic settled into bemusement as the girls race up the road after their quarry. They must have found the slow feral pig, because the girls kept chasing this pig everywhere. They went into the yard of the unsold house on the corner. Then across the street into the cow pasture, through the barbed wire, I might add.
I had to follow them in case the dogs went out to the main road. But the feral pig double back and headed towards the swale (swale is just a dry creek bed that only gets wet if there is a lot of rain) The dogs cut off the pig and pushed it back towards the empty house. I caught up to the menage a trois of chasing. The pig kept turning so fast that old Maeve had her legs knocked out from underneath her and she plopped down into the grass.
It was quite the tableau with the feral pig nosing at Maeve to see what happened and Dani standing by Maeve's head. That was the only point I was really worried. I thought the pig might bite Maeve, but the pig was only interested in charging at the dogs to give him/her some distance to get away.
The pig really needed to be faster because the girls were on his/her heels for the entire chase. Occasionally, the pig would turn around to charge at the girls. The girls would stop and retreat not knowing quite what to do.
Eventually, I had enough. I got close enough to leash Maeve and took her back towards to the house. She panted up a storm, with her tongue hanging about a foot out of her mouth. She was so exhausted she had to stop and lie down on the way home. Thinking that she was done, I took off Maeve's leash and went to go get Dani who still pursued the pig.
The chase had gone back down Misty Ridge Rd and into our new neighbor's yard, The Fahey's. Fortunately, they still haven't moved otherwise I think the barking might have woken them.
Dani lost the pig in their yard. She kept looking around but couldn't find it. But she in no way wanted to give up the chase.
Maeve had followed me because she was till game for the chase. I decided I would take her back to the house for real this time and lock her up and then go get Dani.
After much chicken treats and pulling on leashes, I got the two exhausted dogs back to the house. They promptly lay down in the hall and haven't moved in the last two hours.
I usually let Maeve off the leash on the way back when I turn off Misty Ridge Rd onto Misty Ridge Ct. Since I own the only home on the Court and there is a slim to none chance there will be any traffic. Maeve usually plops down to take a little rest while Dani and I continue down the court the couple hundred yards to the house. At this point several of the house cats, usually Fainà and Finoula. Today the four kittens joined them as well. The sight of the cats usually gets Maeve moving again but some days she's content to sit out there for an hour or more.
Today as I passed the small swale next to the road, I heard a rustle and I noticed the cats were looking off into the tall grass. Dani promptly left my side to investigate. Maeve popped and joined her.
Suddenly there was grunting and barking and little black feral pigs were running in every direction. The dogs were in hot pursuit. Several pigs ran towards the house. A bunch rand deeper up the creek bank. Several went into the swale. Maeve and Dani followed the ones into the swale and then back out into the road. The chorus of barking rang throughout the neighborhood.
My initial holy fuck look at all those pigs panic settled into bemusement as the girls race up the road after their quarry. They must have found the slow feral pig, because the girls kept chasing this pig everywhere. They went into the yard of the unsold house on the corner. Then across the street into the cow pasture, through the barbed wire, I might add.
I had to follow them in case the dogs went out to the main road. But the feral pig double back and headed towards the swale (swale is just a dry creek bed that only gets wet if there is a lot of rain) The dogs cut off the pig and pushed it back towards the empty house. I caught up to the menage a trois of chasing. The pig kept turning so fast that old Maeve had her legs knocked out from underneath her and she plopped down into the grass.
It was quite the tableau with the feral pig nosing at Maeve to see what happened and Dani standing by Maeve's head. That was the only point I was really worried. I thought the pig might bite Maeve, but the pig was only interested in charging at the dogs to give him/her some distance to get away.
The pig really needed to be faster because the girls were on his/her heels for the entire chase. Occasionally, the pig would turn around to charge at the girls. The girls would stop and retreat not knowing quite what to do.
Eventually, I had enough. I got close enough to leash Maeve and took her back towards to the house. She panted up a storm, with her tongue hanging about a foot out of her mouth. She was so exhausted she had to stop and lie down on the way home. Thinking that she was done, I took off Maeve's leash and went to go get Dani who still pursued the pig.
The chase had gone back down Misty Ridge Rd and into our new neighbor's yard, The Fahey's. Fortunately, they still haven't moved otherwise I think the barking might have woken them.
Dani lost the pig in their yard. She kept looking around but couldn't find it. But she in no way wanted to give up the chase.
Maeve had followed me because she was till game for the chase. I decided I would take her back to the house for real this time and lock her up and then go get Dani.
After much chicken treats and pulling on leashes, I got the two exhausted dogs back to the house. They promptly lay down in the hall and haven't moved in the last two hours.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm