Just Another Tragedy Averted
Poor Sam. This morning sometime, Maggie hit the gate and knocked it open. Then it slammed shut and bashed the latch around and it swung inwards where it stayed hanging open for quite a while. Sam is blind and half deaf. At close to 11, I went out the door to take some mail down to our box. I thought to myself ‘I hope Sam is asleep in the house’.
Obviously, he wasn’t or we wouldn’t being having this post. I wouldn’t post about how I found the gate hanging open in the exact same way for the umpteenth time. Anyway, on the way back from the mail box, the littlest knitter and I could hear a dog barking. It sounded like it was back in the hills and made me think of my mil’s very elderly dog that got lost and not found last week. And after a bit I realized it sounded just like Sam and that it was coming from the ditch. We had to come back to the house so I could get my rubber boots and the leash. Then traipse back to the ditch and find that Sam had fallen in at the worst possible place.
Our ditch has probably been where it is for 120 years. It is deep and narrow. It has probably been the death of countless animals over the last 100+ years. The ‘worst possible place’ is a spot with a very steep embankment that is impossible to climb if you have good eyes and young joints. I went down it as best I could and laid on my belly and spent the better part of half an hour trying to get Sam out and prevent myself sliding into the ditch. The best part was when Maggie arrived and thought I was having a relaxing, good time and laid on my back. I had a leash in one hand and a clump of grass in the other. I couldn’t even reach around and smack her to get her off me. It seems like I wiggled out from under her which nearly slid me into the ditch. I had to push her back up the embankment because she couldn’t get up on her own. Then the kiddo held her collar. It took a lot of sweet talking, but I finally got Sam to stick his head up twice in just the right place so I could get hold of his collar. The first time I was not situated right and had to let go of him. The second time I had my foot wedged in the right place and got him all the way up to the top. And then I got to the top. Most the time Knitter #2 was crying and saying she wanted to go back to the house.
After we came back to the house, Sam got a nice warm bath. It was really a shower and was probably the only one he’s ever enjoyed. He was pretty muddy and I’m sure the water in the ditch wasn’t all that warm. I’ve had Sam a long time. A lot longer than I’ve had Brent in my life. He’s the last living animal from the ranch. Sam knew what it was to lay under the calf table waiting for my uncle to toss goodies to the dogs while castrating calves. He knows all about what it takes to put an unwilling Angus cow through a gate. He’s the last link to another world and place.
Tomorrow, when I go to work, Maggie is going to be tied up. And I might barricade the gate just to be safe.
I also want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers for Brent.
Obviously, he wasn’t or we wouldn’t being having this post. I wouldn’t post about how I found the gate hanging open in the exact same way for the umpteenth time. Anyway, on the way back from the mail box, the littlest knitter and I could hear a dog barking. It sounded like it was back in the hills and made me think of my mil’s very elderly dog that got lost and not found last week. And after a bit I realized it sounded just like Sam and that it was coming from the ditch. We had to come back to the house so I could get my rubber boots and the leash. Then traipse back to the ditch and find that Sam had fallen in at the worst possible place.
Our ditch has probably been where it is for 120 years. It is deep and narrow. It has probably been the death of countless animals over the last 100+ years. The ‘worst possible place’ is a spot with a very steep embankment that is impossible to climb if you have good eyes and young joints. I went down it as best I could and laid on my belly and spent the better part of half an hour trying to get Sam out and prevent myself sliding into the ditch. The best part was when Maggie arrived and thought I was having a relaxing, good time and laid on my back. I had a leash in one hand and a clump of grass in the other. I couldn’t even reach around and smack her to get her off me. It seems like I wiggled out from under her which nearly slid me into the ditch. I had to push her back up the embankment because she couldn’t get up on her own. Then the kiddo held her collar. It took a lot of sweet talking, but I finally got Sam to stick his head up twice in just the right place so I could get hold of his collar. The first time I was not situated right and had to let go of him. The second time I had my foot wedged in the right place and got him all the way up to the top. And then I got to the top. Most the time Knitter #2 was crying and saying she wanted to go back to the house.
After we came back to the house, Sam got a nice warm bath. It was really a shower and was probably the only one he’s ever enjoyed. He was pretty muddy and I’m sure the water in the ditch wasn’t all that warm. I’ve had Sam a long time. A lot longer than I’ve had Brent in my life. He’s the last living animal from the ranch. Sam knew what it was to lay under the calf table waiting for my uncle to toss goodies to the dogs while castrating calves. He knows all about what it takes to put an unwilling Angus cow through a gate. He’s the last link to another world and place.
Tomorrow, when I go to work, Maggie is going to be tied up. And I might barricade the gate just to be safe.
I also want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers for Brent.
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