Earlier this week
fifteen dogs and I head out on our trail for a romp around the sand pit.
Halfway down the path about twenty-five yards ahead of me, I notice an
unfamiliar profile peeking out the bushes. What the hell??? OMG, it’s a big
one. The dogs are leading in an auto-racing mode to the pit, hitting their
brakes just in time to see Mama Moose lower her head for the charge. SHIT!
With little Sophie
the Shih Tzu on leash, I immediately turn around and start running, calling
to the dogs in a high-pitched panic voice. Assuming they follow, will the moose
come charging after us? No time to wonder; just time to run like hell. I can only
hope the dogs are behind me, without her in hot pursuit.
We make it back to
the house safely and the moose goes off in the opposite direction. Once she
realized we weren't a threat she moseyed on her way. We didn’t see the baby,
but no doubt one was nearby. One lone basset hound stayed behind just to get in
the last ARF! before hightailing it back to the deck.
This morning the remaining
twelve dogs and I race out the back door at 5:30 AM for a quick pee (them, not
ME!) only to be stopped in midstream (no pun intended). At the top of our dark
driveway stood a very large moose (probably the same one). We could only see a
stoic unmoving shadow but the dogs were immediately on alert, stopping me in my
bare feet. Yikes!
We scurry back
to the house in the dark without a bark escaping anyone’s lips (including
MINE). What could have easily been chaos was only a close encounter of the
third kind. Good, Good, Good Dogs!
The adventures of
a dogsitter are never predictable, especially when there is a loose moose
lurking in the bushes.
Woof! Woof!