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Bright early sunlight
brought a peaceful, calm morning. The heavy rain the night before gave
the greens of the yard a brightness and it was well worth having endured
the storm. There was a pleasure about a morning like this. It was
something like a rebirth of some sort. The quiet world enveloped them like
a comfy old robe. Of course, Sam was out walking the property. His doing
this let him know if there was any storm damage.
Bodrum, the dog next
door, was without question, the biggest Boxer you have ever seen. He was
closer to the size of a small horse than a dog. Whether he was bounding up
and down beside the chain link enclosure, standing with his paws up on
the fence, or booming with his bark which was just as big as he was, we
were always aware how huge he was. The dog loved to rest his front paws on
the fence while someone rubbed behind his ears. The water hose on hot days
he handled as easily as we manage a fountain for drinking. Bodrum lived
his life behind a two acre fenced yard. Our neighbors worried he might be
a nuisance to us but how could we bothered by such a friendly beast?
There was no
booming bark this morning. Usually this was part of Sam's morning walk.
The dog loved to bound along beside him even though the fence separated
them. Sam was scraping his feet over and over on the rubber mat at the
back door before he came into the kitchen where Dee was setting his coffee
cup on the table.
“Don't worry about
anything on your feet. I haven't vacuumed yet.” Dee called to Sam.
“This wet grass
clings to my feet.” Sam told her.
“I didn't hear
Bodrum. Is he off to the other side of the yard?”
“The storm downed
that old dead tree on the lot behind them. When it came down it simply
flattened the fence. I wonder if Bodrum is loose.”
No sooner had Sam
made that comment when the phone rang. It was their neighbor, Josy. “Have
you seen Bodrum?” Their neighbor was inquiring about her dog.
“No! We haven't
seen him. I wondered why I had not heard him. Sam said a tree fell on your
fence?”
“Yes, oh yes.” The
quiet little woman with her sweet voice calmly spoke. “Bodrum must have
just walked over the fence. I don't know where he went but someone shot
him. He was all bloody when he ran past here. I thought maybe he came up
there?”
“OH how awful!
That poor thing. No, he hasn't been here. I'll tell Sam. He can help
George find him.
When Dee told Sam
about what had happened he simply turned around and went back out the
back door. Dee warned her neighbor. “Sam is on his way over there. Tell
George. Together they can find him.”
Dee could hear
Josy calling to George as she hung up the phone.
After about a
thirty minute wait Sam came through the back door. Dee always had to
question him in order to find out what was happening. “Did you find him?
Is he alive?”
“George is taking
him to the vet. It looks like they shot him with a shotgun. There are
just a lot of pellets. He wasn't bleeding too awfully bad. I think he
will be all right. George will just have to clean him up.”
“Where did you find
him?” Dee asked Sam. She was curious to know.
“He was under a tree
down close to the spring. It was cool there. Bodrum probably was thirsty
too. You know how much water he can drink. I don't know how long he was
gone. Why he didn't go into his own yard I cannot tell you. He probably is
in shock.”
“Undoubtedly!” Dee
felt it was very wrong for someone to shoot the dog. “They were probably
afraid of him. How could they know he is just a gentle giant? Everything
about him makes anyone believe he is so fierce.”
“He might have
been into their livestock. Everything is fun and games with him. He's just
a big puppy at heart. The ranchers will protect their cattle or
whatever.”
As it turned out
Bodrum was't injured badly. It was bird shot in the gun and did not
penetrate his body. His thick skin caught the worst of it. The danger
of infection was taken care of by the doctor.
When Josy called
to thank Dee for sending her husband the women both had a chuckle over the
overgrown puppy who never had any freedom and only abused the privilege by
running the rancher's herd. Dee was glad to see Josy wasn't too disturbed
over the happening. They visited for a while. After her neighbor hung up,
Dee was mumbling about men with guns who shoot pets.
Sam in his usual
unperturbed way simply said, “All's well that ends well.” |
