Monday 8 November 2010

A Day of Trauma!


Yesterday is a day best forgotten, or at least stored in the annals of doggy history.
It was a lovely day here and after lunch the farmer and I decided to go on a long walk around our fields, down the lane, back over our neighbour's fields - one of our favourites. Tess came with us - off the lead - happily sniffing in the hedge bottom and chasing the odd rabbit.

All went well until we got to the top of our pasture, about a hundred yards from home, when she chased a rabbit into the next field and completely disappeared. The time was 2pm. From then until 4pm we searched for her, going round each field in turn, calling her but no response. At 4pm we came back to the house, I rang my son and his wife and they donned wellies (you really need them in our fields at present)
nd set off to search from their end of the village. Friends from nearby came in their car and searched another area. I went round the field where she had disappeared, looking in the hedgebottoms carefully, in case she had got stuck in a rabbit hole. A runner running past the farm promised to keep an eye open for her.
Nothing.

We came home - the farmer had tea - I could eat nothing. We sat by the wood burner and I imagined all kinds of horror scenarios - she was stuck down a rabbit hole, she had got in a stranger's car, someone had stolen her, she was caught in the hedge bottom by her collar and couldn't get free. By 8pm I was desolate and sure that I would never see her again. That is until the farmer opened the back door and she shot in, like a bullet, straight to the stove, flung herself on her back with her feet in the air (saying sorry I suppose).

We were so relieved that we couldn't be cross with her. he was dry and clean, not at all muddy and had an odd, musty smell. Of course we will never know where she had been, but this morning I have ordered a new pet tag (she lost her last one) and this afternoon I am taking her to the vets to be microchipped.

All's well that ends well, they say. On a brighter note, I used Saturday to completely empty and clean and tidy my study, ready to start my book project. Thanks to Heather,(Ragged Old Blogger) I have plenty of ideas. The photograph shows my clean, neat study. Come on all you girls who have told me in the comments box that it really is time you tidied your studies. Gain inspiration from these tidy shelves. I shall keep looking at the photograph to remind me, as within a day of starting the project they will get disturbed. Ah well, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs!

32 comments:

Golden West said...

What a trying, distressing day you had, Weaver. So glad to hear it ended well.

I've found whenever I tidy up my workspace, I can never easily find what is needed - must be "out of sight, out of mind" or something. So it remains a happy jumble of controlled chaos.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Oh, I know the distress of a lost pet all too well. That must of been awful. So glad she found her way home and demonstrated her contrition. Unfortunately, tags won't keep her from getting stuck down a rabbit hole! Will she be off leash on your next walk?

Jenn Jilks said...

Happy ending. Whew!

Tess Kincaid said...

Oh, how scary! Smart girl to find her way home. I'm glad it was a happy ending.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Thank goodness. I was just sick to my stomach at first. Microchips are wonderful.

Rachel Fox said...

Glad she got home OK.
x

Pondside said...

That horrible feeling - I know it well. I am SO glad that you had a happy ending to your story. What a worry.

Gerry Snape said...

I'm glad tghat the dog came back safely. I'm thinking of moving all of my art books into another room. You have inspired me, I shall get going...just as soon as I get up from here!!

Granny Sue said...

What a relief that she came home. She must have had a wild rumpus!

Your study puts mine to shame. I am so piled up from October's storytelling programs, writing projects and so on. I keep puttering at it and maybe next week I can put some real time into getting it back in order.

George said...

Nothing is more frightening to me that the idea of losing my dog or seeing her injured. I'm so glad that this story had a happy ending. Now, you can begin the week on a lovely note.

angryparsnip said...

I was going to say what George said... What a wonderful way to start the week !

I have lost dogs before and I know that sinking feeling...
They love to get out and go on adventures but they don't know how much they can break our hearts.

Your studio looks great I am cleaning mine before I start on my Christmas card and handmade books as Holiday gifts !

cheers, parsnip

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

My poor heart beat faster just reading this. I can only imagine how frightening it was to live through it. Pat her furry head for me please.

John Going Gently said...

that awful sick feeling inside your stomach when your dog goes missing
been there
worn the t shirt
worried all night

hey ho

Hildred said...

I know the feeling well, and am so glad your Tess is home safely. I am still seeing shadows and unconsciously expecting to see our dear Caspar, or following old habits of quietness with dishes and pots and pans so he won't be startled, and then remembering that he is not with us, so it is lovely to think of Tess home, showing her tummy in contrition and invitation for a nice rub.

I am off to clean the linen closet which you wouldn't believe if I took a picture of it!!!

Heather said...

I'm so glad Tess found her way home, safe and sound. It is the most horrid feeling wondering where a lost pet is. Have a gold star for that beautifully tidy workroom - I'm glad none of you can see mine! Maybe next week I will get around to doing something about it - this week is already spoken for!

Shirley said...

Thank goodness Tess made it back and well. How distressful for you. We do love our pets, don't we? Your study is an inspiration. Thanks for the nudge.

MorningAJ said...

Glad she got back OK. I lost my little cat once when she got herself stuck in a neighbour's shed. I was devastated for two days until we heard her calling late one evening. I could have ripped the shed door off with my bare hands to get her out safely!

Jeannette StG said...

Am relieved that your trauma ended that day! Tidy my shelves? Would be unpractical for me, since the next day they would be cluttered again LOL

Ash said...

Glad your doggie mischief ended so well - how can you tell them off when they no doubt have had a good time and are glad to be back in their doggie haven!! So envious of your tidy workplace. Mine is supposed to be a table in my bedroom and when I do manage to tidy up it only takes a couple of new ideas for there to be a dramatic overspill onto the floor creeping down the stairs and usually ending up in the kitchen diner - my work spreads like a veritable rash!!! Oooops!

Jane Moxey said...

There are times when it's best not to have a vivid imagination! I can relate so much to thinking dire thoughts when things go wrong. Oh the relief, though, when everything turns out all right and there's a happy ending. Thank goodness Tess came back to you. What a tale she would tell. Especially about where she was to get a musty smell on her! Phew! And yes! several gold stars for a tidy desk! Now it's time to thoroughly untidy it and get to creating something lovely.

Cloudia said...

Glad it worked out!!!




Aloha from Waikiki :)
Best of luck on your project!
Comfort Spiral

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Dartford Warbler said...

I`m so pleased that this story had a happy ending. I know only too well how hard it is when a dog or a cat goes missing. Our old Border Collie is not so good at coming to call these days, so he is getting used to walks on an extending lead. They know how to worry us, don`t they?

PurestGreen said...

It is a terrible feeling when a pet is missing. All the minutes bulge like hours. The last time I attempted to walk my parents' (very large) dog off the leash, he ran off into a neighbour's yard in search of their cat. I was horrified and he just would not come back when I called. I had to haul him out of there.

I'm so glad everything turned out already. If only we could not where she had gone!

Caroline Gill said...

What a rollercoaster post, Weaver. We know from experience how awful those pet vanishing acts can be. I'm so thankful Tess had the good sense to return. I expect you were too pleased to see her to be cross!

Your study is truly an inspiration. I get to a certain height in the piles of 'work in progress'/ reference books / craft items etc. - and become restless until there is some measure of order once again. There is a definite link, I find, between actual space and mind space, and we sometimes need the latter to go on in our creative endeavours.

Dave King said...

You really made that story live. I guess you were reliving it. So pleased to read it ending happily.

annie said...

Reading this about Tess, my heart just sank to my belly for a moment.What a relief that she is okay. I hope the memory will keep her out of holes like that from now on.

Congrats on your workspace. BUT...tidy MY workspace, Weaver?? I'd feel like Piglet IN WINNIE THE POOH, after he was given that bath and couldn't feel comfortable until he rolled all the way home to get his color back.

annie

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for commenting. Tess was micro chipped yesterday afternoon - which gives me slightly more peace of mind. The vet has a Patterdale terrier and she runs away too (the terrier, not the vet) - she says they have an ability to switch of their brains and insert a photograph of a rabbit. Shall expect a lot of pictures of tidy studies!

mrsnesbitt said...

How very strange Pat _ I tidied my study on Sunday and have a wonderful box of delightful papers and card for the children at a local school!

Oh yes - beside yourself re the hound on the run - I can really empathise with you!

By the way - watch out for the post - you inspired me to design a card JUST for you honeybunch!

Dxxx From the coldest North East Coast!

Loren said...

Glad it turned out well.

Few things worse than a lost loved one.

Titus said...

Weaver, what an utter nightmare, and thank God.

Titus only goes missing when we're on holiday (Grandpa quite relaxed about things and the big one was when the postman left the dog-gate open). He was picked up by a lorry driver some five miles away from Penpont, and luckily the driver took him to the nearest vet, and then someone who was in with their pet recognised him.
Even more luckily we were in Essex at the time, and knew nothing about it.

Arija said...

What a scare you had Pat! Glad all worked out well and the prodigal returned.
Great clean study, look forward to the result of your omelette.

Anonymous said...

What a relief that must have been for you.

Look forward to seeing your book take shape. Heather's was beautiful.