VISITORS

I have had two visitors this past week. A dramatic increase considering the past year. 

Callie and I have a set in stone morning routine.  Second thing I do after I wake up (come on, first is empty my bladder) is to let her outside for her morning toilet while I prepare her breakfast.  Her breakfast takes about one minute, then I let her back in to eat. She gets her toilet done really quickly. 

This particular morning when I let her out, she shot off the porch in full speed. There was no barking so I thought, rabbit. A little exercise before breakfast never hurts.

Normally she is waiting at the door anxious to be let back in after a minute or so but not that day.  She was nowhere in sight.  I slammed the door which usually works but no dog. Now I was beginning to get worried hoping she wasn't in mortal combat with some wild creature more fearsome than a rabbit.

I heard her snuffling at the back of the property and saw something large and brown, nose to nose with her. This was no bunny.  Luckily the offer of a cookie brought her scampering back.

Hesitantly after breakfast, I let her out again hoping whatever it was had figured out how to get out of my fenced yard.  Again she flew to the back of the property and I knew I had to do something.  I picked up my walking stick--the same one I threatened a 5 week old kitten with a few weeks ago-- and hoped for the best. 

                        Not my picture. Compliments of AKC but looks just like him.

There, cowering in the back of the property under some bushes was a beautiful, about 80 pound, purebred German Shepherd. Again by promising cookies, I got Callie back to the house. The huge dog was no threat and was actually quite frightened. 

I wasn't brave enough to confront a strange dog hiding in the bushes so I called my neighbor who said she had seen a lost dog notice on Facebook.  Seems my backyard neighbor was the father of the owner. He is our county judge so I called him at work and he came right out to claim the dog.  Phew. 

I learned he had been in training as a police dog but had flunked out. As beautiful a dog as he was, he did lack courage as my 27 pound dog had him thoroughly cowed.  

I was thinking of you all again and speculating that perhaps you might be more open to a dog "give away" than you had been with the kitten.  We all got lucky. He is now back home where he belongs though no one knows how he ended up in my yard. 

Then yesterday I was lying in my hammock just enjoying a perfect day when movement caught my eye. Without my glasses I thought it might be a giant wasp scoping me out for an attack. I reached for my flyswatter but am glad I didn't use it for not 2 feet away from my face was my first Hummingbird of the season.  He was scolding me with chirpy bird obscenities letting me know it was past time to make nectar and put it out.

He must have been the scout sent ahead to scare up food. My goodness--all ready? Actually he is a bit late. Wonder if the pandemic messed up their schedule too. This visitor was easier to satisfy than the huge dog. 

Curious though, would the Shepherd have been an easier "give away" through my blog had I not found his owner?  Keeping my options open in case I get more visitors.