Last night was just unreal.
We live way out in the middle of nowhere. There is an elderly couple who live in a trailer on our property, and another neighbor about 1/2 mile away - but that's it (except during deer season, when all the hunters come out here and stay in their camps).
Last night I realized just how remote we are.
I was exhausted and went to bed at 8:30. Right before I went to bed, Max wanted out. I let him out because my daughter wasn't home yet and I knew she'd let him back in.
At about 9:30 I was awakened by Max going absolutely INSANE. You know - the serious kind of insane.
I got up and loaded the shotgun, and then I heard a door open downstairs. I couldn't tell if it was the kitchen or garage (the kitchen opens out into the garage). I heard somebody rummaging around, then I didn't hear anything. My son heard it too.
If my daughter wasn't on her way home, I would have just cowered in my room - but I didn't want her to walk in on a burglar and get hurt. So - we went downstairs with the gun and looked around, then let Max in.
I was afraid to go out into the garage to look. I called my friend and asked him to drive out here and make sure the garage was cleared out for my daughter. Then I called my daughter to tell her to wait a while before she came home. While I was talking to her we got cut off! She called right back, though, so I knew the line hadn't been cut. But it freaked me out.
As soon as I hung up the phone, a gun went off outside. Then we heard 8 more shots. I dialed 911, freaking out.
The dispatcher kept me on the line until the cops got here. She said that I was fortunate that we had an officer "in the area". It took him 45 minutes to get here, going as fast as he could. That's what "In the area" means around here!!!
It took my friend an hour to get here, so he arrived here shortly after the police. Then a bunch more police showed up.
They looked around for tracks in the snow (fresh snow, fortunately) and all they found was this huge, wide track of fresh dog-like tracks which went through my yard, then across my field. The tracks were much bigger than Max's, and there were tons of them.
The officer's theory is that a pack of wolves or coyotes nosed open my garage door (which wasn't latched properly) and looked around for garbage to eat, then continued on their way. The coyote "bounty hunters" must have shot at them. "Coyote season" lasts most of the year here, and the government pays $5 a head for them. You get $5 for a coyote but jail time and thousands of dollars in fines for a wolf. If you ask me, it's not worth the risk.
Anyway - I'm going to go with that theory about what happened. I feel like a fool for wasting their time but holy cow! I about crapped my pants!
We all finally got back to bed about midnight, then at 5:30 I was awakened by the aroma of one of Max's famous farts. It was so terribly bad that I went downstairs to sleep on the couch. When I woke my son up for school at 6:30, I realized that it wasn't a Max fart I smelled at all - Aspen had got loose stools and must not have been able to hold it. Fortunately for her, she was able to put her butt against the edge of the crate and go outside of it, so she wasn't sleeping in it.
I gave my son a major tongue-lashing for letting that happen (she had been whining, he said) and for not immediately bringing her out as soon as he smelled it. I asked him how he'd feel if he was locked in a cage, got the diarrhea, and then had to practically sleep in it. And how could he sleep with that smell in his room? Yuck!!
So. Now I think I'll try to get some sleep. If wild and domestic canines will comply.
Thanks for letting me vent my story!
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