We have "company" at the Ranch ...

[Ginger's Mom]

Boy Phred, you know all of the best places for dogs. No wonder they all want to vacation at the ranch.

[Cinder & Smoke]

We wuz *dancin* & *prancin* an all reddy ta go, when those dreaded wurds:
"Youze Guys get to WAIT - I'll be rite back" telled us WE weren't going onna grocery trip.
He sed it wuz "too hot" an we're too short ta push da buggy. NUTZ!

Well, he wuz gone WAAY too long ... found out he went to B&T's Howze -
an Dog-Napped our lil Min Pin Buddie - Heidi!
Seems B&T, anna Dawter anna Girl-Friend, are goin to a fambly wedding down south ...
BIG White German Shepherd (Amos) takes care of guardin da howze inna daylight;
Skin-Kid Brudders are "supposed" to bring him in at nite so he doesn't chaze *critters* all nite.
Dad sed WE'd keep Heidi ... nunbuddie seemed to object.

HEY - SMOKE ~ Lookit here ... lil Mutt wiffa Bamdanna inna driveway!
Dummie - that'z HEIDI! *Yipp* & *Yapp*!

Well, she's IN - an makin herself RITE at home!
Dad couldn't *find* her last nite ... SOUND asleep in his 'kliner chair!

Outies? She only came back REEL Late wun tyme (so far). An she came back frum
behind da howze - mitta been sayni "HI" to da horses out back.

Dad set up her beany-bag bed asside the TV, in frunta da klozit ...
took her an HOUR of *skratchin* onnit, but she finally got it da way she likes it,
an we didn't hear a sound outta her all nite!

Rumor hazzit that "we're" all doin Fiur Werks at Newton Falls tanight ...
Oh Joy, Oh Rapture, Oh NUTZ!

At least da Bus Driver parks far enuff away da Bus doesn't *shake* on every *BOOM* ...
an iffin anybuddie doesn't wanna *watch* ... we kan duck behind da seats inna back.
We're decidin iffin we should tell Heidi whut'z up, or jest let it be a s'prize.

There's a "threat" of showers tanite ... Dad's doin a Moon Dance;
an we're doin a RAIN Dance.

More Tails latur!

[Randi]

Aww, another Heidi visit - that will be fun! You all enjoy yourselves at Newton Falls tonight, but stay clear of the fireworks!

Looking forward to more reports!

[cyber-sibes]

Hee hee, enjoy your company!

[Cataholic]

Oh, my! She is back! LOL. This should be entertaining.

[Freedom]

[I]
Outies? She only came back REEL Late wun tyme (so far). An she came back frum
behind da howze - mitta been sayni "HI" to da horses out back.

Oh gee, if I were watching someone else's dog, I have that pupper leashed up tight, the responsibility would worry me too much! (Maybe that's why I don't pupper sit!) Have a nice time wiffa visitor!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Oh gee, if I were watching someone else's dog,
I'd have that pupper leashed up tight,
the responsibility would worry me too much!

We only "accept" reasonably well-behaved and somewhat obedient Mutts for
Sleep-overs at Phred's Place. And for the First Visit, the newcomers are assigned to
a Resident Mutt who escorts by being TIED to the new kid's collar.

Not that that's altogether foolproof ... Cinder and Bowser proved the fallicies of
togetherness on an outie more than once!
But Heidi, the Mini-Mutt, HAS been here before and has been (mostly) cooperative in
staying on the Ranch property. We won't mention the *Froggin* at and IN the pond ...
but the pond IS "ON" the property.

Her *door dart* in the shopping center parking lot was MY fault ---
I climbed out without checking where she was in the Bus. She's *QUICK*!
We've written a Momo covering that, now.

And tonight, they'll ALL be chained together with the Three-Way-Y-Thingie,
AND an attached ropey, before we even leave the Ranch.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Oh JOY!

Yeah, Dad ~ we all hadda Great Tyme - jest *phantastik* (NOT!)

Smokey turned out his lites 45 minutes affore da Show started ---
wun 'test shot' (of about a dozen or so) wuz enuff ta send him to da korner behind da seats.

I lasted till the furst aerial volley inna Show ... enuff fur me! Lites out -
holler when it's ober!

Mini Mutt kept *lookin* around fur where da guns wuz. She DID *watch* a few aerials ...
then kinda curled up tween Dad's leg anna center console, facing aft!

We all stayed *low* till we felt da familiar bumpity-bump of da potholes on our road ...
pulled inna garage to be greated by da Nayburs *shootin off stuff*.
Good GRIEF ... when will it end!??

Did AnyDawg get drug off to *enjoy* da local Fiur Werks?
We weren't alone tanite - lil Beagle watched frum two cars down, anna
kupple lil Lappy-size pups got out an joined da folks in lawn chairs.

Just wunderin how many more daze this 4th of July partee is gonna last?
< deep sigh >

/s/ da FurKids +Plus Wun

[Cinder & Smoke]

Please ~ NO Scolding or 'I told ya so's' ...

Oh gee, if I were watching someone else's dog,
I'd have that pupper leashed up tight;
the responsibility would worry me too much!

We only "accept" reasonably well-behaved and somewhat obedient Mutts for
Sleep-overs at Phred's Place. And for the First Visit, the newcomers are assigned to
a Resident Mutt who escorts by being TIED to the new kid's collar.

But Heidi, the Mini-Mutt, HAS been here before and has been (mostly) cooperative in
staying on the Ranch property. We won't mention the *Froggin* at and IN the pond ...
but the pond IS "ON" the property.

Words to regret!

Sunday (7/06/2008) should have been the tip-off of things to come ...
Mini-Mutt had been good about staying in the front yard whilst under a sharp eye
and constant reminders of 'Heidi, stay CLOSE!" Sunday afternoon the Hiking Ferrie
beckoned for her attention ... I looked away for a moment and like a shot she was
rounding the back of the pond and headed east ... HEIDI!!!!!
She paused at the front corner of the neighbor's house ... slowly turned and trotted back.
GOOOOOD Girl!!

Monday we started out *tethered* to the Big Mutt - MUCH to Cinder's dismay. Since I
wasn't sure either of them had paused long enough for a pooh, Monday afternoon
I sent them out UNtethered ... and dual Pooh-Stops were soon accomplished.
Cinder trotted back to the porch ... Mini-Mutt turned towards the pond and quickly beat-feet
east to the neighbor's house. HOLLERIN did nothing to slow her down ...
She circled their house and *vanished*!

I threw on enough clothes to not get arrested if I had to get out of the car,
threw the Search Dawgs in the Bus, and we headed east ... to find NOTHING!

We put a couple hundred miles on the Search Bus Monday evening, knocked on doors,
drove the Church Camp, and visited Heidi's House a dozen times.
Pat & Joan hopped in their truck and did road patrols for a few hours.
I *hollered* out the front door every hour, all night.
By noon Tuesday we had a hundred 2-photo Lost Dog fliers printed and were passing
them out to houses, businesses and gas stations, 2 Post Offices, and had the Sheriff and
County Dawg Pound alerted. Wednesday we dropped fliers at three Vets and the Dog Pound.
Heidi's older Skin Brudder came home every night and either drove or walked our block.
We all searched for SEVEN Days ...
On Monday, the WEEK after she vanished, the Horse Guy charged up our drive on his
lawn mowin tractor ... and told me "I think I know where 'that dog' you're looking for is!"
WHERE, Peter?
"Back our driveway, where it turns into the woods. She's hurt ... tried to bite me."
I tossed the Search Dawgs in the Bus and we flew up Peter's drive ... he was sitting
on his tractor *pointing* towards the woods where his lil Muutt was sort of circling ...
And THERE was HEIDI!!

She was shaking, hold up her left rear leg, but the paw was drooping and limp. She was
covered in something semi-white ... I gently called her name ...
She seemed to panic and acted like she'd take off, then thought better of it.
I got close enough to touch her head ... then scooped her up and dashed back to the Bus.
I blurted out a heartfelt Thank You to Peter, who just returned a HUGE GRINN!
I had the Fancy Clinic on the phone before we cleared the driveway --- a fast summary
of what I saw and that she was a Doc Mike's patient got me a "Bring her Right IN!"

I dumped the Mutts at the Ranch and streaked towards the Crago Clinic.
Called Doc Mike on the way; Debbie answered and said she'd call Crago and Fax Heidi's
records over before we got there.
Called her Mom - no answer. Called Skin Brudder Adam ... "I FOUND HER!!
Call your Mom - we're on the way to Crago's - she's pretty sick."

I scooped her up and carried her into an empty waiting room (lunch time).
The Girls took one look and ushered us into an exam room.
I sat on the docs' roller stool and gave her a good look ...

Heidi was in shock - a blank stare was all I got. She lay on the bad leg (her choice),
showing me her back ... where the lil white crawly things bagan to appear from nowhere.
I began gently flicking them off with tissues into a pile, spraying the pile with table disinfectant,
and moving them off with more tissues. UGGH!
I was gaining on the lil crawly things when Doctor Jamie D. came in ...
"What ARE these things??"

"Those are *Maggots* and blood - she's been attacked by flies.
She has a broken paw for sure - we need X-rays to see if her hips are damaged.
I'll start cleaning her up (she'll have to be shaved and bathed) and get the X-rays.
Be back in a while."

Doc D. came back and offered "good news" = "only" her paw was broken and her back
would take a while to heal, but she'd recover with few problems. She'd be staying a night
or two to stabalize things; but she'd already *perked up* just a bit.
I was allowed a quick visit - she had a large Lower Bunk with piles of blankies.
I told myself she recognized me ... but I'm not so sure. She dozed off ... Bye, Kiddo.

I paid off the estimate and hundred or so more.
I called Mom (Tami) for the third or forth time and headed home.

I picked her up a couple days later (Mommy had a last-minute Dawter Crisis).
She appeared with her paw in half-leg cast/bandage, and a Body Wrap covering
the front half of her back where the worst skin damage was.

Better 'save' this ... more in a minute ....