As mentioned in the last post, we currently have to tie our puppies up when we leave for work. They sleep inside with us at night and in the morning get let out to have a pee before being tied up in the pen for the day, unless someone is home in which case they are simply put in the pen and let out when we are outside.
Hubby let them out on Monday morning but didn't put them in the pen straight away. So of course the predictable happened and both puppies went racing off into the bush.
Usually a quick yell of their names brings them back. Sometimes you have to wait ten minutes but they always come back.
Not so the case this time.
Half an hour later, hubby drove around the property to see if he could catch sight of them. No such luck.
By now it was getting close to 8.30 and he needed to go to work. So I offered to stay at home until the puppies came home.
I figured they'd come home fairly soon since they both hadn't had breakfast.
I waited (im)patiently for half an hour before deciding to head off myself and go for a walk and see if they were further down the paddock and couldn't hear my call.
It took me about an hour to do the walk through two paddocks, but still no sign of any puppies. My throat was pretty sore by now from all the screaming of "Freeeeed" and "Elllsssssieeeee".
I got back to the house and checked my phone. Lo and behold, a missed call and a voice mail.
It turns out the puppies had decided to visit our neighbours two doors down. Now thanks to them I have met another neighbour.
He was a really nice guy. I drove up to see him taking photos of his and my puppies playing in his dog pen. I spotted Freddie jumping around getting all playful.
Our neighbour introduced himself to me and explained how he'd found them. Apparently he'd taken the day off work because he was feeling poorly (lucky me) and got woken up by his dogs barking. He went to the door and who did he see but my two troublemakers in front of his door wagging their tails at him.
Sheesh.
He said that the puppies looked fine although Fred looks like he'd gotten attacked by something.
I'd noticed that his chest was a bit pink but thought maybe it was just mud. When Fred came out from the pen I realised it was actually blood. The neighbour pointed out the scratch marks, and I realised that he'd actually been mauled. For a dog that's recently been mauled he sure looked pretty happy.
My neighbour suggested perhaps Fred had had a run in with a kangaroo. And noted that I was lucky that Fred had found him rather than my next door neighbour who keeps sheep. Apparently this particular neighbour owns guns and isn't afraid to use them. In fact if the neighbour hears you calling for your dog he will shoot even more.
I thanked my neighbour who advised me to go to the vet and get some shots just in case, and headed home to wash the boy down.
I must admit I was quite shaken. The good thing was that he was playing happily when I went to pick him up, so technically that would suggest that he was fine. The bad thing was that he was covered in blood along his chest and had five huge claw marks on his chest.
The minute we came home Elsie was sent off to the pen and I proceeded to wash Freddie up to see the extent of the damage.
He'd calmed down quite a lot from when I picked him up. I'm not sure if that was simply because we were now home and he knew he was safe, or if he picked up the anxious vibes I was sending out. I was on the verge of tears.
I ended up just washing him from the water tank rather than use our water reserves, and despite the water being cold he stood there quietly and let me wash him. He didn't skitter off or chuck a fuss like he usually does when I first drag him into the bathroom.
I ended up taking his collar off, and after I'd washed him down and dried him off, took him inside and swabbed all the cuts with dettol.
From what I could see he was a very lucky boy.
All the scrapes looked like grazes. Whatever had a go at him only managed to yank his fur out. Other than a bit at the top and bottom of each scrape they didn't cut through the skin.
By 11am he looked fine, but I'd promised myself to spend at least an hour with him before I decided whether or not to go to work.
He started shaking/shivering around 12 and I decided just to stay at home and keep an eye on him.
Both he and Elsie were pretty quiet for the day - which is pretty understandable since he'd had such an adventurous morning.
I've checked on his wounds for the last few days and nothing much has changed. There's some weeping on the grazes, but other than that, it looks ok? I don't really know.
Either way he's given me quite the scare and hubby now knows I'm serious when I say that the puppies should be put in the pen in the morning when they are let out rather than being left to wander around the house.
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