The Rest of the Story

Here is the rest of the "Hank" story!

Yesterday afternoon, despite many, many internet problems, I was finally able to bring up Craigslist and found this:

* Lost Pointer in Tonganoxie* (Tonganoxie)

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Date: 2011-03-02, 9:36AM CST

Reply to: comm-enp2r-2242723336@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

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It is male, he is a little over a year, lemon and white in color. He has a large scar on hid hind leg from surgery. He usually comes back home so we are guessing someone picked him up. He is very friendly. We miss him and would like him back home. If you have him or know who does please email or call me anytime. (Phone number removed). We live off 182nd st. Close to 24/40.

•Location: Tonganoxie

•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Attached to this posting was a picture of "Hank". 

We duly called the folks, and were being very careful to be sure they were the owners, and also that they really wanted the dog back... they did!  They came right over within five minutes, since they lived exactly due east of us on ten acres. 

* Lost Pointer in Tonganoxie* (Tonganoxie)Hank, whose given name is "Oliver" got away last Monday and somehow crossed Stranger Creek, easily 14 feet or more deep behind their farm, crossing all the bean fields, and coming through a tree line until he came out in the pasture down the road from our place.  What he was doing for five days, who knows, as there are several large coyote packs between here and there. 

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Location: Tonganoxie

•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Olive had had surgery on his right hind leg, accounting for the scar and loss of hair.  He was, however, very, very thin, and our resident Pointer breeder at my office (an animal health company) tsked tsked at the shape he was in.  He was very, very glad to see his owners, though, and they were very glad to see him.  We had a good visit, and found out that he lives inside, and there is another lemonhead pointer (a girl) and three other dogs.  We made no comment when we found out they are set loose outside to go to the bathroom, because we are firm believers in keeping our dogs up.  We found out, to our dismay, what happens when we forget to shut the gate, when we lost Oscar. 

I hope that they, too, realize that the dogs need to be confined in a yard to do their business, so this pretty dog won't get lost again. 

So, all's well that ends well. 

My thanks to all of you who commented... and yes, we might have would have ended up keeping him, because he was a lovely, lovely dog.  I found out in talking to Valerie today more about pointers that they are particularly "lovebugs" and love to get all over their owners.  I had not known this about them, and find it endearing.  Oliver's owner told us he was a year and a half (Keith pegged him at a year) and that he was, indeed, a good hunting companion. 

I did not get to read the entries at Farm Friend Friday this weekend, since our internet was giving us fits.  It seems to be repaired tonight, so I'll try to get caught up. 



What I Found on the Way to Church

Regular readers will know that I have been going to church on Saturday afternoon, so I can sleep in for a little longer on Sunday morning.  So, this afternoon, after sitting down at the computer for a bit to do some work on some pictures, I decided I would get a move on and get to church at 4, so I could sleep a little later in the AM.  I called Keith, who was out doing errands, and changed blouses, grabbed my church envelope, and headed out the door at a clip.  Of course, opening and closing the gate takes a few minutes... and as I turned to go down our road, I saw Keith coming slowly up it towards me with the rest of the wood for the first planting beds in the truck.  We waved at each other, and I continued on down the gravel road.  All of the sudden, out of the pasture on my left, came running an English pointer dog.  I almost hit him.  I stopped... and watched him for a second, and realized I did not know this dog.  He was thin to the point of emaciation, and I stopped the car again and called to him.  He ran to me right away.  I tried to decide what to do, and when he came up to me, realized how very thin he was, and made a decision then and there.  Into the car he went.  He sat on the passenger side, and let me pet and love him.  I called Keith and told him I was turning around and coming home, and to put our big dogs up.  He asked me to wait a few minutes, then called me back and told me to come on.

Here is the dog as he came up to me:

He appeared to be a young dog, no collar.  He had obviously been living rough.

We unloaded him in the yard, and Keith had already gotten a bowl of dog food ready.  The poor dog inhaled it, then had a good long drink.

Tony, in the meantime, literally thundered to the fence to see the strange dog.  He would have attacked it if he could have gotten to it, he is very protective. 

So the poor dog inhaled his food, and we let him run around the yard for a while.  He kept coming back as if to reassure himself we were really meaning to be nice to him.

Keith was very taken with him, as he came from a family of hunters in Iowa, though he no longer hunts.  His dad had always had hunting dogs as they were growing up, ending with Major, his last, a Vizsla, who passed away several years ago.

Beyond thin, even for an English Pointer.

Keith will take him to Dr. Tom on Monday, and we will get an assessment of his health, and then feed him and take care of him until we find a good home for him.  A good home, to me, does not mean sticking him in a pen in a yard either... and that's my final word on that.  He either is a part of a family, or he can stay here until we can integrate him.  For now he is in the pen for his own safety, and the safety of our dogs.  As Keith said, he knows he is safe in his little den, and does not have to worry tonight about coyotes getting him, or something else.

I tried to post this last night, but Hughesnet was not cooperative.  We don't know if it's the dish, or what, but there are long periods when we cannot get pictures to post, or data to post.  It's been very disappointing, to say the least. 

Hank is doing well today, but appears to have a hitch in his right rear leg.  He has a long scratch across it, as if he got caught on a barbed wire fence while running loose.  We are going to put a notice on the grocery store bulletin board this afternoon, and also LOOK to see if there are any posts looking for a pointer.  The only one I can recall was for a female German shorthair.