Thursday, May 08, 2008

Of Ghoulies and Ghosties...

...and short-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night.

Set out to walk the dog at about 8 or so tonight. I opened the back door. Before the motion-sensor lights out back could come on, I heard rustling and a THUMP! and Daisy tried to take off (along with her leash and my wrist). I wrestled her back into the house and closed her in, then turned to face the intruder.

My first thought was that my turkey hen was back - I've seen one several times recently, and she seems to like the sunflower seed that falls from the bird feeder. But no, it was not an early visit from Thanksgiving dinner (only kidding, I might actually find it difficult to eat turkey this year, now that I have a turkey friend). I caught a glimpse of something fast and four-legged, and I heard another THUMP!

When the motion-sensor light came on, I saw a tiny little female beagle running away from me. I called her, and she came. I thought my Daisy might be gaining a new companion, but then I noticed the beagle's pretty pink collar with little rhinestones on it, and I saw that she was clean and well-nourished - all pointing to a recent escape from a good home. She belongs to a neighbor who more or less lives across the street, and she is safe at home this evening. Needless to say, she would have been welcome to stay.

As for the things that went bump in the night, well, let's just say that the growing woodpile needs a little bit of attention tomorrow...

10 comments:

mommanator said...

bump in the night huh! poor little guy- and you and your big doggy were afraid, where was the man! laughing?

Merci said...

Mommanator-
Daisy wasn't scared - she wanted to charge right over and make a new friend. I wasn't so much scared as cautious, since I couldn't see what was causing the ruckus. I'm really not terribly frightened of most of the animals one finds in the woods around here. People scare me much more!

The man came out when Daisy showed up in the living room with her leash on. He actually tracked down the proper owner.

The beagle was a sweetie, of course. She could have stayed if she had needed a home. She was tiny, too, but she looked as if she had been nursing pups, so I guess she was full grown.

Virginia Gal said...

Turkey hen is still around, eh? Well its better than the ducks, from the last location, no?

More pictures of Daisy please.

Merci said...

Virginia Gal-
The ducks would be welcome, too, if I had a pond for them! When I drive up my street, I often must brake for creatures - guinea hens, ducks, geese, peacocks, chickens, squirrels, dogs, and a cat. Sometimes I have to stop the car and shoo them out of the road.

I'll work on the Daisy pics. Camera needs a new battery.

Pax Romano said...

Damn, for a second I thought we'd be getting a Jersey Devil posting!

Merci said...

Pax-
She was an awnry little Jersey Devil ;)

Joe Tornatore said...

saved from the clutches of the bear no less.

Karl said...

There's one born every second! Everybody bring your unwanted pets to Merci. HaHa!

Merci said...

Joe-
I know we'll see one yet!

Karl-
But don't bring any by tomorrow. Jury duty looms...

Merci said...

Joe-
I know we'll see one yet!

Karl-
But don't bring any by tomorrow. Jury duty looms...