The Doggie Black Hole
I was awakened this morning by a medium-pitched woooof, woooof just outside my bedroom window. Woof, woof, woof, is not an unfamiliar sound around here. We have Hunter, the 85-lb Swiss Mountain Dog/Retriever mix who sleeps just outside our bedroom door, Smokey, a Black Lab/Chow/Spaniel mix, and Daisy, a stray Beagle who showed up here about a month ago. Each dog has its distinctive bark to which we've grown accustomed. Unless there is alarm in the dogs' bark, we ignore it.
As I listened this morning, I identified the half howl-half bark as that of a Beagle, but slightly lower in pitch than Daisy's. "Did Daisy get out?" My husband said to me half awake. "The bark sounds different." I said. Now fully awake and extremely curious, I got dressed and stepped onto the back steps. The howling stopped. There standing about 30 feet from my back door was another Beagle. This was a male and much older than Daisy. "Wooooof, woooof, woooof, it started in again. I sighed. Welcome to a dog owner's worst nightmare: The Doggie Black Hole, aka, Dog World. The dogs get lost here, and they never want to go home.
Our home is where all stray and lost dogs appear. Though this black hole phenomena is year-round, the black hole's pull seems to be stronger during certain times of the year: June and July (6 to 7 months after Christmas when little gifts have turned to big problems) and September and October (when the weather starts to turn cold). We also get dogs lost after a long night of hunting for rabbits, dogs feeling lonely after a divorce and lost dogs who have heard on the doggy grapevine that they will get food, shelter, a warm bath and some attention at that place up on the hill.
We've never adopted or purchased a dog, yet we always seem to have at least two fine specimens at all times. Our first dog, Stormy, showed up on a real dark and stormy night. We heard a knock, knock at the door. There in the pouring rain stood a man with a rope in his hand. On the other end of the rope was a beautiful black Labrador. "She comes with papers." He said. "I heard you like dogs." Stormy stayed outside in an old doghouse my husband had built years early. Stormy gave us a number of puppies that all found good homes. One of her puppies, Midnight, a misfit, stayed with us.
One day while I was running the dogs, a German Shepherd and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever followed me home. The Shepherd wandered off, but Rosie stayed. She was already old when she arrived, and she stayed another 8 years until she wandered down to the woods one afternoon and died by the water she loved so much. In the meantime, Stormy and Midnight met their fates. Hunter showed up when we were camping at the beach. He was crammed into the van with the kids and camping equipment and came home with us.
Not long after Hunter's arrival, Smokey joined the family. He was a Christmas gift abandoned by one of our neighbors. Next came, Sammie. He didn't last long because he kept biting everything in sight. Once he left, the floodgates seemed to open. We've had Retrievers, Boxers, Beagles, Hounds, and every mix imaginable show up at our doorstep. Some eat and leave. Others come at night for a bite of food, disappear for a few days and come back for more later. Others decide this place would make a good home and refuse to leave. The dogs rarely return to their original owners.
Daisy wouldn't leave. The Labrador that showed up with her was fed and cared for a time and then taken elsewhere so it wouldn't end up at the pound. Now we have another beautiful Beagle. Unlike Daisy, this dog has not been named. He is older and has been through a lot. He has the scars to prove it. He favors one leg. He has fur growing back where it looks like he's been hurt in animal fights. He is a seasoned hunting dog, and it shows. He's a wise old Beagle who has made his home under our office building. Like all the other dogs, he's wandered into the Doggie Black Hole, and I hope his owners find him. If not, maybe we'll give him a good home.
As I listened this morning, I identified the half howl-half bark as that of a Beagle, but slightly lower in pitch than Daisy's. "Did Daisy get out?" My husband said to me half awake. "The bark sounds different." I said. Now fully awake and extremely curious, I got dressed and stepped onto the back steps. The howling stopped. There standing about 30 feet from my back door was another Beagle. This was a male and much older than Daisy. "Wooooof, woooof, woooof, it started in again. I sighed. Welcome to a dog owner's worst nightmare: The Doggie Black Hole, aka, Dog World. The dogs get lost here, and they never want to go home.
Our home is where all stray and lost dogs appear. Though this black hole phenomena is year-round, the black hole's pull seems to be stronger during certain times of the year: June and July (6 to 7 months after Christmas when little gifts have turned to big problems) and September and October (when the weather starts to turn cold). We also get dogs lost after a long night of hunting for rabbits, dogs feeling lonely after a divorce and lost dogs who have heard on the doggy grapevine that they will get food, shelter, a warm bath and some attention at that place up on the hill.
We've never adopted or purchased a dog, yet we always seem to have at least two fine specimens at all times. Our first dog, Stormy, showed up on a real dark and stormy night. We heard a knock, knock at the door. There in the pouring rain stood a man with a rope in his hand. On the other end of the rope was a beautiful black Labrador. "She comes with papers." He said. "I heard you like dogs." Stormy stayed outside in an old doghouse my husband had built years early. Stormy gave us a number of puppies that all found good homes. One of her puppies, Midnight, a misfit, stayed with us.
One day while I was running the dogs, a German Shepherd and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever followed me home. The Shepherd wandered off, but Rosie stayed. She was already old when she arrived, and she stayed another 8 years until she wandered down to the woods one afternoon and died by the water she loved so much. In the meantime, Stormy and Midnight met their fates. Hunter showed up when we were camping at the beach. He was crammed into the van with the kids and camping equipment and came home with us.
Not long after Hunter's arrival, Smokey joined the family. He was a Christmas gift abandoned by one of our neighbors. Next came, Sammie. He didn't last long because he kept biting everything in sight. Once he left, the floodgates seemed to open. We've had Retrievers, Boxers, Beagles, Hounds, and every mix imaginable show up at our doorstep. Some eat and leave. Others come at night for a bite of food, disappear for a few days and come back for more later. Others decide this place would make a good home and refuse to leave. The dogs rarely return to their original owners.
Daisy wouldn't leave. The Labrador that showed up with her was fed and cared for a time and then taken elsewhere so it wouldn't end up at the pound. Now we have another beautiful Beagle. Unlike Daisy, this dog has not been named. He is older and has been through a lot. He has the scars to prove it. He favors one leg. He has fur growing back where it looks like he's been hurt in animal fights. He is a seasoned hunting dog, and it shows. He's a wise old Beagle who has made his home under our office building. Like all the other dogs, he's wandered into the Doggie Black Hole, and I hope his owners find him. If not, maybe we'll give him a good home.
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