We had a mellow day ahead of us. No one got out of bed until 9:30 (we are still getting used to the 'spring forward' time change). I walked into the kitchen to make coffee and then BAM- the dogs went crazy, slammed the door open and flew outside. Here we go, I thought and followed them outside with some trepidation. They had made a new friend, a hound I didn't recognize but seemed happy to be hanging out at the Dougherty's. It was raining, he looked hungry and I had extra turkey in the refrigerator. I ushered him into the porch, made him a snack and started to think, five dogs isn't too much, right?? I swear, I am a beacon for lost dogs. They know I will take them in, feed them lunch or dinner and give them a little love until they find their way home.
I remember the first dog I wanted to rescue, he was a Golden Retriever from the Golden Valley Humane Society named King. Ted and I had just started dating and I used to be a frequent visitor to the Humane Society (just to visit, not adopt). I thought I would bring my brand new boyfriend along for the ride and test his dog loving mettle. The afternoon quickly dissolved into tears. I met King and I was immediately smitten. I did not understand why on earth Ted would not adopt an 80 pound Golden for me. Needless to say, lunch at Shelly's Woodroast was a poor substitute for King and I went home empty-handed. Ever since that day 23 years ago, I have found countless dogs and wanted to rescue even more. While Ted did not adopt King, he has agreed (more or less) to sharing his house and bedroom with four independently minded dogs.
Back to the latest lost dog to find me. I took a picture of him and posted it to Facebook- no luck. I called the Bayfield Police Department and left a message for the police chief. This was not my first message to Bud. About five years ago, we had just moved up here and I was completely unfamiliar with wild animals- particularly bears. I swear I read bears that are not afraid of humans have dementia and are dangerous. Well, one lovely spring morning, a bear ambled into my yard about 20 feet from my daughter and to my untrained wildlife eye, appeared completely nonplussed by Sadie's presence. What's a girl to do?? Leave a phone message to the police chief about demented bears and could he come up here and do something about it? Bud drove up, gave me a toll-free number for the DNR and assured me he has never seen a bear with dementia. At least the message I left today was much more mundane- just a lost dog. The dog's owners called the police to report the wandering fellow and Bud knew just where to direct them. There was a 12-year-old boy in the car with an enormous smile on his face when he saw his pal, it was a good ending.
Spring has sprung in Bayfield, it was a gloriously rainy day. Trees that were covered in snow a little over two weeks ago were glistening with raindrops this afternoon. While the mud is enough to drive me mad (five dogs would have been too much), my first afternoon spent in the garden can't be far off. After all the dog wrangling, I was famished. I made myself a proper lunch of pâté, cornichons, dijon mustard, baguette and a generous slice of Fromager d'Affinois (it has a raw honey like finish...amazing!). All in all, it was a good start to our spring break.
