ANOTHER OLD YELLER DOG

My son was visiting us and told me that my dog Slim was after something in the tall grass next to our house. Slim would run to the edge of the grass and begin barking, running back and forth, and jumping up and down as if she was trying to catch a glimpse of something, but not daring to go into the high brush after it.

A few days later, looking out the kitchen window, I thought I saw Slim sleeping under one of the tractors. I heard a noise in the kitchen and Slim was standing next to me. So what animal was under the tractor?

I ventured out to inspect the large reddish-brown dog with an aging gray face. She raised her head to look at me. Once it was determined that I was not the person she expected, she darted quickly into the high grass to hide. Slim followed her, barking loudly, but only to the edge of the clearing.

I am sure it has happened once again. Someone has driven to the country to drop off an old pet. We have many strays in our area due to that fact and the animals are rarely adopted by the locals. Usually they are shot because these abandoned animals quickly turn into predators and threaten the livestock.

This old girl has not adopted us, but she had adopted this particular tractor. Each time we become preoccupied with other things and Slim is in the house, the stray will creep out of the bushes to rest under that one tractor. (We have several.) The minute I walk out the door she does the same thing – she glances at me with anticipation, hoping I am her lost owner, and then disappointed, runs away to her hiding place. For some reason Slim is not trying very hard to run her off.

We are guessing that the dog’s owner must have passed away and the family didn’t know what to do with the aging dog, so they abandoned her. This elderly canine may have picked us because we had a tractor that was probably like one her owner had.

I doubt she will ever let us come near her, but I know that at night she has shelter and can easily access Slim’s food and water. This visiting dog does not show any interest in my chickens or my goats. My husband won’t be driving that old Ferguson tractor for quite some time, so it can be hers for now to shade her and to allow her to sleep with peaceful dreams of times gone by.