Crouching Puppy....Hidden Dragon

From Miss W's Weekend Notes:

This weekend the three Rainy puppy's turned into martial arts masters...and began their concentrated and organized Warfare Against Containment.

Saturday I woke up at about 6am to the sounds of Blossom's heart being broken. It had snowed again... I was not looking forward to more shovelling...
I got out of bed, looked over the snow banks and could not see much. I could only see dog heads in the kennel and they were all looking down the field, barking at *something*... then I went back to bed thinking the dogs had managed to bark away some wild life...good dogs....zzzzz...Poor Blossom always the 4rth wheel.....more shoveling...

A little while later the phone rang, it was hubby, up the road at Alisha's, reporting 3 loose puppies scampering about. He asked if he should load them into his truck and bring them home... YES!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaieeeeeeeeeeeh! Loose puppies!!!

So putting the evidence together, the pups had jumped out the rear of their kennels, attempted to wake me/break into the house by wading through the unused backyard area, and then taken themselves for a walk. They went out the field and down our little trail to the beaver pond. They took the right turn once the trail brought them to the road and headed up toward the farm, where we used to walk around the fields. Terry found them at Alisha's - right across from the farm.

The returned pups were put in the big play area, as I considered their kennel unsafe. Poor, lonely, broken hearted Blossom was turned out with the 3 reprobates and I left for coffee with hubby. Bad idea.....

Upon return home, only Blossom was in play area of the kennel. Woody was wandering around the yard outside of the kennel and Bodhi and Bridget were GONE! Woody came right to me and I rewarded the poor little guy with a life sentence in the kennel with a lid.

Now I had to find the other two!
A mad dash to Alisha's house was fruitless.

On no, only one more place to look. The "Ladies" - the mud-swamp "farmers" up the road with loose everything...

We drove into their driveway, and there were little tiny foot prints everywhere! Fortunately they had penned all their animals/pets/livestock before going to bed. Their one dog was tied up on the porch, but apparently is too lifeless to bark to let them know there are small white demons running around the yard.

I called and called and Bridget came running into my arms. I tossed her into the truck right off. We found Bodhi hysterically running around the bunny hutches. He was very angry to be scooped up and hauled to the truck. What a handful!

Once home Bodhi and Bridget joined Woody, sentenced to a life in the lidded kennel with no parole until we could figure out what the problem was. 3 pissed off puppies....

Hubby, Jesse and I shoveled out for 5 hours straight: all the fence lines, the back of the pup kennel, all the doors. The usual post storm shoveling plus a heroic effort to keep the fences from shrinking anymore then they had too.


We turned the pups out...early parole... to see what our efforts had gained us. RIGHT UP AND OVER THEN FENCE! It was like that gorgeous movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. They just ran at the fence like they believed, and up and over they went. All 3 were out in a flash. Bodhi we managed to get right away. But Bridget and Woody were headed for the deck to break into the house. I dashed into the house and out to the deck and helped them up. Then...for security sake I put them in crates with chewies. Loads of them.

Then I sat and cried. My puppies can fly... how can I keep them safe??? Once back in lock up, the pups we screaming. We dug and chiseled and dug, only gaining an inch or two.

Time to think up a plan B, so we went into the house. I made pancakes, Jesse made his awesome scrambled eggs with garlic and Terry made rum and cokes. He normally doesn't drink, was playing hooky from work to help me, and now I've turned him into a drunk!

Plan B: buy fencing. We thought we'd scab on extra 2x4's to the posts and overlap 5 foot fencing, gaining 3 feet. Problem: I still had to go take care of the Alexander's dogs, and hadn't even scooped poop at home.

I went to Agway in Plymouth - no fencing at all!!! Kim and Kelly told me they had bought the last at Rands. I headed to the Alexander's in Sanbornton, cleaned and fed fish, birds, cats and dogs. Then headed to Agway in Tilton. 100$ a roll! Ack! I bought two.

At home it was getting dark. Terry had gone to the farm to take care of a roof that was groaning under the snow load. Everyone was tired and hungry - including my 26 dogs. I did my own kennel chores while the guys went and got groceries and dinner. The poor puppies were still locked in that one small kennel with a lid, Bridget was still not eating, and things were grim. But we ate and drank ourselves to sleep, knowing we had to rest before getting the fencing up.

SUNDAY none of us can move... and guess what? 3 inches of rain is predicted on Tuesday. Terry and I spent the morning with kennel and barn chores and then loads and loads of roof clearing. Already the news has been peppered with stories of local roofs collapsing. Now with 3 inches of rain predicted, things were going to get much worse. I shoveled our deck too, and the house dog area.

Finally late in the day we get all set up and Terry's son Travis comes to help put up the new fencing. We wade through 8 feet of piled up snow outside the kennels and finally get the big play area done. Almost one whole roll, 10o feet! We let the pups out - let's see what they do? They run at the fence! Over and over. And run almost all the way to the top of the new fencing! But the rules of gravity do still pertain to them, and each time before they reach the top the pups fall down. They start howling and screaming, and dashing around in a temper. Especially Bridget. Anyone want a cute little white demon??? I am wondering if I should amputate a leg from each one.

I still have to get the Alexanders animals fed, and Terry has to do barn chores again. We both leave for a while, and the pups are still in the lidded kennel, mad as hens, and I wonder if I will ever keep them safe.

This morning I let them out to play while I did chores. They seemed to have figured out that they cannot get out as before, but they keep LOOKING at the high fence... and sniffing the ground under it... planning.... and scheming... SCARY!!!

Blossom, it should be noted, has moved in with uncle Turbo and Tula. She is very happy, and doesn't seem to miss her "siblings" (she is from another litter and is awfully cute with a think, fat coat and tiny little legs - bless her).

It is obviously time to run these puppies in harness more... and get them very very very tired.

That's all for now. I am at work and hoping for no new developments in the Warfare Against Containment. Jesse is on duty, and hopefully all goes well today.