Visiting Day

Rain, if it could be called that, started falling while I was milking and continued until after I was back in the house.  It did little more than polka dot the ground and definitely mess up my truck, but the cloud cover did hold the heat at bay so no complaints.

The first visitors of the day, and the first clutch of turklets I've seen this spring, were these mamas and babies at the feeding station.  They came back several times during the day.  I always hold the good thought for the youngsters as their mortality rate is pretty high due to predators.  These little ones aren't new chicks; I wonder how many siblings hatched that are now gone.

Later, I caught movement as I stepped out on the deck at noon and there was this little guy.  My guess was that he was a Pomeranian mix with a funny haircut; full mane and tail and fur cut short on the body, making him look like a tiny lion.  Leaving Bess in the house, I went outside to find...

his companion, an even smaller Pug mix female.  Now what to do with these two uninvited visitors?  Friendly little guys, I didn't want to leave them on their own (they were very interested in the chicken pen) and didn't want them to possibly go down to the big road and risk getting hit by a car.  No tags, no collars, but obviously pets.  I fetched a bowl of water and they followed me into the empty Silkie enclosure where they'd be safe while I decided on a course of action.

The internet is a powerful tool.  I put their "wanted" posters on a local Facebook site, saying I'd wait until 1:30 before calling Animal Control if the owner couldn't be found.  I put a deadline just to emphasize the urgency.  Cam and the community sprang into action.  I was on the phone to Animal Control at 2 (I'd waited) when the owner called.  I cancelled the report and the guy said he'd be here to pick up the dogs at 3:30.  At 3:30, he called again and said he'd be here at 5:30.  I kept checking on the dogs, making sure they still had water, giving them milk bones, and filling in the holes the little girl was digging.  She had one tunnel going that was deep enough that only her curly tail was above ground.  I will admit that by almost 7:30 when the owner finally showed up, I was a little tight-jawed.  These dogs were no danger to livestock (well, I was glad no chickens were free-ranging), but it is irresponsible to let dogs run loose and a danger to the dogs.

I'd had enough excitement for the day and was happy to see sundown, and a pretty one it was.

(No animals were injured during this production.)