Strange Bedfellows

There was a logjam at the barn door last night.  It happens sometimes for no apparent reason.  The other night when I was late getting into the pen, I understood that the kids were reluctant to go to their rooms because they couldn't see into the gloom.  Ruth and Esther ended up together and that wasn't a good match.  The next morning Ruth had bald patches where Esther had snatched out mouthfuls of her coat.  Poppy, usually the first in the gate, held back last night until she was last, giving Sheila first dibs at their shared nighttime snack.  Nineteen ran in alone, and, for whatever reason, his roommate Tessie went into the big room with Cindy, Esther, and Inga.  He's never spent the night alone, and she obviously had concerns about her choice.  A goat's gonna do what a goat's gotta do, and I am left to wonder why.  I've just about decided to send Tessie off to visit the buck, so perhaps this is a good experience for Nineteen to spend some time alone.  Or not.

I sent a dog to jail yesterday.  An old, grey-muzzled female black Lab showed up in the afternoon and was disinclined to leave.  She caused no damage and was friendly, but seemed lost.  I gave her water and she was thirsty.  Finally, in her best interest, I put her in Stumpy's old dog run, fed her some doggie biscuits, and called Animal Control.  Dave, the Animal Control Guy, said it was a good thing I'd called because the coyote packs were growing, and a lost dog would either starve, get hit by a car, or eaten by the Beastie Boys.  The Lab had a collar and tag, but the tag was for Luis Obispo county.  The one place an owner will know to look for a lost dog is Animal Control, and I hope this old girl is reclaimed soon.  There's a strange adjunct to this story.  Bessie Anne had alerted me in no uncertain terms that there was a stranger on the property, but once I'd caged the Lab (going out alone, leaving Bess in the house), my girl had absolutely no interest in her after a single sniff through the cage.  I was pulling brush over to the burn pile while waiting for Dave, and Bess stayed by my side, even though Lab was voicing her displeasure at confinement.  I wish, as I have so many times before, that I knew what the animals are thinking.