A man from town came up the mountain in his black Land Rover. As usual, the stranger was welcomed by a threatening flock of geese and quick footed mounds of snow white fur. They circled the Range Rover with unusually ferocity.
The driver rolled his window down several inches to speak to a fierce greeting from Christian. The poor man was terrified. Christian as how he got past the gate. It was opened on one side, giving now warning at the house. Christian cleared the man as not being a threat then raced down to check the gate.
The man, Scott was his name, timidly stepped out of his car. He shouted "Quiet Buddha! be a good boy! Lay down boy." Buddha is a huge Tibetan Mastiff.
Scott explained his visit. The geese and dogs quieted and stood sentry around the car as if to keep the k-9 invader at bay and satisfy their curiosity.
"The neighbors are terrified of him and they have been calling the police because of his "nuisance" barking. They, the town, said I have three days get rid of him. I don't want to put him in a shelter and I don't have time to find a home for him and I can't afford to move. My friend Alex, told me about you and your farm. He suggested that I talk to you but I didn't know how to get hold of you so I drove up, hoping to talk to you."
I opened the car door and spoke to Buddha. He was threatening at first but then stepped forward and offered his head to me. I scratched and pet him behind his ears while continuing to talk to him. I grabbed his lead and asked him to jump out of the car. He looked at Scott as if asking for permissions then jumped out. The geese and my dogs widened their circle. "What do you think guys?"
Panza cautiously stepped forward to greet Buddha. Buddha growled a bit until I told his to "be a good boy Buddha, Panza will take care of you", from me was all it took to calm him down. I unhooked his leash from the collar. "Don't!" Scot shouted. "We'll never catch him!"
Panza bounced toward Buddha, inviting him to play. The dogs ran off together. "Panza! Jose! Sancho! bring him back!" They came running back, all four, all sixteen paws flying through the air.
"GOOD DOGS! Tommy stood at my side. He is my absolutely steadfast companion who rarely leaves my side.
I asked Scott what he wanted for Buddha. All that he wants is a good home and a place for Buddha to run and make all the dog noises that he wants to make and, if possible, I'd like to visit him occasionally".
I offered Buddha a home. I invited Scott in for coffee and called the dogs to follow. We sat in the Great Room amid the settling fur. We have another huge appetite to feed.
Master is going to be happy about this! I can't wait for him to come home.
Great story and a great ending. Dogs that big really aren't good in town, they need the space and exercise to suit them. You're all heart, he'll have a life he only dreamed of before and you've probably made a good friend in Scott. Mind you, you'll get fit brushing all that fur.:)
ReplyDeleteFur is nothing new around here! I breathe, sleep and sometimes eat fur. We have six Great Pyrenees and a barn full of animals that need brushing. Another hair ball just adds to the fun. Buddha is a testy young dog and shows great willingness to chase anything that crosses his path but he met his match with the geese. He chased them and all sixteen adults turned and charged him at once.
ReplyDeleteThey and the Lamas are the most dangerous animals on the Ranch.
Would have liked to have seen that. I know those dogs are huge, although a lot of fur makes them look even bigger, but being chased by a flock of 16 geese must have made him wonder wtf was happening.
ReplyDeleteBTW, are the smaller deer settled in now?
The fawn are settled. All the reindeer hangout together. All the gates between corral areas are open. Each species hangs out in their own little group but wander around at will. They respect each other and usually run to their own corner when the horses decide to play. They get rowdy. The dogs usually hangout near the goats by a pile of logs and hay that they play live on during the day.
ReplyDeleteWe've maxed out on animals. We've sold a few goats to a goat farmer who makes cheese. Goats multiply almost as fast as rabbits.
The highlands just wander around eating grass. The bull has grown nearly as tall as me and he's gotten a little grumpy. We're planning on showing him this summer to start building up credentials for stud work.