Tulip

Bogie did a few naughty things when he was little like toss over the garbage and pick through it when we were out. And he left a fine deposit of poop in the upstairs hall that Les's middle son stepped in. (But he was very young, Bogie not Gabe.) I knew that I didn't want to go through the puppy stuff again, so I ordered Tulip on line because she is older and she looked perfectly awful and had a good recommendation as being 'wonderful.'

I have no idea how old she is, but she's not entirely house broken and she is definitely a prankster. Bogie would not imagine climbing up on the table to eat the cat food. I put it on a low table, too near a chair, because Tulip, at first, terrorized Bacall. Now they seem to have established a truce, but the cat was out in the hallway for a number of days until Tulip calmed down.

Late this afternoon, I took the dogs out, Bogie, Tulip and The Sausage. Tulip had her leash on, but I let it go and she went under her usual bush. But then disappeared. Absolutely. I had just talked with Jenifer on the phone, explained why we were missing the dog training class tonight, made two other appointments, and then lost Tulip. I couldn't imagine telling Jenifer (You let go of the leash?) or Krissy (You lost the dog already?).

I couldn't hear her panting or the faint snort she makes. I called Tulip, Tulip, Tulip endlessly, put Bogie and Happy in the house, hunted many times through the chaos of a backyard that's completely and badly and thornily overgrown. I got scratched, bitten and discouraged. And it took 45 minutes for me to find her, half out of her halter, leash still attached, coming back through the narrow opening in the fence to the next yard. That yard is paved with cement as many of the yards around here are.