A personal tether story: Cosette I just had a marvelous experience with a dog who had obviously freed herself from an illegal tether. I was finishing cleaning my car in my driveway about a week ago (I wont tell you how many years it has been since I have performed this chore). With both back doors opened, I was in the front; when I turned around, to my astonishment, there was a medium-size dog sitting in the back wagging his tail, wrigglingly happy, but obviously tired! I had the distinct impression that he wanted me to drive him home. Well, as it turns out, he was a she. Being very hot, I fetched some water , which she happily lapped up, then put her paws on both of my shoulders and proceeded to kiss me all over my face until I had to escape, laughing. I brought some dog food to the backseat, and gave her a brief exam. She seemed in excellent shape except for a granulated angry-looking semicircular narrow lesion on her anterior neck, as you might expect from a strong dog vigorously trying to escape from a tether tied to a collar for weeks. She had obviously given birth in the past. She wouldnt leave the car – I had to carry her into the house. She spent about four days with us, the friendliest, most joyous dog I have ever experienced. She had had zero training, but was very intelligent, and soon understood the command no (although rarely obeyed). We had an enclosed backyard, and she was obviously becoming secure. She loved everyone including our 2 Bichon frises, and spent hours plopped in front of our chinchillas cage, trying to kiss him through the bars. My daughter named her Cosette. My smart wife identified her as a Catahoula Leopard dog, the State dog of Louisiana, a highly-intelligent working dog with a very strong personality (if you dont lay down the rules, it will soon run your house), which needs at least 1 hr of exercise daily. My wife and daughter were very tactful in letting me know that there was no way that dog could stay with us as it would destroy the house (being a 75 pound energetic untrained animal) plus ruin my wifes ability to breathe, as she was very allergic – thats why we had the hypoallergenic Bichons. My poor wife was already on maximal steroids and antihistamines to no avail. Well, it ended semi-sweetly, I think. After a few days trying to locate a home in the country for her and putting her on the waiting list for animal rescue for her breed in Kingsville (turns out they are very popular dogs in Kleberg County because they are superb tracking dogs– especially for feral hogs--and the puppies sell in the $500-600 range) I noticed a lot of clucking in the front yard and when I went out to chase away the chicken molester (yes, I have three ornamental hens I acquired that wander about, usually staying in the back yard) i beheld a collarless dog almost the mirror image of ours, peering into our dining room window. That dog had to be either the partner or a sibling, and had finally tracked down its companion. Shying away from me, it was off in a flash down the street. I tried to catch up with the new dog, with the help of four little neighborhood children who cycled after it on their bikes, but it wouldnt allow them to get near enough to play. When I came home a half hour later, my wife told me that she had gone to the front door to see where I was, and Cosette just elbowed her aside as if she weighed nothing, and was gone in a flash. We havent seen hide nor hair of her since. We had placed a lost and found ad in the Caller Times as well as checking Craigslist for lost dogs--to no avail. I think the owner would not have tried to find her because of the obvious abuse, and he might have used her as a mini-puppy mill. By that time Val was so allergic she was in total misery. So I think that happy pair are now roaming the countryside together. She has never come back for a visit but thats okay. If you find a happy Catahoula in your back seat, say hello to Cosette for me.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 01:21:31 +0000