It was late in July, the year is 2010. My two uber-cute and loveable golden retrievers were outside doing their thing before I went to bed. It was dark outside and the neighbourhood was calm. I was sitting by the pool, reading Brisingr, partaking in youthful delinquency when I noticed the silence in the backyard.
I looked over my book and couldn't see my dogs anywhere. I laid Brisingr down on the lawn chair and made my way around the gazebo, thinking maybe they had decided to rest under the cool cedar hedges. Nope, no sign of Bellatrix or Inana.
And that's when I heard it. The high-pitch squeal. It sounded very much like a squeeze-toy so I didn't think much of it but then I saw the hedges, that wrap around the backyard, start to move and shake violently.
"BELLA!" I yelled, calling her out of the hedges. The youngest of the two, which we affectionately shortened her name to Nana, came strolling out tongue dangling to the side of her face. Bella, who was unfortunately born with hip displaysia, did not come out. The cedars continued shaking and the squealing intensified.
I thought she was fighting for dear life. I ran to the hedges and called her out again. This time she listened and walked out with what looked like a mouse in her mouth. My dogs never, and I stress that word, displayed any sign of being Hunters; so naturally I told her to drop it because:
a) RABIES!
b) it was still squealing :(
For some odd reason, that I still don't understand to this day, she would NOT let the little thing go. I tried opening her mouth (snout?) but that didn't work. Bella was not only a super friendly dog, she also listened very well (as oppossed to Nana...who is Hades' hellbeast tucked away in a super cute dog's body) so her behaviour was really weird.
She did listen though when I told her to move onto the patio and told her to stay. I go inside, quickly grab a bag, contemplate on waking up my mom or calling the vet (lol) and then decide against it, and shoot right back outside where Bella is still sitting, mouse in mouth. It hadn't squealed in a while...
Except I notice, now that Bella is under the yellow light that the little furry creature in her mouth is not a mouse but a leveret, a baby hare. It's not that I don't care about rats...But seeing a baby hare is alot more heart wrenching then a baby rat. Just sayin'
At that point, I just think of what happened in the hedges. :`(
"BELLA DROP THAT FUCKING BABY HARE, NOW!"
I think my dog sensed that I was angry. But she didn't just just open her snout and let the thing fall out. She placed the baby hare down. I could see that she felt bad. This was her first "kill". Poor thing. I scooped the little hare into the bag and ordered my dogs inside.
Once in the garage I placed the bag on the freezer, thinking of what the hell I was going to do with it. I didn't want to just put it in the garbage. And then it squeaked again and the bag moved a bit. I love animals and seeing this was really hard to digest.
I thought litterally about everything. Ending it's suffering, placing him back in the hedges hoping for the best, calling the vet in the morning. I of course couldn't go through with idea #1. Idea #3 seemed like a good idea but I was working in the morning and had NO desire of staying up all night, nursing a baby hare. So I decided on Idea #2 and placed the little guy back under the hedges where Bella attacked it.
Next morning, my lil fella wasn't there and later on we found more. Some were alive, some weren't. My brother and sister-in-law took in the two that were ok and nursed them until they could fend for themselves and then brought them to their homeland.
Bellatrix was sadly hit by a truck later that summer. I know some of you are probably laughing at that sentence and it's okay. I grieved my dear dog that I named after a very mean character from Harry Potter. But also because it was latin for "The Female Warrior". She limped because of her hip displaysia and was so so gentle. Don't tell Nana, but Bella was my favourite. :)
 |
| Bellatrix greeting Inana :) |
 |
| Inana being all cute. She's chubby now. lol |
Imagine, that's only one story. Yesterday, up at the cottage, My brother's dog appeared from the tall grass with a medium sized hare. If that wasn't sad enough, my seven year old niece began crying and repeating "He killed it" which in turn made her four year old sister cry and soon the two we're huddled against their mom's legs crying.
I suggested we have a funeral and made a little cross with branches and twigs and dug a tiny hole. I placed the hare in the hole and shovelled the dirt back over it but only after my oldest niece placed a few flowers beside the furry animal.
I said a few words and we talked a bit followed by a bit more crying but being at the cottage is never dull and soon the girls put the death of the hare behind them and we enjoyed the rest of the Sunday togheter.
Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink
No comments:
Post a Comment