GIFTS

GIFTS

Sometimes the greatest gifts you receive are the unintentional ones. I never ever thought I would own a Beagle. Then Joey came into my life. A couple of years later Joey found Ralphie emancipated in a briar patch. They are old and winding down now; but they both still have the heart they have always had. Poor Joey was down in the back and legs all summer. I had to carry him around everywhere we went. That was from May until September. He has been doing pretty well since then until this week. He has been lame in one back leg.

We stopped at a place where we normally go for walks about 52 times per year. Anything to be seen there; we have already seen. I left the camera in the truck this time; of course. We walked awhile and got to the waterhole they always get a drink from. There was a WalMart bag in the water; therefore Joey would not drink from it. He wanted to go to the river so there we went; him limping & hobbling down the steep rocky hill to the river. While he was drinking his head suddenly came up. He smelled something and they both started sniffing & snorting around. Joey insisted in heading upstream; so we went along with him.

They were trailing something as they always are on 30 foot leashes as always. Joey is limping and sniffing. Ralphie is getting hung up as always. Joey went over one log; Ralphie went under the same log, so I’m untangling again. I see Joey 25 feet ahead start over top of a BIG log and he lets out a high pitched scream. I thought that was it he either just broke his back or his hip had come out of its socket. Figured Oh, Shit. Then Ralphie bellowed and Joey was full steam ahead. I was running behind them for about 150 yards until Ralphie got tangled in the rhododendron really bad. I had to get him undone as a one point he was hanging by his neck and still bellowing and trying to go. I had to let go of Joey’s leash at that point.

I got Ralphie loose from the tangle and could still hear Joey screaming up ahead. By the time we got to Joey again..He had a 200 pound bear up a poplar tree..They screamed at the bottom of the tree and Joey yes, crippled up joey was climbing 6 feet up the tree with every attempt.. They got tired and couldn’t bark any more and we went limping & hobbling back to the truck. The chase only lasted about 300 yards before Joey treed him!! I looked back when we were about halfway to the truck and saw the bear cross the road and head to higher ground. The photo is from when we got back to the truck, They don't appear to be any worse off than when we started out & I'm the only one bleeding! So all is good.

Yep, some gifts you do not plan on ever getting..But, they happen anyway..Merry Christmas..