On my way to town Tuesday evening, I got a curious text from Hick.
"I got to go get a new dog leash the dog run under the gator and it got wrapped around the tire."
Of course this sounded like an incomplete story to me. I couldn't press for details, since I was driving on the lettered county highway with a speeder nudging T-Hoe's bumper. But you can bet the next time I had Hick cornered, I got the full story. In tiny increments...
"So Scarlett ran under the Gator? Did you let her loose to run around with the other dogs?"
"No. That brown dog barked at her, and she ran under."
"Wait. You mean Copper Jack? How did Scarlett get under the Gator if she wasn't loose? Why were you driving over in her area?"
"I was going to work on my new mower over at the BARn."
"Wait. Her cable doesn't reach that far."
"I drove the Gator over by her house to pet her. I was stopped. He barked, and she run around behind the Gator to get to me. She got her cable over the left rear tire. That's on my blind side."
"So it got stuck there?"
"It got wrapped around the wheel."
"While you were sitting there? I'm not getting it. Why did you need a new leash. Or do you mean the cable? Did it break the cable off the top of the screw thing?"
"No. I didn't know it was caught. The cable. I started driving over to the BARn. I noticed Scarlett was running along with me and the Gator. She was AHEAD of the Gator. I thought, 'Somethin' ain't right...' Then it wrapped more around the wheel and pulled her under the Gator."
"So you almost killed her???"
"I could have. It was hard to get her loose! She wasn't hurt, though. I mean, I'm sure it didn't feel good for a minute. Until I got her loose."
"At what point did you notice she was running along past where her lead reaches?"
"I was about halfway to the BARn. The cable stretched out that eyelet thing that attaches it to the swivel on top of the screw thing. I could probably just bend it back with pliers, but I can't get the cable loose from the Gator until I take off the wheel."
Yes. That's a little different from the original story that Scarlett ran under the Gator.
Poor Scarlett. I have a feeling this is not going to help keep her from running away! She must be pretty sure we are crazy captors, trying to kill her.
Oh my gosh. I'm just glad Hick realized that Scarlett was under the Gator in time to prevent her from being killed. That was a close call:)
ReplyDeleteFunny how he left THAT part out of the original story...
DeleteWhile Hick was thinking about WHY Scarlett was ahead of the Gator, twice as far from her house as the lead should have allowed, the lead started reeling her under the Gator. He immediately hit the brakes, and stopped just in time.
He's blind in his left eye, so had not noticed that when Scarlett first ran around the back of the Gator to get to him for petting, the lead got over the top of the left rear tire. When he started driving, it wrapped around the axle. I guess the short end yanked loose from the screw thing in the ground first. Then Scarlett was only tethered to the axle on the long end of the lead. So she could run ahead as the Gator moved, only to be gradually reeled in as her end completed coiling around the axle.
Yikes! This is scaring me. how careless of him to not check before he starts up the gator and drives off! do I have to come there and smack him upside the head? I could sneak up on his blind side....
ReplyDeletePoor Scarlett :(
This is one case where I have to take Hick's side. It's not something that ever happened before, or something he could anticipate. Normally, the lead would be on the ground, and the tire would just roll over it. Something about the angle Scarlett took, and perhaps her romping, got the lead over the top of the tire, where it rested on the axle.
DeleteYou are welcome to smack Hick upside the head for numerous past incidents, but not this one. Well. Maybe for not telling me without interrogation what actually happened. Good to know you have an ambush plan.
Aha! The further explanation makes sense, so I'll forgive him this time and just be glad he noticed in time to save Scarlett.
ReplyDeleteSo Hick is safe from a headside slap. For now...
DeleteHick must have felt horrible! Poor Scarlett must be afraid of the Gator now. I feel like I should come and just hold her!! Once a camper came in on a Saturday morning to tell me he was just going to go home after what happened. It was 3 day weekend and he accidentally ran over his little dog and killed her. Poor man was so distaught my eyes welled with tears and we both started sobbing (very professional of me, don't you think?) My mother hit my little dog (with her car) that I was allowed to have when my Dad retired because he liked to chase cars and she was "teaching him to stop". She broke his hip and the vet bill would have paid for a fence. My Daddy thought the lesson should have been for her. He still chased cars when he healed up ad a fence never went up .....
ReplyDeleteYes, Hick did feel bad when he told the whole story. Scarlett still adores him. He's got her loose in the yard right now. We'll see if she stays.
DeleteI'm afraid for Scarlett, since she was an apartment dog, and not used to vehicles other than riding INSIDE one. My little Jack knows enough to get out of the way, but I'll worry about backing out of the garage when Scarlett is running loose. Also, I can't see over T-Hoe's hood when they are near the wheels.
Hick backed over one of our previous dogs, the brother of Poor Dumb Ann, the black german shephard mix who "found" us after being dumped. To be fair, Cubby was NOT very smart. It took him a long time to learn how to go up and down steps. He had chosen to sleep under Hick's truck, and didn't move like a normal dog would when Hick got in and started it up.