TWO PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS
The first prodigal daughter is YU YI. She was rescued by me as a puppy with her two brothers living by a reservoir. The reason this little madam is exhausted is because she has been a 2 ½ hour walk with me & the pack; followed by another 2 ½ hours out on her own. She is good as gold during walks, checks back with me, comes to recalls, but is usually last in. When we get back to the car, the other dogs get more water and rest in the shade to cool down. This little prodigal, along with the other rescue Madam, "Somying", likes to go & explore further. Now she is used to Daddy being back & going proper walks with them, she has reverted to type.
When I load up the dogs after a walk, Pepsi always gets in the car last to check for wanderers, nearly always YU YI, sometimes SOMYING. Today was very hot so I gave them an extra rest. HAPPY, the rescue pup who was scalded at New Year,but is now fine; kept getting in the car and jumping out again, so I lost count, and Pepsi got fed up. So I thought I counted 8 dogs in the car, but YU YI had gone to hunt squirrels in the deep cover. So I drove off a dog short. Not for the first time. Our pack has the same rule as the US Marine Corps, “No dog is left behind” So when this happens she knows I shall come back for her. Her basic training kicks in and she knows the drill, as do all the dogs. Wait in cover for Daddy to return, don’t talk to strangers, get a drink if you can. I drove back for her, and asked a couple of farm workers if they had seen her. They said no, which is what I expected; she is very shy and hides from people.
I parked in the same place under coconut trees, gave two blasts on the whistle, and she came tearing through the coconut trees to get back to me. She had the sense to go to the watering hole half a mile away and get a good soak, and was dripping wet. She always makes a big fuss when she is recovered. I usually bring Pepsi with me to find her, but he was tired, so I just brought the Dandie Dinmont. They did a celebration dance and I took them home to sleep. Note the relaxed sleep posture in the photo; also known as being absolutely shattered.... (to be continued, no doubt)
My other prodigal daughteris SOMYING, the rescue pup from the market. She is now 2 ½ years old. She has a similar habit pf disappearing at the end of a walk. But she is super friendly, so forget her not talking to starngers, It works for her. It is how she got herself rescued as a puupy. She just wandered around the market being friendly with everyone til someone (ie my Brother in Law) took her in, and brought her to me.
Four months ago, she wandered off at the end of a walk, and went missing completely for 3 weeks. I was sure she was still alive, though a slight worry was I had seen a cobra in the area where she vanished, but cobras are very shy and won't usually bother dogs, if dogs leave em alone.I told Phai that she will have latced onto some farm workers, so she will at least be eating rice only for a while. I searched the area many times that week and asked many fols out in the fields, but no one knew anything..Three weeks later, I was out with the pack and saw some farm labourers I know. A poor family with 3 kids and 3 dogs, except that day they had 4 dogs, and one new dog was Somying. They had cared for her for three weeks, and renamed her “Nang”. She was bouncing all over me and my dogs, but I gave her the choice, does she want to stay with the farmers or come with me. I didn’t leash her, just let her choose. I even fed the farm dogs a few snacks and gave some to the kids to feed them. The kids were crying and calling her back, but she wanted her original pack. I gave the family some money and thanked them for looking after her. I also promised the kids I would bring her to see them, which I do. I also bring them stuff from Phai’s shop, such as peanut brittle and nice foods. As we were sorting out the dogs, the land owner came in his truck, so we exchanged information. Apparently Somying had eaten some poison (insecticide) while with them and had to go to the vet to sort it. My Soda did the same and the symptoms are very clear, and swift action is needed. So more ”wais” and thanks. I knew not to insult the landowner by offering money for the vet bill. Then more of the landowner's family showed up in another car, and said I obviously love dogs, would I like some more? They had a bitch with a litter. I politely declined saying that 9 dogs was quite enough, even for a nut like me. I see the family out in the fields from time to time and we always have a chat while the kids play with SOMYING aka NANG. She remembers everyone who is nice to her. Rural people in Thailand are amazingly friendly and generous. They love to chat, so knowing Thai is very useful. The photo shows Somying about a month after her return. She is much less likely to wander off now. Whenever she shows a tendency I remind her by asking her if she wants to be "Nang" again; seems to have worked. Here she knows exactly where Phai & Soda are and is showing no inclination to take off.
When I load up the dogs after a walk, Pepsi always gets in the car last to check for wanderers, nearly always YU YI, sometimes SOMYING. Today was very hot so I gave them an extra rest. HAPPY, the rescue pup who was scalded at New Year,but is now fine; kept getting in the car and jumping out again, so I lost count, and Pepsi got fed up. So I thought I counted 8 dogs in the car, but YU YI had gone to hunt squirrels in the deep cover. So I drove off a dog short. Not for the first time. Our pack has the same rule as the US Marine Corps, “No dog is left behind” So when this happens she knows I shall come back for her. Her basic training kicks in and she knows the drill, as do all the dogs. Wait in cover for Daddy to return, don’t talk to strangers, get a drink if you can. I drove back for her, and asked a couple of farm workers if they had seen her. They said no, which is what I expected; she is very shy and hides from people.
I parked in the same place under coconut trees, gave two blasts on the whistle, and she came tearing through the coconut trees to get back to me. She had the sense to go to the watering hole half a mile away and get a good soak, and was dripping wet. She always makes a big fuss when she is recovered. I usually bring Pepsi with me to find her, but he was tired, so I just brought the Dandie Dinmont. They did a celebration dance and I took them home to sleep. Note the relaxed sleep posture in the photo; also known as being absolutely shattered.... (to be continued, no doubt)
My other prodigal daughteris SOMYING, the rescue pup from the market. She is now 2 ½ years old. She has a similar habit pf disappearing at the end of a walk. But she is super friendly, so forget her not talking to starngers, It works for her. It is how she got herself rescued as a puupy. She just wandered around the market being friendly with everyone til someone (ie my Brother in Law) took her in, and brought her to me.
Four months ago, she wandered off at the end of a walk, and went missing completely for 3 weeks. I was sure she was still alive, though a slight worry was I had seen a cobra in the area where she vanished, but cobras are very shy and won't usually bother dogs, if dogs leave em alone.I told Phai that she will have latced onto some farm workers, so she will at least be eating rice only for a while. I searched the area many times that week and asked many fols out in the fields, but no one knew anything..Three weeks later, I was out with the pack and saw some farm labourers I know. A poor family with 3 kids and 3 dogs, except that day they had 4 dogs, and one new dog was Somying. They had cared for her for three weeks, and renamed her “Nang”. She was bouncing all over me and my dogs, but I gave her the choice, does she want to stay with the farmers or come with me. I didn’t leash her, just let her choose. I even fed the farm dogs a few snacks and gave some to the kids to feed them. The kids were crying and calling her back, but she wanted her original pack. I gave the family some money and thanked them for looking after her. I also promised the kids I would bring her to see them, which I do. I also bring them stuff from Phai’s shop, such as peanut brittle and nice foods. As we were sorting out the dogs, the land owner came in his truck, so we exchanged information. Apparently Somying had eaten some poison (insecticide) while with them and had to go to the vet to sort it. My Soda did the same and the symptoms are very clear, and swift action is needed. So more ”wais” and thanks. I knew not to insult the landowner by offering money for the vet bill. Then more of the landowner's family showed up in another car, and said I obviously love dogs, would I like some more? They had a bitch with a litter. I politely declined saying that 9 dogs was quite enough, even for a nut like me. I see the family out in the fields from time to time and we always have a chat while the kids play with SOMYING aka NANG. She remembers everyone who is nice to her. Rural people in Thailand are amazingly friendly and generous. They love to chat, so knowing Thai is very useful. The photo shows Somying about a month after her return. She is much less likely to wander off now. Whenever she shows a tendency I remind her by asking her if she wants to be "Nang" again; seems to have worked. Here she knows exactly where Phai & Soda are and is showing no inclination to take off.
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