Here comes Trouble

When a stray dog tries to "herd" our lawnmower by nipping at the tires, it's kind of cute; but when that same dog tries to herd my grandkids by nipping at their hands, not so cute. Big, energetic, jumping dog, small children, lots of distress. My daughter, the dog-whisperer, tried to do her magic to distract the dog while I got the kids inside, but for her pains she got bitten--just a small bite, no stitches necessary, but even a small bite can be dangerous when you don't know the dog's vaccination history.

It's hard for the visiting grandkids to enjoy the great outdoors while a big bossy jumpy dog keeps trying to control their movements, so we called the county sheriff, who eventually responded with two options: we could restrain the dog so they could come and collect it, or they could set up a live trap. I pointed out that a live trap would be more likely to capture the family of raccoons that's been ravaging our birdfeeders, so we made a plan to restrain the dog.

Easier said than done. Tuesday morning we took the kids out on a creek hike, with lots of splashing and shrieking and fun, and we kept our eyes peeled for this stray dog.

Now I have gone on record stating that I'd like to get a new dog to replace Hopeful, but this is not that dog. From the first time she followed me home, Hopeful started sleeping across the threshold of the front door as if to protect us, and even at her most energetic, she never bit or nipped or threatened anyone. A dog that nips at my grandkids and bites my daughter is not going to be my best friend without some intensive training of the sort I'm not equipped to provide, so we needed an intervention.

We were splashing through a shallow section of the creek when the dog came charging up. My husband was equipped with thick gloves and a leash, and he soon had the dog restrained--temporarily. The dog acted much more obedient while leashed, but he kept slipping out of the collar and running off, and off the leash, he's a maniac. Finally the resident dog-wrangler tightened the collar and tied the leash to a stake out back and came in to get ready for work while we waited for the deputy sheriff. I sent her out back to collect the dog, but all she found was a limp leash.

At that time the dog-wrangler was in the shower and I was in the house awaiting developments while my daughter and grandkids were building a dam down at the creek, and all I could think of was that dog rushing off to try to herd them up again, nipping every hand she could find. But the dog got caught and the grandkids were fine and the deputy took the beast away. Problem solved!

Until this morning, when the dog came back.

The grandkids have gone back home so the dog isn't going to menace anyone but us and our lawnmower, which he apparently hates. I can only assume that the dog belongs to one of our neighbors, though he has no tags and I haven't seen him showing signs of attachment to any particular house. If the dog was released, I assume that means he's owned and cared for and up-to-date with vaccinations, although the sheriff's office isn't providing any further information.

So we carry on, trying to coexist with a visiting dog that thinks it's the boss of us. Call him Trouble--and when he comes charging, guard your hands and children and lawnmowers, because he's not giving up until he's got everyone just where he wants 'em.