Monday, November 12, 2018

Life In Lloyd, Part Ten Thousand


Man, it's been a day.
Well, you know- for me.
I got my tail into town at 9:30 to go with Jessie to the doctor for Levon's one-year check-up. There's a play house in the waiting room that the kids love. I personally think of it as Casa Virus or perhaps Chateau Bacteria but there it is and it's going to get played in.


Levon was awesome and let the doctor listen to his heart and his lungs and he is fine, of course. 
The nurse told us a funny story about her experiences with her own pediatrician when she was a child. She went to the same doctor I took my kids to so that allowed me to envision all of this even better. Her parents were both deaf and she was an only child and, according to her, spoiled rotten and when the doctor told her what to tell her parents she would sign things like, "I can eat all of the candy I want and I don't have to come back for a long, long time."
The doctor would observe all of this and then say, "I don't think you're telling them what I'm telling you."
Haha! 

Anyway, after we left the pediatrician we went to a place called Southern Velvet Cafe and it's just the sweetest place. The most thoughtful place. They have coffee and a few egg dishes and pastries and hand pies. Things like that. They have an entire corner with a small table for children and toys and a pretend kitchen and costumes and hats and books. 
The boys were enchanted. 
There's a beautiful little room for baby-changing and both restrooms are non-gendered. There's also a tiny lending library. 
It's pretty perfect. 

And then we went back to Jessie's and I said good-bye to everyone and took two dresses that I bought off eBay to be altered because unbelievably they were too big. Just a brand-sizing thing. So I crossed that off my list and thank goodness. 
And then to Costco for gas and then to Publix where I ran into every person I've ever known throughout my entire life. 
Okay, okay. Not really. But just about. I saw two people I knew before I even got into the store! 
One of the women I saw in the store burst into tears when she saw me and I hugged her and she, "Oh my god! I so need a Mary Moon hug right now!" and I hugged her harder. We talked and talked and talked, standing right there in front of the BOGO bins. 
She never did tell me why she was upset but reassured me that it wasn't life or death. 
Bless all of us humans and how we try so hard to put things in perspective which are obviously extremely important to us, even if they aren't life or death, as if that were the only criteria for deserving to be upset. 

But the craziest thing that happened today was that the damn, damn dog from two doors down got out of his yard again and if Mr. Moon had not been home, there would have been a slaughter. 
For those of you who do not know, there's a neighbor family who owns a dog who, if he gets the chance to escape, runs straight to our house to kill as many chickens as he can. 
And he can kill a lot of chickens in a very, very short time. 
I won't go into all of the details but I will say that by the time my husband got out to the yard and yelled the dog away, he'd been right at the entrance to the hen house where Dearie and her chicks were cowering in a corner. 
Miraculously, there were no chickens killed today but the problem has not been solved. The owner refuses to take responsibility. It's his wife's dog. His wife let the dog out. Our neighbor between us has chickens which drive the dog into a murderous frenzy.
None of this, obviously, is HIS fault. 
He claims he's bought $300 worth of electric fencing to put up and he'll just throw the dog up against the wire a few times and that will teach him not to try and cross it. 
Yep. He said that. 
He also said that he'd pay for any chickens his dog killed and when Mr. Moon pointed out that these chickens are just as much our pets as his dogs are his (or his wife's, I guess), the man laughed. 
I haven't even mentioned the Rottweiler who also got out because she's in heat. I've never seen her. 
I'm not just concerned about my chickens in this situation. If that dog got out and one of the babies was in the yard, I have no guarantees that he wouldn't go for them. 
It's a bad situation and I am not sure what to do. 
Call the law? 
It's going to be our word against his. And this is an extremely rural county. However, if there is an ordinance about keeping dogs contained or leashed, we have a complaint. 
Despite what he said about throwing the dog up against the wire, I don't think that the animals are usually mistreated or neglected, especially in the context of this county. 
But at the end of the day (which it is), I'm just so very, very grateful that my husband was home and that all the chickens are well and alive. 
Things could have turned out so very, very differently. 

Love...Ms. Moon





18 comments:

  1. oh my god! What shitbag dog owners. Ugh! Horrible and scary and frustrating. Yes, call the law on them. It probably won't help, but my god. This is ridiculous.

    My dog tried to catch and kill a rat today *on our walk* and I could really do without rat bites to deal with, or being responsible for half dead rats, or whatever. On my nice walk. Fucking dogs. Sigh.

    The drama of that last bit of info has slightly overshadowed the loveliness of the other reports!

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    1. Fucking dogs. Amen. I adore some dogs. Good dogs who belong to other people. Those are the ones I adore.
      And of course, your dog was only doing what it was bred for, I am sure. We liked animals that kept vermin at bay. So we made sure there were more of them. Now cats, on the other hand, are the same now as they were when humans first started living with them. In a way, you could say that they have domesticated us.

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  2. Take pictures and then call the law! Yes. You are right. That could have been one of your babies!

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    1. There's never any time to take pictures. Or go get the gun, for that matter. We yell and it runs. It knows that it's not supposed to be doing what it's doing. The law will be called if it happens again.

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  3. God, the dog situation sounds dreadful. I hope it works out without the dog being thrown up against a fence, though. Jesus.

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    1. I don't think these people have any qualms about throwing dogs up against a wired fence. Dogs are just...dogs.
      And chickens are way, way below that.

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  4. I agree with Jo, shitbag dog owers. Lucy is a hunting dog, born and bred to hunt rabbits of which we have a lot of around here (hares actually) but I would never let her off leash and I sure as hell don't want to have to deal with a dead rabbit. The owners are disrespectful assholes.

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    1. I think that sometimes their dogs just escape one way or another. I can't even imagine that they ever have them on a leash. Although who knows? I've certainly never seen it.

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  5. If the yard is fenced why did she let the dog out? you might try telling her that the next time that dog comes in your yard you're going to shoot it since she won't keep it contained. you don't really have to shoot it but the threat might make her be more responsible. before I had Minnie who doesn't like loud noises I would throw firecrackers at the stray dogs that would come in the yard. don't have to do that now as Minnie keeps them out.
    I have a dress I got at a garage sale that I need to take in but my sewing machine is broken.

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    1. I don't think she let the dogs out on purpose. I think they got out somehow. Turns out she didn't even tell her husband about the last time they got out because he wasn't aware of it. I've never even met this woman but I can't imagine she and her husband have a great relationship. But who knows? Not me.
      And actually, if Mr. Moon got the chance to shoot the dog when it was in our yard, he probably would but that dog runs so fast when we yell that it would be impossible.
      I would have taken these dresses in myself but I just didn't want to screw it up. They're really lovely linen dresses and I decided it was best to take them to a professional.

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  6. I had that same thoughts, taking Erik to pediatrician, waiting area full of sick babies and germy children oozing all over everything, Miraculous that we did not get ill! The restaurant is just what is needed in every community- kid friendly and mother relaxing.
    Dogs on the loose, always a problem. It is their nature and their humans are idiots for not realizing how awful their pooch can be. I can not think of a solution clever enough to be effective.

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    1. The owners had promised, the first time this happened, to get rid of the dog. Obviously, they lied about doing that. It had snapped at their child.

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  7. Around here - rural California- that dog would get shot. I agree the threat might encourage the owner to get better fencing. Even a field fence with tee posts would do the job.

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    1. Well, chicken-killing dogs get shot around here too. And they do have a very good fence but occasionally, the dog gets out. And when it does it runs straight here.

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  8. Using a dog like a weapon. Disgusting.
    I'd check the legal options but wouldn't hold my breath. Still, be prepared.

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    1. I do need to call the sheriff's department to see what the ordinances are about dogs who get loose and kill chickens. One never knows...
      But unless we get pictures, I'm not sure that it wouldn't be a case of our word against his.

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  9. I'd consider filing a complaint with animal control to get the problem on the record. And if you have a chance to get some photos of that dog outside its yard (can you take pictures while simultaneously defending your chickens? maybe a tall order) that would help with evidence. The only thing that gives me pause is that the dog will ultimately suffer more than the owners.

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    1. I don't know that Jefferson County has an animal control, per se. I need to find out. As to being able to take a picture- I don't think that could happen because we're always so frantic to get the dog out of the yard.
      I feel sorry for the dog too. This is not his fault. But his life can't be much fun as it is.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.