Tail of two kitties - an animal story

The Truth About Franklin

 There are things dogs will make you look at: morning.

Franklin the Dog settled into the Duck and got more comfortable. That's when he started attacking cats. It wasn't the Disney version; more like Wild Kingdom. Jim pulled the wild dog off his prey, and I stayed in the Jeep narrating.

Franklin has mad walking skillz

We got him away from them, and then we were distressed and sad. What do we do now? We can't re-abandon a dog in the desert. We can't keep him inside at all, which means we can't keep him at all. That was a very tearful night.

Very, very early the very next morning, Annie walked Franklin on a lonely, deserted road and met Emma. Emma is 14, had missed her bus, and was walking several miles to school. Franklin recognized her! Then he got sheepish; he had been made.

"Is this your dog? He looks just like Whitey!" Emma spilled Whitey's entire story. He has an owner nearby, but he casts a wide net in search of companionship and kibble. At least two people (that we know of) feed him when he shows up. Why was he so thin when he got here? I don't know.

He fears a leash because he only wears one when he's being loaded into the car (he hates that).

 He still hangs out here, outside the cat pen (the motorhome). Now that he's been outed, he's a different dog. Happy, carefree, relieved that he can live openly as himself. He won't go with us when we leave, and we'll be sad all over again. There's bitter with the sweet.

Annie meeting Emma on that particular morning was a very happy coincidence. We know we could give Franklin "Whitey" Jackson a posher life, but I'm not sure it would be happier. He is never perkier than when he's chasing a wild cow for sport, and we just could never provide that kind of rodeo.



The Desert Isn't Deserted

Traffic here is very quiet, and must happen at night. Maybe these are hyper-obvious geocaching clues.

Other Dogs Make Us Feel Better

Polly when she's not Wheeling It

 

Polly and Nina came to comfort us. Franklin was hanging out at one of his other houses.

Stumpy and Cyndi

These guys were hanging out at their house by the casino. We sat in the sun, and I was warm for the first time in two weeks.

Cyndi told me that, while you're staying for free in the parking lot, you can use the casino pool and spa. WHAT. Could I drive the Tracker over there, park in the lot, and do the same thing? Could I ride my bike? Could I just be passing by?

Windows to the soul

Stumpy and Cyndi just got back from the Rubbertramp Rendezvous, and had great things to say about it.

Al Gore. Gore Vidal. Leslie Gore. Stop me if you've heard these.

When I was little I thought only boy cows had horns. I'm pretty sure someone told me that. Maybe the same person who produced Barnyard.