Monday, September 13, 2021

Not Again

This past Saturday we were working in the yard, cleaning planter beds, making things look purty, blowing leaves from the driveway and pulling weeds. Afterwards we loaded up Miss Holiday—it’s what I call my car because she’s blue and is named after Billie—and took the debris to our local waste and recycling center.

We came home, and took some iced tea, and Tuxedo to the back deck to enjoy the cool weather and to chat  for a while, and then went back inside. Around dinner time we noticed it … no Consuelo. Now, she sleeps in the sunroom, on the couch, behind the couch, on a table, under  a table, or in the kitchen to be near the food bowls when the dinner bell rings, but she could not be found. 

No Consuelo. Not. Again. Rooms were searched, cupboards, too. Closets. Drawers. Everywhere. No Consuelo. Not. Again. We walked the back yard and looked under the lower deck where she hid the last time she escaped. No Consuelo. We searched the trees, the shed, the well, the side yard. No Consuelo. We saved the trap we used the last time she escaped and so we set it out again with food to try and catch her. No Consuelo. 

I began to worry that she’d run out from the kitchen through the garage when we were working outside and was out front, where she could easily slip into another yard or, worse, into the street. Carlos was certain she was in the back yard, but., as the hours passed and we didn’t find her, I went dark … and assumed we’d just never see her again. I was furious, not so much at Carlos, because we know she sneaked outside when he held a door open too long, but at the situation. I couldn’t even talk about her.

That night. Carlos was practicing his trumpet and I thought that if she was out front, she’d hear him, and remember how she gets treats after his practice. So I wandered the front yard with the box of treats calling for her; no Consuelo. I took the treats to the backyard, shaking the box and calling her.

And there she was, under the deck steps. Scared that she was trapped outside …AGAIN … and scared she was in trouble. I slowly walked own the steps with the flashlight, looking for her, and saw her under one step. I put the treats down, but she wasn’t having it. I coaxed her; called her Pretty Baby because she loves that; she was not having it. Finally, I was not having it, and I reached under the stairs and snatched her up.

Safe again …until the next time????

And here are the Good Kids …who didn’t escape over the weekend and make one of their Daddies cry.

MaxGoldberg, sunning himself on Sunday morning.

Ozzo, napping in the office, which, at his age, is the most exciting thing he does all day.

Tuxedo, who wasn’t pleased I was taking pictures of the others first, simply would not cooperate

14 comments:

  1. Children... sometimes you think they'll never learn.

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  2. I can empathise with you over "losing" Consuelo - Max used to go on 3 day safaris - the first I made up a lost notice and was getting ready to post it round the village when he sauntered back in, obviously having had a holiday away from the farm. I am so glad you found her.

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  3. phew!
    I'm telling you. Being a pet parent IS a struggle!
    And kitties will just not come when you call them. You can scream their names for half an hour and they won't move even if they're three feet away...

    XOXO

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  4. Losing a close family member is harsh. I lived briefly in Northern Nevada, about 70 miles north of Reno, in a valley where the closest neighbor was over a mile away and the standard color was dirt. The brush was elbow high so actually seeing the ground at a distance was impossible. Golden eagles, coyote packs, and gun nuts were the local populace, and we lost a beige cocker spaniel who weighed about 14 pounds. She was a small, delicate movie star from Lady and the Tramp. We got home from work and she had literally clawed her way through the front door. We looked until dark, fixed and didn't eat supper, sat on the back porch hoping she'd turn up, then went to bed silent and miserable. About midnight, I heard a bark and was out the back door before the blankets hit the bed. She came running out of the desert and jumped into my arms. No explanation, no sorry I worried you, no happy to be back, just a plaintive whine for food. Only time it happened, but we moved shortly after that because we were disenchanted with any place that would try to kill our baby.

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  5. Oh thank heavens Bob!!!! Your giving me a heart attack!!!! Max looks so darn cute, and love that Ozzo can still contort in his sleep. PS...LOVING that chair! Looks so comfortable. And we all know, what's not to love about wise Tuxedo?

    I remember once running full speed in a field in the park once with Buster on a retractable leash...and fell in a dip in the field and buster took off running faster. No way could I catch up, let alone get up off the ground quick enough. I worried he'd run toward the street. I got up and yelled , sternly, BUSTER! And he stopped. Turned, looked at me and returned, seeing that I must have fallen. So I know he can be bright when we wants too.

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  6. I'm so glad you found Consuelo but it must have been one helluva worry! Kids, who'd have 'em?

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  7. I think kitties require much more patience than puppies. I am not a patient person so never had kittens. Glad you found and retrieved your Consuelo.

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  8. Well, all's well that ends well, as they say. Thank goodness she turned up!

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  9. She's a real little escape artist! Glad she's back inside now.

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  10. Love your menagerie... even those that don't cooperate with having their photo taken or those who, on occasion, make a run for it. Thanks for sharing your story. I certainly can relate. The Boyfriend is very good at getting any of our escapees back in the house, but until that happens? I react just as you did. Take care, dear one. Love them while they are here...

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  11. @Dave
    Consuelo WILL never learn!

    @Helen
    Luckily she cannot jump the fence so she cannot escape the back yard, but I was afraid she‘d gotten out front and then who knows where she’d have gone.

    @Six
    Tuxedo is pretty good about coming when you call him, but Max and Consuelo? Not so much. And she did not want me grabbing her under the stairs, and fought me a bit, possibly because she thought she was in trouble AGAIN!!!!
    xoxo

    @Joe
    The first time Consuelo escaped she was out for a week, though I spotted her in the yardafter the fourth day. It took an actual animal trap and a bowl of food to get her!

    @Maddie
    It was a scary several hours, especially once it got dark!
    That rocking chair I have had for over twenty years. It needs to be recovered, but it’s a cool piece and actually very comfy!
    And, while I love cats, I think dogs will come back when you call, especially when they realize you’ve taken a tumble.

    @Treaders
    She is a lot of work, that little diva, but she’s worth it.

    @Frank
    Yes, the dog is much more easy going and SLIGHTLY less devious!

    @Steve
    She had me crying when I finally got her, the little bitch ... goddess love her!

    @Debra
    Funny thing is that we never see her move fast ...unless she’s rushing to a food dish!!

    @upton
    They ARE a menagerie, aren’t they?
    I have found her both times—well, the first time we trapped her in an animal trap after her being outside for a week—but still she won’t listen!!!
    Even if she is my Pretty Baby Girl.


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  12. So glad it's all okay. We've only had one of our clowder get out over the last few years, and it scared him so bad I hope he never tries it again.

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  13. Glad you were able to snatch her. Damned cats. Great close-up of Tuxedo.

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  14. Anonymous9:54 AM

    WiFi pet collars have become very affordable. I just moved so for my 2 doggies (14 and 20 lbs) I bought apple airtags and attached them to their collars with a silicon airtag pet collar holder. I’ll probably never need them but cost was just $30 each. Peace of mind priceless.

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