Monday, January 9, 2017

Lost Wingman

Back in September I'd posted about "Canine Flight", the protectors of  "El Rancho Juvat", ball catchers and skunk chaser's extraordinaire!
Corky and Mrs Juvat enjoying a quiet moment.

Well, New Years day, we had an "incident".  Canine 2, callsign "Corky", was outside with her Flight Lead, Canine 1, callsign "Cooper" and Mrs Juvat.  Cooper was perfecting her leaping tennis ball catch with a full 3600 spin.  Corky was wandering about the front yard sniffing whatever suited her sniffing pleasure. 

3 horses, innumerable deer, raccoons, skunks, hogs, and other varmints leave a vast array of interesting scents to sniff.  Thank Goodness, they are not discernable, for the most part, to human olfactory senses.  
Did somebody mention "playing Ball?" 

In any case, Cooper's practice session was over, so Mrs Juvat issued the recall code word.  Cooper brought her practice ball, but Corky was not to be found.  Mrs Juvat contacted RAPCON and requested a radar sweep of the Operations Area.  


Why do scrambles always happen when I'm enjoying a nap?
Canine 3, call sign "Oscar" and I scrambled in "My Truck" . 


Got nuttin on the scope, Juvat!
(Canine 4, call sign "Annie", didn't respond to the call for scramble)
The only scramble I want is EGGS!

Meanwhile, my Sister (who also lives on the property) scrambled her 3 ship.  

We affectionately refer to them as Blonde Flight.  2 Yellow Labs and a Golden Retriever.  I'm not sure they had any training in this type of mission, but they were enthusiastic in their running all over the property barking at everything.  However, for all the barking, they found nothing. 

Unfortunately, nor did Oscar and I.  

Now, Corky is 16 calendar years old, nearly deaf, has hip problems as well as vision issues.  Not sure if there's such a thing as Canine Alzheimers, but.....

We searched until dark.  

No Joy!

Left the front porch gate open and the light's on, even slept with a window open so if she barked, we'd hear her.

No Joy!

Went out the next day and did it again.  However, this time we also kept an eye in the sky for circling birds.

Mrs. Juvat printed out some flyers and dropped them off at our (3) neighbors houses as well as the Vet offices.  Went to drop one off at the City pound, but it was closed for the holiday.

Still no joy.

Tuesday, we haven't seen or heard anything.  The only circling birds were circling over two deer carcasses that (poor shot) hunters hadn't found, but managed to make it onto our property before expiring.  Mrs Juvat is distraught.

By Wednesday, we figured, she'd decided it was time to go, so wandered off to find somewhere peaceful and...

But, Mrs Juvat, in true "Never give up, Never Surrender" fashion, goes by the pound and drops off a flyer in the office.  The pound is a single person operation and as such is low budget which means you'd better pick up your pet expeditiously.  The animal control officer is out on a call or whatever.  Mrs Juvat leaves a flyer on his desk

I'm at work that afternoon and get a call on my cell from a local but unknown number.  Normally, I don't answer those.  "Yo no hablo español", tends to be my response to the caller as they start some rapid fire gibberish about "Juan".  

In any case, for whatever reason (divine intervention?), I answer the phone. 

"This is Juvat"

"Hello, Juvat, I think I've got your dog."

"Great! Who is this?"

"Joe (or something) at the Animal Control office, it looks like the one on the flyer somebody dropped off"

"How long are you going to be there?"

"About 15 more minutes."

"I'll be there in 5!"

A new landspeed record was set by a 2016 Ford F150 pickup answering to the name of "My Truck".

I meet Joe, he takes me into the kennel where  I positively ID our missing wingman.  She looked a little worse for wear after her incarceration, but was happy to see me.

Then promptly demonstrated that joy by peeing on the front of my shirt when I picked her up.


El Rancho Juvat at the Top.  RV park at the bottom.

Turns out she had wandered about a mile and made her way into an RV park.  Found an occupied RV and barked.  The owner opened the door and saw her, then closed the door back up.  Corky kept up the barking (I can attest to her persistence and the tenor of the barking in order to get her way), after a while, he opened up the door and let her in. 

Tuesday, he took her to the pound.  The story is when he was told the policy for unclaimed animals, he broke down in tears, but couldn't afford to keep care of her himself.  In the flyers, we had offered a reward, but he'd never seen one of the flyers.  When I rescued Corky at the pound, the Animal Control Officer gave us his number.  Mrs Juvat gave him a call to let him know we'd gotten her back and to arrange to give him the reward.  Just a good ol' boy.  He's happy, we're happy!


Canine flight is back together.  All the controllers have been retrained on requirements to keep track of all flight members.

Life is good.

And that's a happy ending!


32 comments:

  1. Yeah, there must have been a large count down here early last week also.

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  2. Man, don't do that to me.

    I was prepared for the absolute worst outcome. Things started to get awfully dusty as I read this, especially as Sunday afternoon The Missus Herself and I took our grandson to the movies where I saw the previews for A Dog's Purpose. We almost had a "crying grandfather" situation there in the theater. (OMG, no way I could handle that movie, but if you can, you should go see it. I'll wait until I can watch it at home. If'n you get my meaning.)

    Great news about Corky's RTB, glad that Canine Flight remains intact.

    (Sweet post Juvat.)

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    1. I'll second that emotion. And yes, it's a song reference............

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    2. Thanks, Sarge. Yeah, in the midst of the search, Mrs Juvat and I were watching the TV. The ad for that movie came on. Suffice it to say, many Kleenexes were lost at that point.

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    3. Thanks, Taminator. I recognized the reference.

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  3. Aah jeez, Juvat, don't do that.
    Saving good news to the last third of the story doesn't do the heart any good.

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    1. OK, Still perfecting my story telling techniques. I'll work on it.

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  4. I love a good dog story. The style of your telling it had me expecting a satisfying ending (can't say happy ending anymore can you).

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    1. Thanks. If I ever start to get PC, let me know. I'm always looking for a happy ending.

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  5. Happy to read that Canine Flight is at full strength.

    Quite crowded down your way, what with neighbors practically in your back yard.

    Paul L. Quandt

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    1. Yeah, only half a mile away for the closest one. The good news is, each of them went out and walked their property to see if she was there. She wasn't (they all live North through East of us. Corky took off SSW. It's nice to have folks around that look out for one another.

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    2. Well, if one must have neighbors, those are the best kind.

      Paul

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  6. Nothing says I love you like pee on the shirt. :)

    Great dog story. Do they make doggie transponders?

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    1. As a matter of fact, all 4 had RFID chips inserted the next day. Not a transponder, but at least a Vet or Animal Control Officer will know who to contact.

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  7. I'm happy that the light nature of the title and use of "incident" were supported by the conclusion, a happy ending for all around, although I thought maybe he knew it was time or something. Our dear departed Jack Russell "Mickey" once had a chance to escape, but being a rescue, he knew what it was like out on the mean streets of Tampa FL. Instead, he just stood by the recently dug hole under the fence and just barked, squawking 7700 on his flight lead who went VFR. She just sniffed her way to the next neighborhood over, but it was a day before the mishap investigation was complete and the chip was analyzed. Happy your division was able to join back up.

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    1. Yeah, we are too. No, I don't think I'd have made light of a different outcome. If only because Mrs. Juvat would have wrung my neck.

      Ok, maybe because I'd miss the little pup a bit also.

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  8. "Not a transponder" No, you need Black Boxes. Big Orange ones... large enough to double as shelters in stormy weather!
    Glad you got your dog back. As clever a they can be, they still don't always exhibit the sense God gave geese.

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    1. You're right about the sense God gave geese. Geese at least are heading aware.

      Thanks

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  9. Happy for all of you getting her back.

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  10. It is a worrisome thing to have a family member disappear!

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  11. Did Schmedlap act as search coordinator?

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    1. Yes. She stayed in the launch control center coordinating the effort. My Son and DIL's dog (Tex) was staying with us while they were having a relaxing extedended weekend. Tex dislikes cats (understatement of the year). So Schmedlap spent that time in our Bedroom with a castle drawbridge type lock across the door. It's an interesting life I lead!

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  12. Glad to see the SAR mission worked out.

    I had trouble with my dog when she got old. She was stone deaf in one ear and couldn't see very well. When I called her, she'd go charging off in whatever random direction she assumed I was at.

    You might want to get a GPS collar for her. My A&P has one for his hangar cat. It pings his phone if the cat ventures outside of an allowable radius.

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    1. Thanks, good idea. Vets stock them I assume?

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  13. Glad to hear all the birds are back in the nest!

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  14. So glad for the happy ending. I know that anguish, wondering where a missing dog is. Glad yours is back safe and warm at home.

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