BarkingProse

Journey gets this look on her face when she’s killed something. It’s very matter of fact. Like she’s saying, “Oh by the way I just killed again.”

First thing this morning we were all out in the front yard. Journey was scratching around under a tree when she got fixated on something. Mom came running over to see what was happening, but it was too late.

Journey had found a nest of little rabbits and she killed two of them in a flash. She carefully laid them out on the ground so we all could see what she’d done. She let me smell them and I even picked one up in my mouth.

I tried to be as gentle as I could because I thought maybe the rabbit might still be alive. It made me sad to hold the little bunny in my mouth, so I gently put him back next to his brother.

Mom felt bad too. She picked up the  bunny and massaged his chest to see if he could still be alive, but he was gone. We didn’t see Journey kill the rabbits and there wasn’t any damage to their little bodies. But Journey must have shaken them just enough to make them dead.

Mom carried the rabbits out of the yard one by one. She laid them beyond the fence in some tall grass where they could rest in peace. “Sorry, bunny,” she said over and over.

Journey knew we weren’t too happy with her, but I don’t think she understood why. Me and mom felt the little bunnies didn’t stand a chance. They have no defense against predators and they’re not the brightest creature. Sometimes we have to get out of the car to chase them off the road so they don’t get run over.

It’s different when Journey hunts moles. They’re devious and do so much damage to the fields and lawn. It’s a game of hide and seek. Journey is good at hunting the moles, but it’s always a challenge. It wasn’t a challenge with the little bunnies. They didn’t stand a chance. Journey just happened on them and the next thing you know they were dead.

That’s the way it is living in the country. The bears and bobcats eat the chickens, the cougar eats the goats, and Journey hunts for the fun of it. She rarely eats what she kills except for the occasional rabbit.

I guess we do what comes natural to us. Killing varmints and small creatures comes natural to Journey. I admire her skill but sometimes I wish she’d find another hobby.

 

When Mom told me she was gonna interview me I was really excited. I wrote down some questions that I hoped she would ask me. I guess I didn’t really understand how the interview would work. I thought we would discuss the questions first and then she would ask me for my answers. Instead she just asked me a bunch of questions that I didn’t see coming. Honestly I thought the questions were sort of lame.

Mom could see how disappointed I was. She told me afterwards that it was her fault for not explaining more about the process.

This time we’re gonna do things different. I get to ask her the questions that have been on my mind for a long time. Here’s the first part of my interview with Mom. We may only get to one question today, but that’s okay too.

Finn: Hi Mom! Thanks for letting me interview you. My first question is how am I related to Asher and why did you choose me to come to Asherpark?

Mom: Asher’s father Daddy Bud was a beautiful Australian Shepherd who lived on a farm in Newport, Washington. Bud was the sire of many fine Australian Shepherds. Ash was one of Bud’s early litters when Bud was still a young dog. Ash was handsome and busy and silly like a good Aussie should be. But Ash had a gene that would gradually make his dark fur bleach out. I loved that about Ash but it is considered a flaw in the show dog world. Because of this Ash couldn’t be a show dog and I was able to adopt him as a companion dog. You and Ash are related because Daddy Bud is your great-great-great grandfather.

Ash died way too young. He developed cancer and it took him before he turned twelve. We were all heart broken and moped around the house for days. Journey took it especially hard because Ash had raised her and she had never known life without him. When I saw how sad she was I knew I had to find a special pal for her.

I called the lady where I got Ash. One of her girl dogs had just had a litter and Daddy Bud was in the lineage. I told her I really wanted a blue merle boy dog. She said she had one blue merle boy and that was you! She sent me a picture of you and I instantly knew that you were a special dog and I wanted you to come live at Asherpark.

At the time you were nearly eight weeks old and ready to move to your own home. I drove over right away. We sat outside in the sun and I held you on my lap. You were tiny and warm and scared. I could feel your little heart beating like crazy. I put you in a small crate in the car and brought you home to Asherpark. Journey took one look at you and it was love at first sight. She became your momma dog and has been looking out for you ever since.

Finn: Gosh, I didn’t know anything about Daddy Bud. This is really interesting stuff. We gotta wrap things up for now, but let’s talk more about family history in our next interview. Thanks, Mom!