Adventures with Pinky

Pinky is a sweet girl, but she is a handful. I was told that she's about four years old. She seems younger, but she may be making up for lost time when she was kept chained and penned outdoors for those years.

Pinky has endured some horrific abuse and neglect, but she seems to have emerged from it remarkably unscathed. She's making up for it by living her best life and it's far better now than it's ever been. She's fun, playful; she will play with any dog and play any game they want. She's been spending nice days in Daneland, usually with Brutus, but I have put her in the dog yard with Theo and Max on occasion as well.

One of those occasions was yesterday afternoon. Brutus was enjoying the big beds in the kitchen and I didn't want Pinky to be by herself in Daneland so I moved her over to the dog yard with the other shepherds. She's been there before with no problem. Friday afternoon was extremely windy, however, and that always makes the dogs crazy and wild. I took Della and Theo out for a hike because the sun was shining even if it was windy and cold. We had gone about a mile when I happened to check my phone and saw that I had a voicemail telling me to call the sheriff's department because they had one of my dogs. I couldn't understand the message very well but I called and found out that one of the ACOs had picked up Pinky on Courthouse Road, not far from our house.

I called Clay because he was home and I knew he could get there faster than I could. He hopped in the car and drove over there and spotted the ACO still there. He had Pinky on a leash (she had come right to him), but she didn't want to hop into the crate in his vehicle. She did hop right into Clay's car, however, and he brought her home.

Pinky had probably watched me load up two dogs and leave with them and she decided she wanted to come along. She jumped out of the dog yard (4' fence) and followed me, at least after she found a way through or over the front fence as well. She had never jumped that fence, but I had never left the property with her in the dog yard either, plus, the wind had them all crazy that day. Fortunately she was wearing one of the stainless steel tags that I put on the fosters and our dogs now as well. They are engraved on both sides with both my cell phone and our home phone number. It made the difference in getting her back alive and well and quickly that afternoon, along with efficient and compassionate action by the Animal Control Officer who happened to spot her and picked her up.

Long story, but I learned my lesson and thankfully it had a happy ending. Pinky is a wonderful dog with a sense of adventure. These pictures are from a four mile hike with Pinky and Della on Saturday.