Panda was missing - OMG!
Panda awakes at 1:30...not too unusual as he's old and awakes at least once during the night for a bathroom break. It's why I was so excited about finally getting that fenced fixed. A nasty wind storm was blowing outside and I suspect the noises from outside awoke him. I open the door and let him out but leave the door open and stand in the doorway. He goes around the corner, which I know is a number 2 as that's where he heads to do his business. I wait 5 mins and call . He doesn't come. Panda always listens! I race outside around the corner and am totally shocked my driveway gates are wide open! I just paid 125 dollars to have the wheels replaced and latch reinforced the day the fence guys were here. No way it could have blown open even in a wind storm. One bolt thingie has to be pulled up from an indentation in concrete to open one of the gates,and that is latched to a second gate. I race into the house to grab my boots and coat and race around the street calling his name. As the mins go by I call louder no longer worrying about the hour. The wind is howling outside and people driving by must have thought I was a demented woman racing up and down the street at that hour looking frantic. I get into my car and drive around and around. 1 hr later and I'm inconsolable...no not Panda. He's blind in one eye, 9 years old and has hip dysplasia. I keep checking at home in case he decided to go head back. Nothing. Next, I dread what I had to do next...check the ditches. It's really dark out and perhaps he'd been standing in the middle of the road? I know all of you know what I'm talking about and how horrible I felt doing this. I get back in my car, window rolled down and search up and down the streets calling his name. I hear a sound...a jingle! It sounds like his Licence and Rabies tags. Oh please let it be him. I stop my car in the middle of the road..flasher on and call him again. He comes out between two houses!!! I open the car door and he hops in..well half of him anyway..as I don't have my ramp and he needs a boost in. We arrive home...1 1/2 hours after "his adventure" and my fright. I do and say the typical parent thing...I hug him, give him a cookie, and then say "don't ever do that again!". Marianne |
|
|
 ...That's horrible that he had your heart racing like that, but I can't help but smile at "how" you told your story. I'm glad there was a happy ending b/c that's definitely something I always fear and as you said... like a typical parent, you then had to give him the ol lecture.  |
| WOW! How Scary! I think I'd be looking at a way to install a lock on that gate! Glad all ended well. |
| I would have been going crazy. So glad you found him and everything was ok Lisa and Frankie |
| Oh NO! Glad you found him, safe and sound. In daylight better check that gate and latch out.  |
| Of course you are upset and shaking, I would be too! Glad the old boy wasn't hurt on his walk-about. That's why I keep my gate locked. Yes it is a pain to have to carry the key everytime I want to go out, even to clean the tumbleweeds from just the other side. It may seem inhospitable, but we bought this house for the dogs, not to be friendly. The first weekend here we had things stolen. Then the endless religious missionaries came calling, all not paying attention to shutting the gate properly. |
 so glad you had a happy ending. Naughty Panda scaring his Mum! xx |
 I would have gone into a complete panic!! Soo glad all is well. I bet Panada was saying "Nothing like a walk about in the middle of the night Mum!" |
So glad the outcome is happy!  That is a horrible horrible feeling! |
| Oh Marianne.... You had me in tears. I am so glad he is safe, what an awful feeling. |
Marianne wrote: It's 2:35 am and I'm still shaking! Whew! Your story telling is compelling. I like the way we are frantic and they come lumbering out like, "what? I'm right here." |
Sheepie2 wrote: I like the way we are frantic and they come lumbering out like, "what? I'm right here." Boy isn't that the truth! You'd think we'd learn after all these years!  |
| Thank goodness Panda is ok. I was reading faster and faster to get to the end of your story and make sure he was ok. I hate to bring it up but did your night time imbiber open the gate?? A lock might have to be the go.  |
| OMG! So glad to hear a happy ending! Panda must ahve been upset as well...the wind holwing an all.... Now, thegate...we have a similiar problem. The gate blows open in a high wind. On days like taht, or nights. I make sure I walk out on a leash and check the bolt on both gates before letting loose. A pain in the butt in the middle of the night but nothing compared to what you went through!!! Thak God Panda is home safe...and you are still breathing! |
| I am so glad that Panda is home and safe! That is so scary. |
| Thanks for all the comments everyone. Sigh another wrinkle to add to my face as I aged that day. I hadn't mentioned we also had an incident just hours before involving Panda. I set my alarm on the home (only Panda there with cats and bunnies) as the other two were at my former place. As the guys were finishing the fence and much safer to have them in a contained home and yard. I mentioned I paid the fence guys a 125 extra to fix the gate and make it more secure. Cough cough. That night, 20 mins after I left home, the alarm company calls. Someone tried to gain entry via my garage. My heart is racing as there is absolutely no way it should have gone off. Oh Please don't let them do anything to Panda...but as the alarm is audible they probably ran away ..but he'd be freaking out. I was so scared driving home -not worried about anything other than Panda.The police arrive at the same time I do and want me to stay outside while they search the home. I tell them I have Panda..before they could open the second door..we all hear a deep WOOF behind it. They ask, is he friendly? I say, I really don't know how he will respond to a stranger entering first. They said there is no way and no evidence the potential burgler tried to gain entry after first setting off the alarm and then hearing a large dog behind the door. I go in and Panda boy is happy to see me and no evidence of entry into the home. I did tell the police about the Whiskey guy who has been visiting my yard and they said they'd keep an eye on my place. Later that evening I also wondered if he was the one that opened the gate. There is a bolt attached to the bottom of the gate which is in then imbedded in concrete which you have to pull up. Ironically this was put in to prevent gate from blowing open in the wind. Then there is a large bolt across both gates. Unless I didn't push the bolt down far enough in the concrete hole thingie - there is no way the gate opened - even in a wind storm. Or the two incidences could have been not related at all. The alarm could have even gone off due to the high winds that caused trees to topple and could have been the reason garage door was shaking. I've been saving my pennies for security cameras for some time. Not paranoid myself, but security for all the animals if bunnies are out, dogs, ect...I can keep an eye on them at all times. My #1 priority has always been the critters and the material stuff doesn't matter. Panda sure brought that home and reminded me of that. Whew two scares in one day involving Panda! My heart sure did double duty this day. |
| Must have been escapee weekend. All of my dogs took off and found a group of kids playing ball hockey in the street about a block away. Willy took the ball and all the kids were playing with all three dogs. I live on a dog friendly dead end street, all of my neighbors have at least 2 dogs and all our dogs will wander to anyone's home on the street like they own the place LOL I worried for a minute when I realized they had gotten out of the yard but then I heard giggling kids so I knew the dogs would be there LOL |
I had an exscapee myself this weekend, but it wasn't one of the dogs it was Pearl the cat. I was watching TV in my bedroom and glanced out the window and saw a flash of white go up the driveway toward the field next door. I ran out the front door and caught up with her just before she entered the fields next to us. Pearl is an "indoor" cat but does enjoy going out in the backyard...so she found a hole in the privacy fence at the gate where the lawn service comes in. The hole was fixed immediatly.  |
| OMG, I just imagined everything you wrote down as if it would be me! I would be screaming, my heart would be racing and I would nearly die a heart attack if this happens with Charlie. Our Sheepies seems they just "not bother" what's around the corner, Panda probably thought: "great adventure today!" ... but not really "funny" for you!!! Glad he's home safe!!! I'm sure you will from now on always check the gate .....!!! |
| Oh Marianne - your story had my heart racing and I was only reading it! I'm so glad everything turned out OK but what a fright! After your other problems with the garage and the whisky guy I also think a lock on the gate would be a good idea. Maybe a padlock with a combination so you don't have to worry about carrying keys and you can give the combination to people you trust. I think a nice glass of wine to help the nerves is definately in order! |
| OMG! These stories! My heart is pounding just reading them. Phew! |
Panda seems to have got a taste for adventure! I would be absolutely frantic if that happened to me  Thank heavens everything is OK now  |
| I am so glad he is ok....that is the worst feeling. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|