We all occasionally hear stories about dogs that do amazing things to get help when their owner or a family member is in a serious fix. The TV series, Lassie, was filled with such rescues. So much so that “Timmy fell down the well” has become a colloquialism and occasional gag. But real-life instances do occur and are no joke. Here is one such story:

Cochise Calls Me Out to Get Help

It was a crisp but sunny November day. Blondie and Cochise were out in the fenced play yard. Cochise, being our Chief of Homeland Security often barks at something or other: wandering animals, loud cars, the horrible school bus monster. The UPS truck sends him into a frenzy, I have no idea why. I heard him barking but there was something different: the tone was not his normal “I’m going to get you” bark, it was more of an “Alert, alert” bark. And he was out back of the house, not over in the yard. I went to the bedroom to see what he was barking at. Maybe it was a deer in the woods or a turkey; both were plentiful that year.

I parted the curtains, expecting to see him barking up the mountain slope toward the woods that start about 50 feet behind the house. Instead he was facing the window, looking squarely at ME as he barked. The look in his eyes matched the tone of his bark… something was wrong. He had come to get help. I rushed out the back door. Cochise was peeking around the corner. When he saw me he turned and ran.

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A couple of days ago Blondie found and exploited a weakness in the new fence.  An oversight on the part of the installers combined with a steep downhill slope outside the fence created a place that Blondie could squeeze under the mesh and go A.W.O.L.

I saw her do it and went and told HairyFace.  We went looking for her with the truck.  We found her too.  Hairy opened the door and called, “Blondie!  Want to go for a ride?”  That always gets her, she loves riding.  And she started for the truck, then stopped and gave him a look: “Noooooo, this is a trick.  You’re going to take me home.  I’m not falling for it this time.”  And she ran off into the woods.  Nothing to do now but wait.

HairyFace found and fixed the place in the fence where she got out.

Eventually Blondie got tired and came home.

Now, when Hairy lets Blondie outside he watches her closely to see if there are any other places that interest her.  Our first run of each day is always before dawn.  Unlike us, Hairy can’t see well in the dark, especially when clouds hide the moon.  So he dug out one of the lights NiceLady bought for Drakes farewell party and clipped it to Blondie’s collar so he can see where she is and if she’s spending a lot of time in one place.

That works well and it makes Blondie feel special, with her little light winking and sparkling all around her feet.  I think I’ll start calling her ‘Tinkerbell’.

Me?  I have no desire to run away from home.  I know when I’ve got it good. Besides one troublesome child per family is enough.

(Are you reading this Hairy?  Since I never show up on the A.W.O.L. list, do I get extra treats?)

Video: Tinkerbell goes AWOL no more.

It was November 1^st. Yesterday’s rain had turned to snow: we had a couple of inches on the ground when I got up just before 5:00.

Normally Cochise gets up when I do and comes out to keep me company in the living room where I will study for an hour or so. Not today. It’s cold this morning and he decided to stay in his warm bed. I couldn’t blame him.

I lit a fire in the fireplace to chase away the chill and settled in to read. In a while Cochise decided to come lay in front of the fire.

I heard a sound. To me it sounded like snow falling off the roof to the ground with a “fwoomp”. Cochise jumped up and ran through the house barking: “Monster, monster! There’s a great beast outside: I must go scare away the monster. Let me out!”

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