Jingle Bells, Molly Smells and Jake has run away!!

What a couple of days! I eventually got some of the decorations in place only for the animals to decide it was a game and that their role was to pull them all down. Jake went one better and played “pulling the stuffing out of the quilt”, for a laugh – and I’m having a breakdown and its only the 6th!

Molly, who loves to roll around in mud, has rolled around in what obviously looked like mud but most definitely wasn’t – and its raining to the substance had spread further than it might in dry weather, ensuring Alfie also got it on his paws and brought it in for me.

Then, to cap off a mad couple of days, the gate blew open yesterday while I was out and Tony was in the house – and Jake ran away!

We spent an hour, in separate cars and on foot, combing the village roads, the hillsides near us and the ravine, looking for the monster puppy. I was terrified to think what might have happened to him, (its shooting season and most of the village men are in the hills brandishing their guns- and Jake a pretty tasty find: not least to train as a hunting dog!). I worried in case he strolled into the home of one of the older village ladies and gave her a heart attack! These ladies are tough and would have seen him off in more ways than one- and the silly big beast would only have wanted a cuddle! (He LOVES cuddles!).

Anyway, over an hour/tons of stress/much shouting and many , many tears later , there he was, bold as brass, at the bottom of our hill wandering down towards the goat pen. Luckily, I got to him before he got to them (I don’t think goats know how to cuddle, Jake!)and all is well.

I swear he looked pleased to see me – but not as pleased as I was to see him! I’ve wanted to kill him on many occasions for his puppy/destructive ways – but not as dead as I thought he was going to me.

Thank you, whoever you are looking after runaways dogs up there: Jake is very happily ensconsed at home and I’m SO relieved…..