The Good, the Sad, and the Unfair!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Vern’s birthday was January 10, 2014.  He turned four. That is some of the good news.  The bad news, which ended with good news, happened the day before his birthday.  On that day, like we always do, the dogs and I went walking. I opted to take them to the campground to walk and then I did something I never do.  Usually, we go home after our walk, but I decided to take them across the street to the pier where we park our boat in the warmer weather.  It is an E shaped pier and the only way off is across a little metal bridge and normally, I block access to the bridge after they cross it and let them off leash.  They can run all over the pier with wild abandon and it makes me smile to see Fudge take off down the pier with her graceful, reindeer like prance, a moment after she realizes she is off leash and free as a bird. 

Vern lops along behind her and they like to stop and taunt each other, play bow, and mix it up a little.

Yesterday, I took them to the farthest place on the pier before letting them loose and then watched them go.  Both dogs came back when called and Vern reached me first.  I was snapping shots of Fudge with Vern beside me and in the blink of an eye, Vern stepped off the pier and onto the partially iced over lake.  Never has Vern jumped off of the pier into the water. Both of my dogs wade into the water, but are not dock divers and neither will jump into the water from our boat. This was so completely unexpected and I could see it happening as if in slow motion, but I couldn’t stop him and before I knew it Vern was standing on a block of ice within feet of icy water where the lake had not frozen over. All 100 pounds of him!

At this spot, but taken a few days later!

I reacted badly. I didn’t think to yell anything sane, but the panic in my voice reached him somehow as I yelled, “oh my God, Vern, oh no,” because he froze.  The other good news was Fudge kind of froze, too.  She stayed put and did not decide to use Vern’s predicament and my rescue attempt as a diversionary tactic to make her way around me and off of the pier.   With more strength than I knew I had, I pulled Vern up onto the pier. I acted on sheer instinct, and it was only after the fact that I felt the whole weight of “what could have happened?” Vern is a big boy. He stepped down onto the ice and luckily the ice held.  A few feet away it was icy water and the water below him was very deep.  We were a long way from shore and I could never have lifted a soaking wet Vern onto the pier if he had gone into the water.  The water was far too cold for Vern to make it all the way to shore. It was far too cold for a human to jump in and help and really could have been the difference between life or death for me if I had tried. Nobody else was around to hear any cries for help. The “what ifs” could keep me up for days if I let them, but like John said he is safe and everything turned out ok in the end.  Fudge knew it was serious and was wonderful in this tough situation and once Vern was safe, I held them close and told them how much I loved them.

 

Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.  We have done this “pier thing” lots of times and never had any kind of problem.  By now most of you have read about Max, the dog in the DRC that was tragically killed by a hunter’s stray bullet.  We live in a heavily wooded area and hunting is huge in Pennsylvania. The schools in our area close down for the first day of hunting season.  They hunt in the field right next door to our house.  It is not unusual to hear the booms of rifles all around us.  My neighbor called me this year after setting up a camera in the woods to keep track of the deer and upon review of the first pictures spotted Laurie, Fudge, and Vern walking in the field.  He asked his wife to call me and let me know it was not safe to walk there during the hunting season.  I was under the stupid assumption that no one could be dumb enough to mistake one large woman and two dogs on a leash for deer, but I was wrong. I am a city girl learning it happens all the time. Max probably played outside in that same yard lots of times with no problems and again the “what ifs” are probably haunting his remarkable foster family.  I have no answers for why Vern was safe on the ice and Max was unsafe in his own yard and I can’t help but be thankful for the one and saddened by the other.  The fate of dogs always rest on humans making the right or wrong choices and decisions and sometimes, just dumb luck is involved. 

 

I loved that show Touched by an Angel and I always loved the way it depicted God’s loving hand and his angels guiding the dead towards the light and heaven beyond. I am going to believe that Max was guided along his way that day and left this world knowing what it was like to be loved and cared for by his foster family and is now in a better place. We have all made choices in our lives that we wished we had not and we’ve all done something careless that we wished we could take back.  I don’t know what happened that day with that hunter or what he thought he was doing and I can only hope it was a mindless accident, but stories like this always make me think about timing and fate.  If only that hunter had opted to stay home that day.  If only Max had been standing one foot to the left.  And then we have Vern’s story.  Thank God I was standing right there.  Thank God the ice held.  All these thoughts could make a person go crazy and I have no answers why one story had a happy ending and one story didn’t.  It just happened that way.  As my kids used to tell me all the time, “It’s not fair!” when they felt I had doled out the wrong punishment to the wrong kid.  This time I have no smart, motherly reply back.  It really isn’t fair.  Sometimes, the world makes no sense to me.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

OMG  - a mudslide?  And you didn't find her until the next day?  Wow, too scary.  But happy all was fine.....

[Dee & Chloe]

Laurie, unfortunately I know exactly how you felt as I once watched my dog go down a hill in a mudslide while I was hanging on to a railing. She was okay and found the next day. I am so glad you and Vern are okay and so sorry you had to go through this frightful; experience!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

So glad that the three of you are fine and that you had the super human strength to pull Vern back onto the dock. Such a terrifying tale!  I too see the "simple twist of fate" in daily life and ask myself the same questions you are posing.  So far no answers though.  Hugs to all of you!  Tara says to tell Fudge that she was a GOOD GIRL!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Oh my god, I am so glad Vern was okay. You had one of those crazy moments of strength, thank goodness.  How scary!  Big hugs.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

OMGosh Laurie what a scary moment for the three of you!  It was great you were right there and went into "saving mode" for Vern and what about your Fudge, she knew to stay and be safe!  She is awesome and so smart!  This blog had me in big tears for Max and the you!   You just never know about fate and how things turn out!  My heart goes out to Max's foster family.   Big HUGS to all of you!

[Carol and Banjo]

Laurie,   Even though I knew as I read this that Vern would be ok in the end….it brought tears streaming down my face for you.    Just yesterday as we were passing by the lake I had visions of something like that happening to Banjo and all those crazy thoughts of trying to rescue him……...

I can NOT imagine how horrible this was for you.    Big ((((HUGS)))) to you.   I'm so grateful all is well in your house today.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Lauria, The really scary thing is that loser neighbor is one of the hunters in our area, but I know exactly what you mean. Too bad, we can start voting people off the planet. Thank you!!

Kyoko, Thank you!!

Bonnie, How sad about that man. Joanne is giving me a reflective vest and I will wear it. I also plan on getting them for my dogs, so one good thing did come from Max's sad story. Thank you!

Cheryl, Thank you!

Leslie, Thank you!

[Kyoko]

I am so thankful that Vern was OK and that ice had held up or him!! So scary.... and I am so proud of you for your strength and courage!!!

Pittsburgh, too closes school for first day of hunting.... It gives me a chill.....

Again, prayer for poor Max.......

Please stay safe.....

[Bonnie and Kona]

Oh Laurie, I am so sorry you had these terrifying minutes of concern and fear for Vern. I am sure you were completely undone, and yet you were able to rescue him. Praising God all three of you are safe.

Sadly I know a man who was killed in a hunting accident because he was walking his dog. Please stay safe during hunting season. Do the dogs have florescent orange jackets to wear in the back yard? I cannot imagine the sadness for that foster family.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

OMD, Laurie! I cannot imagine the fear of seeing Vern on that ice! And, I can't imagine how you pulled all 100 lbs. of him up back on to the dock. It's amazing you didn't both end up in the water, and that's an unthinkable thought!  It was probably the adrenaline but I'd like to think there was an angel by your side helping you. Bad things always seem to go in slow mo for me too. Wonder why. I'm saying a special prayer of gratitude right now because you and big Vern are safe. GOOD GIRL Fudge!