Dog Gone

Rather dogs gone.  Radar and Jamaica have been missing over 24 hours now.  I suspect they bolted because of thunder.  We had a brief shower yesterday and during it I thought I heard thunder but thought it was the stereo. Should have investigated.  We've been up and down the road on foot and in the truck many times but no sign.  Yesterday afternoon, one of the neighbours, who lives high on a ridge, said she'd just seen them so we drove up there, were probably there in less than 15 minutes but they were already gone. 

Last night was cold, 2 degrees Celcius.   Jamaica feelsl the cold more than Radar.  He has a fine thin coat.  There is a dead wallaby up the road, the same one I rescued the joey from on Tuesday and took to P for raising (joey doing very well).  It hasn't been touched.  While walking around the property this morning I found another dead wallaby on the dam bank.  It is untouched but looks as though it may have been in the water as its fur is matted.  There are dog prints all around it which are of a size that could be a whippets but there is no way of knowing.   There's alot of water about so that's not a problem.  Food is.  They are city dogs at heart, used to having dinner served up morning and night.  Not sure they'd eat a wallaby or anything else for that matter unless it was in their dog bowl with gravy and kibbles.

I've rung the local council and the surgery to put in missing dog reports.  The neighbours the entire length of the road know they're missing and will ring us if they see anything.  I can't think what's happened to them.  Can't think of what else to do either.

I do know one thing.  The radio collar business is a curse.  It hasn't worked.  Radar bolted just a few days ago after a wallaby and bruised his front leg severely.  He's bolted a few times.  He's okay if he sees a wallaby that's far away but if its close he can't resist and as he's so fast the shock he gets from the fence is a fleeting one and a small price to pay for the joy of the chase.  If we didn't have the fence I suspect they'd be home by now but with it's inbuilt discouragement they aren't game to chance it.  There's a difference between ambling and dashing through.  Humans would think it through and decide the pain was worth the payoff of food and a warm bed.  But not the whippets.