MOOSE

I got a phone call the other day from the lady who owns the Farm where we keep Dirt. Her name is Karen and she is one of the kindest, most fun people I know. She has loved Scout and Dirt since she met them.  She has become Scouts favorite puppysitter, often keeping her for a week at a time when Marty and I head to the USA or to BC to visit family.
Karen called to say that she has quite a collection of Dog bones. Her dogs cannot possible enjoy them all, so I am welcome to come get a few for Scout.  I went out to see Dirt that afternoon and when Ryder, Scout and I were done at the barn, we headed to the house to collect a bone for Scout.  I was picturing something nice and white for her to chew on, however what Karen actually meant, by "bones" was carcass. Fresh, bloody carcass. I could tell from the hair and hoof still on the leg bone that it was the carcass of a huge moose.  The "bones" were scattered all over the "dog room." I was supposed to pick one? Um, ewww!!! I grew up in the country, I get it. Dogs chew meaty, bloddy bones. I just didn't want to touch thema and I certainly didn't really want my city, IN HOUSE dog chewing on those. See, in the country, if the dog gets sick, no one has to clean it up. In the city, even if the dog gets sick outside, it still involves me getting very close to the mess.  NO THANKS!!
I didnt' want to seem ungreatful, as I recognized that Karen's gesture of offering the bones to Scout in the first place, was very generous, so I decided I would take one. While I was standing there, in the middle of the bloddy mess, contemplating which was the least disgusting bone, Karen's son came to see what was going on. Since I was holding my baby in one arm, I asked him to bag up one bone, preferably one without hair or too much blood on it for me.  He did and I carried the stinky thing to the box of my truck.  When we got home, Scout was super excited for this little treat, but since my arms were full, I decided she'd have to wait until I could go back out to get it for her to eat IN THE YARD.  As it often does these days with the baby, I got distracted and forgot all about Scout's bone until I came home from being at the grocery store the next day to see several bloody, hairy bones litering out back yard! Since our yard is fenced and the only way Scout gets out there is if I open the door to let her out, I knew she hadn't dragged them here from somewhere else. The only place they could have come from, was Karen's. I am willing to bet, once she heard my arms were too full to carry more bones, she drove them over here and chucked them over my fence as a gift for Scout.  Scout was in heaven. She has never stayed outside that long by herself in her life!! She refused to come in, even though it was dark and snowing lastnight. This morning, she couldn't wait to get back out there. When the magpies started swarming, she chased them through the snowbanks. She was soo fun to watch. She was actually enjoying herself in her huge backyard by herself without me or Marty! That never happens!!! I even parked Ryder's highchair in front of the window so he could watch the snow and Scout and the birds.  The only person, not impressed, was Marty. He was completely grossed out by the bones, by the fact that Scout and the birds like them and byt the fact that Scout licks Ryder's face after chewing on them. He insisted that I move the moose leg off the porch as we were expecting company and though they would be entering from the front door, not the back, he didn't want anyone to have to look at it.  I put on some gloves, stepped out the door, and chucked the hairy leg into the yard only to have Scout bring it right back to the door. I think it is her offering to us. Um, again, eww!!  Anyway, right or wrong, gross or not, I am gonna let Scout have a few more days before I chuck these bones into the trash.

Though, I am sure Karen's heart was in the right place, I gotta wonder. Who does that? Who just chucks carcasses into someone elses yard, no asking, no note, no nothing??? Crazy, right?