Belle, left, and Sola
A fox ran across our backyard patio this morning, probably a relative of the fox we saw last Spring. At first, I thought it was Sola, our visiting granddog, but alas, Sola was on the floor right next to me in my study, sleeping. This little critter was much smaller with a much bushier tale than the beautiful Sola. Seemed to be heading toward the neighbors.
This got me thinking about our animals, namely Belle, who deserves being blogged for this anecdote.
On Sunday, two family members of the male persuasion headed out to the woods with the two dogs of the female variety, Belle, now 96-1/4 years old (or 13-3/4 in dog time). The elder of the males, typically the scout on all trips through the woods, chose a different route because the younger was on a schedule, i.e. they couldn't meander. All was well until they realized that while Sola was right with them, Belle was missing.
They called. They looked. They split up and covered different areas of the woods.
No Belle.
After about half an hour of searching, the elder thinker decided they should go back to the car, get their cell phones, and then really split up to look for Bellie while staying in communication. So off they trundled over hill and dale, through the woods, and back to the busy road, across which was the car - AND BELLE! Who'd made her way back there all by herself, crossed the road, and was just sitting by the car, waiting. Nearly 100 years old.
