Meg: A Tribute

For those of you that haven't heard the family dog, Meg, was attacked by wild dogs over a month ago. Being over fourteen years of age, Meg was unable to protect herself from the vicious attack. She passed on in the middle of the night far away from the house, and was found in the morning after my mother-in-law noticed the other dog acting frightened. I felt really bad when I heard about her passing because Nelly, the other canine companion, was trying to get my attention as we arrived late the evening before. She wanted me to go with her and try to help her older friend but I didn't and this might have made the difference between life and death given the wintry conditions that Meg suffered through.
Meg was a cross-breed brindle whatsit with a heart of gold. She was a loyal companion who had your usual collection of bad habits, such as begging at the veranda table and rolling around in the pungent decay of dead or smelly things. My husband and I nicknamed her the "Wookie" because when she got excited she would let out a whine that came straight out of Star Wars. For a while she used to sleep on some old sleeping 1. bags under our kitchen table but soon worked up to a nice couch when it was moved to Fran's front veranda after she became too smelly for inside of the house even in the cold months.
Although she wasn't my pet I developed a report with her and went out of my way to give her lots of attention whenever I saw her. When I first saw Meg, she was one of four dogs that my mother-in-law cared for. There was Neddy the blue cattle dog with more energy than smarts; Jesse, who was almost Meg's twin in appearance, who was an outgoing dog; and finally Peppy, who was an adoptee of Fran's de facto for the time when he was living in Sydney. She was always pushed into the back of the pack unable to gain the sort of attention that the other dogs did. Eventually Jesse and Peppy died leaving Meg with Neddy. Then Jane, a staffy cross who was cared for by my hubby's brother came out to the farm. Neddy disappeared soon after, then Jane and Meg were attacked by the wild dogs. Jane was mauled to death soon after, trying to protect Meg. Meg was traumatized from seeing what happened to her buddy and wouldn't come off of the veranda unaccompanied until my husband and I moved out to the farm and the couch was placed out front as a place for her to sleep.
I used to spend a lot of time walking with Meg and she seemed to enjoy the attention that I gave her. Then she began to fade quickly, losing muscle density and was stricken by what we believe was the canine equivalent to Arthritis. Fran gave her healthy doses of Quarterzone to relieve the pain, but over time old age resulted in her barely being able to walk fifty meters before needing to rest. By this stage she was having serious problems walking up the stairs to reach her doggy bed. Nelly's presence gave her some boost for a while, as she didn't feel as alone, but didn't stop the degeneration of her weakened body.
Then, on a cold evening in July she walked some three hundred meters from the house to where she pooped regularly and was attacked by the wild dogs. It is a hazard of living out in the bush that there will always be wild dogs to create danger for domesticated animals. No matter how many baits the State Forestry puts out it didn't make much of a difference so you have to encourage safe habits for your animals. And much of this problem is due to irresponsible owners dumping their pets out in the middle of nowhere. It saddens me that Meg's death and the death of many of the other animals in the area could been prevented by a family taking an animal to a refuge where a good home could be found for the unwanted pet.

Another Stray

This morning my hubby's alarm went off so I got up, but when I looked out through the kitchen window across the paddock I saw the biggest stray dog. The other half called me back to bed so I did so, making it my goal to mention the sighting to my mother-in-law when I eventually got up out of bed. Sure enough, she'd been woken up numerous times during the night by the massive canine as he first tried to get comfortable under the house, then as he tried to push Nelly, the remaining pooch of the household out of bed.
The first thing you'll notice is his size: Dog X's head is just on level with my breasts. The next thing you'll notice is the markings: he has a lighter muzzle and underbelly couple by light brown everywhere else. The third thing you will notice is the droopy flaps of his mouth that resemble the dog from Turner & Hooch. He is a sleek but nervous dog with no indentations typically left by a collar, with a clean coat. I suspect that the M-i-L's suggestion of him being a Great Dane cross might not be far off, but there is something else there as well - probably Greyhound based on the streamline body. That being said, the posture of our visitor, tail coiled out in all its glory, is reminiscent of a Saint Bernard.
The household doesn't know what to do about this poor laddie. He obviously has no indication of a previous collar so the possibility is that if he was cared for in the immediate sense, then he likely lives out here where we don't have dog catchers, and many of our neighbours lack the inclination to stick them on their companions. So, unless he is the long lost dog of the local farmer down the road (like $1000 reward for his return) then we will seriously need to spread the word if we ever hope to find his human home.
Update: The stray left the property soon after this post and hasn't been seen or heard from since then. If we ever see him again, we will contact the lady up the road to see if it is her canine companion. Regardless, I wish the majestic old man good luck in his doggy adventures.