Bela hails from Tennessee. She's a southern lady with some southernish traits. She is gentle and loving, yet tough as nails. She appreciates her fine food, but would be pleased to catch herself a rabbit just as well. She is wild and cunning, yet couth. She's a real beauty, and able-bodied to boot.
I like to muse on her past life and what it may have been. I wish I knew, so I could in a sense, know her better. She could have run through the Great Smoky Mountains, warmed herself by fires and toasted her latest kill with a pack. I bet she could catch low-flying birds in flight, and turkeys in the night.
I would be lying if I didn't admit to feeling, at times, quite tortured for her, in her lack of access to the great wide open nowadays. It is because of this, that I took her goosehunting last weekend.
What is goosehunting, you ask? Well, it's me and a leashed Bela, traversing through the ponds of Lincoln Park, finding and taking out packs of geese. Well, we took on stragglers as well, but the packs were definately more fun. Seeing our prey from a distance, her body stance would change into huntmode. I'd allow her to move like this for a bit, as we quietly approached. Then - BAM! - I would run with her, full speed, towards the geese!! We got so close a few times that I swear both she and I came up with tiny feathers in our mouths. It's not like running them into the water was enough for her. She attempted to jump in a couple of times and actually did get her front paws in a section of shallow water once. I was so worn out from running like a psycho all the way to the waterfront, that I released my deathgrip on her leash for one second and there she was, wading her way in.
Many parkgoers stopped in their tracks. Some laughed, almost approvingly, some scowled and some looked geniunely dumbfounded. A midget and a medium sized dog running violently through the park, scaring the geese into the freezing water? Cute? No. Interesting? Yes.
I sacrificed my vanity for this expedition. Not just the vanity surrounding my physical appearance; that was obviously out the door, as my pants were falling down, shoes untied, hair flailing, and chest heaving. My arthritic knees (that are NOT supposed to be running) also gave out every now and then mid-stride, which really gave the geese an unfair advantage.)
I sacrificed also my image as a non-crazy dog owner. I want to look sane. I long to be 'normal'. But hell - she's worth throwing caution to the wind and allowing myself to look deranged. Her legs were shaking in hunter's joy! Her neck was rigid with attention. Her whole being was tuned into its natural frequency.
When all the geese were safely floating away, I walked her back to the car. I felt terrible taking her home, to pass the rest of her day (i.e. lifetime) in an apartment. But, she was heavy with fatigue and rested peacefully. I gave her a taste of the old, so that she can appreciate the new.
I am sorry for Tennessee's loss, but glad for Chicago's gain. We got a good one. She may have not come here willingly, but here she is and I will do my best to make sure she's content in this big city life. She's a country girl, like myself. We should stick together.
So I can't give her the Smoky Mountains. But I can give her a Lincoln Park goosehunt every now and then. And in between, we'll turn tennis balls into birds and stuffed animals into the real thing.
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