Elley always loved to ride ATVs, Tractors, anything really. If she saw you walking toward one, or if you started one, Elley would promptly “load up”! She firmly believed that any motorized vehicles sole purpose was for her riding pleasure. I was not driving the tractor for hours plowing the field, No! I was driving the tractor so Elley could ride! My son went out to the shop to get something while I pulled the side by side around in front of the house. Leaving it running, I ran back in the house to get some coffee for the road. Upon my return to the ATV, Elley had “Loaded Up” and was sitting in the middle of the front bench seat. She was obviously eager to get started on whatever adventure we were headed out to do. I had actually gone around to the rear of the ATV to stow some gear before it hit me. .”Wait”! “What”? I rushed back around the ATV to Elley. Sure enough, Elley was sitting there looking at me with her familiar expression, as if to say, “Don’t know exactly what we’re doing, but I’m in!. My son appeared, and like me, it took a few seconds for it to register. My wife had evidently seen us through the kitchen window as she came running out to us. As we all gathered around and loved on her, Elley soaked up all the attention and wagged her tail happily. She didn’t know why her humans were so glad to see her this morning, but it really didn’t matter her anyway as long as she got the attention. We were thrilled and so very relieved to see Elley, but she looked horrible. She was no longer orangish yellow with white markings. She was a solid rusty red from all the dried blood and dirt that covered her whole body. She was cut to ribbons. Her body was covered with countless cuts, scrapes and lacerations. My son and wife could see it too. “Is she gonna be ok dad?” My son asked. “ Yes I answered”. None of the cuts were still bleeding badly and there were no deep punctures in her abdomen. She had obviously been in a very brutal and violent fight, but she would be ok. I asked my wife to go run a tub of warm water. I had to clean her up, disinfect wounds and the sew up several of the larger lacerations. I reached over, turned the key and shut off the ATV. Puzzled, Elley tilted her head and looked at me. Despite all her injuries, she seemed to feel fine and seemed in high spirits. She unloaded and ran around the house. I gathered some beta dine to mix with her bath water. When I called for her, she emerged from around the house with a dark, bloody and mangled, “Thing”. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a hogs ear with a strip of the scalp still attached. Elley was a trophy hunter. Any varmint or critter she killed got drug up to the house. Often it was deposited right on the door step. I did not particularly appreciate this behavior, but my wife truly hated it. Seems most ladies don’t enjoy stepping out of the house onto, rats, birds, snakes, possums, frogs, lizards, moles, squirrels, rabbits, weasels, coyotes, turtles, fish, beavers, skunks and small alligators. This being just a partial list of the “Trophies” that Elley had deposited on our doorstep over the years. Doesn’t seem to bother our son much, even though the task of hauling them off falls to him. Despite having the daylights sscared out of me on a regular basis, and launching my head into the top of the door frame from time to time, I’ve come to accept it as part of life with Elley. My wife still hates it though, and approaches the front door like it was a bomb. I bathed Elley, stitched her up and put her in a warm kennel to rest. She was so easy to doctor on. She knew I was trying to help her. Something about the hog ear stuck in my mind like a thorn, it did not make sense. Obviously she had killed the hog, but something did not add up, all her trophies were from around the house or close by. She would not have carried that ear a mile and a half back home. I was missing something and an investigation was in order......
Topic: Elley (Read 4928 times)
