Farmer H Finds A Clue

Don't get all excited. Farmer H is NOT learning how to live life without me telling him to breathe in/breathe out, or proper handwashing hygiene, or how to respect boundaries. Nope. The clue he found relates to yesterday's tale, about where Scarlett and Jack might be when I don't see them here. Which is most likely related to The Unofficial Hillbilly Family Pupster. Yeah. This little guy:

Farmer H came home midday on Tuesday. Of course scaring one of my (apparent) nine lives out of me.

"I just came home to see your little dog, and get something I need from the BARn. Then I'm going back to town for my doctor's appointment."

"Well, I haven't seen him today, and it's already 1:00. He's usually been up on the porch by now."

Farmer H went outside, and when he returned, he said, "Oh, he's definitely living here. When I started out, he was sitting on the porch of one of my sheds. He ran under the old chicken house. You can see where the other dogs have been digging, trying to get under there. Also, there's a lot of stuff in the field by the BARn that looks like a pup got ahold of it. And I found Scarlett's food bowl, all chewed on."

"I thought it was metal."

"No. Hers it the big black plastic one. Jack's is the smaller metal one. And that little blue one with paw prints is under the shelf."

"You need to get some puppy-wormer. And we'll have to get him puppy shots."

"First we'll have to catch him! He don't wanna come out."

Farmer H was leaving later on Wednesday morning, to pick up some prescriptions when the pharmacy opened. "I'm going over to the BARn before I leave."

"Take a handful of food to put by the chicken house. So I know at least he gets something to eat today."

"I think Scarlett's been bringing him up on the porch to eat and drink."

"She DOES like to herd him around. But I don't know if there's always food left over here."

Farmer H came back inside before leaving. "I took that little bowl of food over there. He wouldn't come out. But while I was in the BARn, he ate it all. Them other two wasn't around, but they're out on the porch now, eating their food."

"You need to put fresh cedar shavings in the dog houses."

"I just did that, last time you told me to."

"Um. It's been summer. They don't sleep in the houses in the summer. So I guess you 'just did it' about 6 or 8 months ago. So now it's time for some fresh shavings."

"I guess he'll come out. If I leave food there, maybe he'll feel like he belongs here. We might have to get him out and keep him in that cage Scarlett came in."

"Oh, then he'll really feel at home! If the first thing you do is close him in a cage!"

"Well, you know. Just a place where we can feed and water him until he's ready to stay."

"I'd rather you sit out there and pet Scarlett and Jack, and maybe he'll come out."

We'll see what happens. At least Pupsie will get food once a day. Farmer H said he's going to take more food over to the chicken house tonight. Because a puppy usually eats more than once a day. Pretty sure he's a stray, if he's so afraid of people.

Farmer H argues that it's a mile down to the mailboxes, where people notoriously dump their "pets." He says Scarlett and Jack rarely go that far. Well. They do when Scarlett chases after him in SilverRedO. Also, that pup could have been wandering up the road and seen them halfway.

At least he's not down by the mailboxes, crying and hungry.