[Dailydrool] an old hound still has oomph!

[Angelika Hastings]

First I want to say Thank you to all of you that have sent cards to Carol Sharp. They really mean a lot to her. I don't think she is back to reading the drool yet and certainly not up to posting. Posting was always something Pat did.
We headed to Carol's last week for Pat's memorial this weekend. Several of us droolers stayed at the house. There were a total of 11 hounds.
Friday we were doing stuff to prepare for folks to visit on saturday after the service.
Amanda, Wendie ( yes.. from the Bounders) and myself had a list of tasks to accomplish. Wendie was going to mow the dawg yard grass- but the mower needed gas. So I offered to go with her to get some as she is not familiar with the very rural PA where Carol and Pat's house is. I purposely left through the porch gate- as Elvis was on the porch and I didn't want to go down the stairs to the other gate- as he might follow down the stairs. Well... I didn't latch the gate just right. The old crippled, diseased, who can't walk hound must have boogied his butt right over to the gate. A bit of a nudge with his nose and voila~ FREEDOM! A bit later Amanda hears the hounds WOOFING and goes to investigate. Not a critter or a visitor as she expected, but instead four bassets on the loose.
Her Baby and my Peaches came right back when called. Elvis had gotten to the bottom of the driveway ( that can boy can MOVE when he wants to!) and Carol's old man Sampson was nowhere to be seen. At this point Wendie and I returned. I got the breakout old man back where he belonged and we set out to find Sampson. Did I mention they live in Rural PA. Way more trees and land than houses. Rural...VERY!
For three hours we walked, drove and climbed hills and brush in the midday sun looking for him. Called his name constantly. No Sampson appeared. 
At some point Amanda and I are back at the house- Amanda printed LOST DOG posters that we were planning to put in people's mailboxes. I happened to glance out a window and there the little booger was peeing on the lawn. Went out and called to him "Sampson- you're back!"
He came running with his tail wagging. He was sooo happy. He was also filthy. I can't tell you the relief we all felt. Carol was not home for this little scary adventure and we made a pact between the three of us to never ever tell anyone. Then it occurred to us that at some point one of the many people ( mailman twice, newspaper guy and lots of neighbors) might ask Carol if she ever found her dog.... we confessed saturday night. 
I am pretty sure I will never shut a gate without double checking that it did latch. And that old man of mine showed that lack of legs and health sure doesn't diminish his escape skills.
Angelika 		 	   		  
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