News From Around the Pound
"Helping Hand"
I'm an early riser by nature. Waking up before 5 am is a normal thing for me and it's also a good time to do household chores. Today those chores included saving a huge frog from my pool I nicknamed "Slimy". Let me start off by saying this wasn't a cute little frog but rather a prehistoric looking predator from the dinosaur era. I had to save him. I'm the kind of guy that catches spiders and brings them outside rather than giving them "the stomp".
I don't know how many of you have ever tried to catch a frog with the leaf catcher. It's not easy; as a matter of fact it's almost impossible. I couldn't believe how hard he was to catch. He had some underwater moves that were truly amazing and at times he was fast as a cheetah! Having a round pool I couldn't even trap this elusive green monster because he kept ducking and dodging making a fool out of me. Catching pit bulls is much easier and a lot less work.
After 45 minutes Slimy became tired out and just floated. I sprung at my chance and captured this hopping menace with one fast swoop of the net. If it wasn't 6 am I would have yelled "Gotcha". My neighbors already think I'm a little bit crazy and I didn't want any more evidence to prove their theories.
Once Slimy was in the net it gave me a chance to really look at him. Gross! He was all green and yellow and covered in warts. The worse part was his long freaky froggy legs. My two dogs Q-Tip and Sheena were so intrigued I had to put Slimy safely over the fence and into the woods where he scooted away. Job well done, Slimy was given another chance at life. I hope he hops to it and makes the most of his second chance. I know I would make the most of a second chance like that if it was given to me.
My job stinks at times. Evidence of this fact was provided on a Sunday morning on Hess Drive. A skunk was reported to police wandering yard to yard with a yogurt container stuck on its head. Blindly wandering in circles this little stinker needed help and I was dispatched to the scene to help this smelly guy in need of rescue.
I love all animals, but skunks are not my favorite. They are beautiful but can ruin ones day by being sprayed. As I moved in on this skunk in distress I reminded myself that despite his stinky disposition he was still in need of a little help. Caution was in my head as well as terror in my heart because I thought I might be sprayed. I just have bad luck lately.
As fate would have it I was able to use my snare and remove the yogurt container. He sprayed all over the place but not on me. For the first time in my life dealing with a skunk I caught a break and the skunk spray went to my left and with a pop the container came off his head.
Once the container was safely removed I breathed a little easier and noticed the skunk stared me square in the eyes. I can't swear to this but I thought this adorable creature gave me a wink and a smile before he ran into the woods full speed. Maybe I was daydreaming this but I don't know. What I do know is that I helped another animal escape certain death. Even though he was a skunk I still felt like a million bucks. These are the kind of calls that separates Animal Control Officers from everyone else. We get called in to do jobs nobody wants to do but I'm glad to know he's ok. I forgave him for trying to spray me and wish him the best. I hope the little stinker makes the most of his second chance also. Nobody's perfect.
The reason I wrote these two short stories was to show that all God's creatures deserve to be treated fairly. Just because they are ugly or smelly doesn't give us the right to treat them different then cute and cuddly animals. Everyone from humans to frogs can mess up from time to time but can learn their lessons when given a second chance. I hope that frog learned not to swim in pools and my skunk friend not to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. Sometimes a second chance goes a long way and it's better to be kind than mean.
