It was one of those Murwillumbah days in Spring, after a big storm. The sky was washed clean, and a beautiful cool breeze was fighting a losing battle with the glaring sun. I had a smile embedded in my face, and was head bopping away to some funky tunes on Triple J. I found my way through the streets, and pulled into the driveway. I knocked on the door, and waited. I waited for so long that I thought I had maybe come to the wrong house. I reached for my bag to check the address, and the door cracked open just in time to stop me.
\”Hello – You must be the vet?\” She was an older lady, in worn and tired clothes, but with a ready smile.
\”I am,\” I replied.
\”I\’m sorry I took so long to get to the door,\” She explained. \”Someone left the door to the bedroom open, and as soon as our little dog heard you pull in the driveway, he was in there like a shot… Come in, and we\’ll see if we can winkle him out, but I don\’t like our chances. He\’s as stubborn as a rock, and twice as hard to talk to, that dog!\”
I came in, and put my bag down. She showed me through to the bedroom. The nether regions of her hubby were sticking up beside the bed, as he reached in as far as he could. A sound I knew too well echoed out from under the bead- the sharp \”clack\” of teeth snapping together. The hubby shot up like a jack in the box, face enraged.
\”The little bugger tried to bite me!\” he said. \”I\’ll fix him, I\’ll get the broom, and get him out with that.\”
I bent down and had a look under the bed. Right at the back, wedged against the wall, was an untidy tangle of hair. He saw me, and growled with warning, eyes glaring at me.
\”He really had gone to ground under there, hasn\’t he?\” I said, with a smile.
\”He\’s a little bugger, that\’s what he is,\” she grumped. \”We\’ve gone and got you to drive all the way to see him, and now he\’s stuck under there! I am sorry.\”
\”Not to worry,\” I said. \”It\’s not the first time that I\’ve come to a visit and not been able to see the animal, though it\’s more often cats than dogs.\”
Her hubby came back, armed with a broom.
\”You be gentle with him now,\” His wife warned.
He bent down, and with a clatter and some deep breaths, and muttered curses, got the broom in under the bed. He hooked the broom around, and started to try to drag him out. The growling got louder, and angrier.
\”I think I\’m getting him,\” he cried… \”Bugger.\”
The dog had obviously evaded the broom, and had ensconced himself once again in the spot deepest in the dark and gloom under the bed. He worked the broom back in, grunting and talking to himself.
\”The little bugger,\” he spat out the words, frustrated beyond belief, \”Now he\’s got hold of the broom with his teeth!\”
\”Ok,\” I told them both, hiding a smile. \”I tell you what, I\’ll come back tomorrow, and you can make sure that the door is closed. I\’ll give you a ring when I\’m about 5 minutes away, just to be sure…\”
They showed me out, apologising profusely, and I hopped back into my van. I burst out laughing once I got out of the driveway. And I went back the next day. Once he couldn\’t get under the bed, it was easy enough to lure him with some treats, and give him a thorough examination…