I Lost My Dogs!

I'm sure every dog owner's worst nightmare would be if their dog went missing. Well, my nightmare came true. I lost my dogs! Not just one but both dogs! 

Before I share this latest ordeal, let's start from the beginning.

This post, follows the one about driving over the Crown Range. The Crown Range experience happened in the morning, then around midday we were in Wanaka, and late afternoon we arrived at Albert Town. Which proves, a lot can happen in just one day!

Now Albert Town is another place you could easily spend a week exploring. I didn't do it any justice by only spending a night there.

Just to the left, over the Albert Town Bridge, is the Albert Town Campground, which was where I planned to stay. It's located on the banks of the Clutha River and costs $10 per person/night. 

There was an empty area near the river which looked perfect. I reversed in and got myself reasonably level, turned the bus off and then turned the gas on. The spot was great. My views were of the Clutha River and the Albert Town Bridge. As I was waiting for the jug to boil, I spotted a sign, which I must have driven passed without noticing. I walked over to check it out. 'No Camping Beyond This Point' Ha! So, that's why this ideal spot was empty.

So, back in the bus, and a few hundred metres further on, close to the river was another idyllic looking spot. Another bus was parked a little further on (so, it must be okay), plus I checked for signs - no signs about. All looked good. 

Perfect, I could now put my feet up, enjoy a cuppa and reflect on that bl***dy Crown Range experience. And, while I was doing just that, another thought popped up ... was I parked too close to the river? It was a fast flowing river, and it looked as though I was almost level with it. What if there was a flash flood? 

Seriously Katrina, who has these thoughts out of nowhere? But, it was now lodged in my brain, niggling away. 

So I took a photo of the river from inside the bus and sent it to Bernie. He said, I'd probably be fine, but for peace of mind it wouldn't take much to drive to a higher spot.

And, for the hundredth time, I appreciated how simple it was to be able to move. When we had the big rig, it would have been a mission. But, with the bus, all I did, was jump in the driver's seat and move another few hundreds metres upward!

While finishing my now luke warm cuppa, I noticed a couple of people walking their dogs. Both were off leads, so I (wrongly) thought there can't be any rabbits about, otherwise the dogs would've be on leads. Not wanting Oakly and Boo to miss out on a chance to explore, I grabbed the camera and the three of us set off for a sunset adventure. 

I found what looked to be a good spot to take a photo and as I lifted the camera to my face, the dogs, in sync, used that exact moment to bolt. Had they planned this??? Who knew they could even run that fast?!

In a split second they'd charged down a bank. And my theory that there weren't any rabbits about was blown! Suddenly, there were white, fluffy tails bobbing in all directions. I tried calling the dogs, but it was a complete waste of time. So, I scrambled down the bank, after them, but they were no-where to be seen! They'd gone ... miraculously disappeared! I couldn't even hear them, surely there would be snapping twigs or crunching leaves as they sped through the undergrowth. But nothing! Absolute zilch! 

I called, I looked, I called, I searched and I then I panicked! Every time I stepped on something that made a noise, I startled more rabbits. A scene, which at first glance, appeared to be rabbit-free was actually infested with them - they seemed to materialise from all directions!

The sun was setting and I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd be searching in the dark. I raced up a nearby bank, to a path that ran above the river. All the time, calling and searching. But, there were no signs of the dogs ... only more rabbits!

After about twenty minutes (it felt like 20 hours!), I spotted Boo in the distance. I couldn't believe it - she was the one I thought would disappear down a rabbit hole. She's the smaller of the two and has been down a few holes before.

Once Boo was safely in my arms, I continued calling out to Oakly. I couldn't see any sign of him. My fear was, Oakly would run from rabbit, to rabbit, to rabbit and continue for miles! 

Then, in the distance, I heard a man shouting 'I've found your dog!' I could not have been more relieved! Or surprised, I thought I was the only one there. I followed the man's voice as he kept calling out to me. Eventually I found him, standing above a bank - pointing towards the river.

He told me he'd seen a dog go down a rabbit hole in the side of the bank. As I looked to where he was pointing, I couldn't see anything, just a bank with lots of rabbit holes. I asked, was he sure it was a dog and not a rabbit? He was certain it was a dog.

Holding Boo tightly, I clambered down the bank. The guy followed me and pointed out the the hole. Although, it had a decent size opening, when I looked inside, there was nothing. Just darkness. I called and called Oakly's name, but absolutely nothing - no noise, no movement - nothing!

However, the guy was very convincing and swore Oakly had gone down the hole. There was only one thing to do. I started digging. The guy offered to hold Boo while I dug (if I had of put Boo down, she would have been off again!) So I started to dig, and then the hole veered to the right ...

And bugger me ... there was Oakly! Well Oakly's face. He must of gone in and turned around. How big was this hole!? Every inch of Oakly was covered in dirt! He wasn't keen to come out - I'm not sure if he thought he was in trouble or whether he knew he was on to a good thing, and didn't want to abandon ship.

Thankfully, he came out. And I couldn't thank that guy enough! What were the chances!!!!!

With a dog, tucked securely under each arm, I eventually got back to the bus. By then it was dark. And as I mentioned earlier, the river was fast flowing, so I couldn't take the dogs down to wash them, if it was still light, I would've found a shallow spot, but I wasn't about to try my luck in the dark.

So I brushed off as much dirt as I could, rubbed the dogs down with a towel and filled a bowl with water and washed them as well as I could. 

By this time, I'd missed several phone calls from Bernie. He would of been wondering why I wasn't answering. But I wasn't quite ready to tell him what had happened ... first I needed a wine or two. 

That night, I lay in bed, with a dog snuggled up on either side of me. I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking how close I'd been to losing our little buddies! Between the Crown Range trip and this rabbit adventure, it was a day I wouldn't forget in a hurry.

And, to rub salt into the wounds, one of the dogs began snoring! A deep, loud and relaxing snore! Obviously their day had only tired them out! Not an ounce of remorse for those puppies...haha.