Billie's Home!

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0968dfc3.jpg"> <div> <B>Unless otherwise noted, all images and text on this site are my own creations.</B></div> <div> <B>Please do not infringe.</B><B><IMG SRC="314960f0.png" border=0 width="150" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Please sign one of our Guest Registers </B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://pub39.bravenet.com/guestbook/show.php?usernum=3286124372&cpv=1/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pub39.bravenet.com/guestbook/show"><U><B>Bravenet Guest Register</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/guest/control.guest?u=thisildorealm&i=2&a=sign" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/guest/control."><U><B>htmlGear Guest Register</B></U></A><B><IMG SRC="314960f0.png" border=0 width="150" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7c264b30.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="179" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=123 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0978dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#336633" FACE="Arial" ><B>Thisildo Realm</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thisildo Realm"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="My First Walk With A Dog"><U>My First Walk With A Dog</U></A>   |   <B>Billie's Home!</B>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gizmos Adventure Weekend"><U>Gizmo's Adventure Weekend</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Midnight Screams"><U>Midnight Screams</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Temper, Temper"><U>Temper, Temper</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December Storm"><U>December Storm</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id251.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The SnowGal"><U>The SnowGal</U></A></div> <bR> <div> back to <B> </B><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Village Library"><U><B>The Village Library</B></U></A><B>      </B><A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Map"><U><B>Site Map</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=357 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0978dfc3.jpg"> <div> <B>Billie's Home!</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 773 WIDTH="646"><div> <IMG SRC="1ce15aa0.jpg" border=0 width="277" height="170" ALT="Billie ~ a month before her walkabout" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>     22 November 1999, it's one in the morning and I check on Buffy and Billie before heading to bed. The next morning they are no where to be seen! Buffy returns on Thanksgiving Morning, but Billie is still missing. Christmas 1999 finds me looking out the front door window, whispering, "Billie, I know you'll get home just as soon as you can! You got away from me, you'll get away from wherever you are and come home."... Boy! I'm so glad I never gave up on knowing that!</div> <bR> <div> 29 December 1999<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#336633" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >~ This is a red letter day if I ever saw one! Was playing Age of Empires last night on the computer, with Buffy laying on the bed watching me, wondering if I was ever gonna come to bed. The game has no screen clock so I lose track of time and had no clue of the time but knew I was bushed! So I start shutting down the computer and I hear a dog bark. Just one short bark, then silence. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>      I thought, "that's Billie's voice" and turned to look at Buffy. She was tensed and looking out the window to the back yard and the instant I started to get up, Buffy and I were off for the door - she beat me - she was on the bed, I had to jump over it! I got ahead of her as we skidded around the fridge (I've got better traction than she does!) and glanced at the clock on the microwave -it was one in the morning. I hit the porch light and looked out the window in the door. </div> <bR> <div>      My God! My God! A huge warm splash hit my heart and spread outward through my body as my eyes went directly to the golden blonde face of my precious Billie - standing right there in front of me on the porch - looking right at me!! Thank You Jesus! Thank You Jesus! </div> <bR> <div>      Again the fumbling with the doorknob - ya'd think by now, I'd KNOW how to open the fool door! When I got the door opened I gasped at the LOOK of my prodigal daughter! My God, she's as thin as a rail! But, she's home! She's actually <B>HOME</B>!</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 839 WIDTH="646"><div>      Uh Oh, Buffy. Absolutely everything went out of my mind when I saw Billie's face except getting my arms around her, and I guess Buffy sensed the loss of connection because she began growling - loud, and nudging Billie away from me. I got them separated and coaxed Buffy outside. Buffy went all over the porch with her nose checking out this new dog scent. I got down on the kitchen floor and just loved the daylights out of Billie, rubbing her everywhere, touching her all over, both to check her out (quite a few healed wounds on her head, neck, and legs, but otherwise she's okay) and to put my scent all over her thinking maybe Buffy will gentle down if she smells me all over Billie. That's when I discovered two things that really stunned me... </div> <bR> <div>      First, Billie is really, REALLY thin - I've only seen dogs that thin on the news when they've been discovered at a puppy mill or in some "collectors" yard. I'd have me arrested if I ever let an animal go that hungry! When she left for her walkabout on 22 November, she weighed in at 75-80 pounds, she can't be more than 45-50 pounds now! Brings tears to my eyes thinking of her being that hungry for such a long time! </div> <bR> <div>      Second, and this is really bizarre, she was fresh from a bath! I mean within a couple of hours of a bath! There was absolutely NO dog smell to her at all! None. It wasn't until around ten this morning that I am beginning to smell Billie! That has what really got me stunned! A bath?! Who? Huh? Why? What!? Boy, I'd give just about anything to know what she's been through! It's got to be one amazing "tail"! </div> <bR> <div>      And, she is still wearing her collar with her tags on it. She's had her collar on the whole time - she's got that collar mark in her neck fur, like Buffy. And her collar's been tightened - it was much looser before she left. </div> <bR> <div>      Well, Buffy only tolerated staying outside until she'd sniffed every square inch of the front porch, then wanted in to deal with this interloper. She went right over to Billie and began sniffing her - I guess covering Billie with my scent worked, because Buffy calmed right down and let Billie eat the can of food I'd opened for her. Did I say "eat", actually, it was more like inhaled! When the plate was clean, Billie was making that chuffing sound they make when they've eaten too fast or when their collar has been jerked. Then she turned her attention on the bowl of kibble and started munching on that till the bowl was empty. I thought about opening more cans, but only for an instant - didn't think it'd be too smart to let her stuff too much food in her all at once - especially as gaunt as she is! </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 786 WIDTH="646"><div>      Man! She really looks bad this thin! She's NEVER been this thin! She's been gaining weight and maintaining weight since she was born, for goodness sake! I'm almost afraid to love on her, her bones are sooo close to the skin! I can literally feel every single bone in that baby's body! I've called the vet, she's coming out to check Billie out.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#336633" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>      I was so beside myself with joy at reuniting with my sweetie, I about went nuts with it being one in the morning and absolutely NO ONE to shout the news to! Thank God for the Internet! LOL At least I was able to shout it to the <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dogpack/" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dogpack/"><U>DogPackers</U></A> (a great list for anyone with two or more fur kids looking for advice, suggestions, and great friends)!</div> <bR> <div>      I hate to keep saying "I'm stunned", but jeeze,<I> I'm stunned</I>! My mind can't seem to wrap around the bath thing. It's not doing too well wrapping around the weight loss either! </div> <bR> <div>      Okay, a few days before The Great Escape, The Girls had been in the house and each had a rawhide bone. The bones were still on the floor when Buffy came home and over the course of the next week or so, Buffy buried hers in the back yard (I dug it up and trashed it. D'ya know how nasty they are when they're buried in the dirt?! Major Yuk!) But she never touched Billie's bone except to sniff it a couple of times and lick on it a couple of times. </div> <bR> <div>      I know you can tell where this is going... hee hee </div> <bR> <div>      After things calmed down a bit and I was having a cup of chamomile tea (trying to stop trembling inside!) in the living room -around 2 AM :o), Buffy was on the love seat and Billie was on the floor (Billie's not much for furniture) when Billie's eyes light on the bone. Buffy, meanwhile is laying on the sofa so she can keep her eyes on the entire room and every last thing in it, sees Billie eyes on the bone and immediately springs from the sofa, over Billie to grab the bone up! Billie's head snaps around and looks at me "Mo-om!" I would have choked on my tea if I hadn't sprayed it all out of my mouth laughing! And then crying for the sheer joy of this delightful creature being back in the fold. I have been blessed out of my sox! :o) I gave Billie a new bone which she messed with for a few minutes and lost interest, but Buffy went so far as to bring the old bone to bed!</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="654" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 801 WIDTH="646"><div>      Have I mentioned how possessive Buffy is of her stuff? She guards her food dish from the purrbies and springs to her feet the instant it even *looks* like someone is going near her food or toys. And even if she leaves the biscuits laying on the floor for two days, a purrbie best not even think about sniffing at them! So now she's not only got the four purrbies to contend with, "she's baaaaack"! I think I can understand Buffy's initial knee-jerk reaction to Billie's sudden reappearance ... She's been in a close-up and personal relationship with Billie since birthing her 19 months ago. Billie is a serious romper, while Buffy needs a squirrel or critter to get her romping juices stirred up. Billie had made it her chosen career to keep Buffy playing, running, wrestling, moving constantly - all day long and at times, I'd hear them slamming around on the porch or in the dog house in the dead of night. Eventually, when she'd had enough, Buffy would assume the alpha role and get Billie to back off. So, here's her daughter back home safe and sound -- oh joy! oh joy! .... oh yeah, the hellion's back too! :D </div> <bR> <div>      Everything is ... I was going to say "back to normal" then realized my world just turned around again! It got turned around 22 November when they went missing and turned again Thanksgiving Morning when Buffy came home. I can't believe it's been thirty-seven days! And in that 37 days my world was just beginning to settle into a routine that exploded at one this morning, turning my world yet again!! I'm gonna get whiplash, this keeps up! (grin) </div> <bR> <div>      I'm figuring that the way I did Buffy when she came back after four days seemed to work so well, I'd use it on Billie, so this afternoon we're going for a walk with Billie on the leash and Buffy alongside. We'll be staying on our own property until I can be reasonably sure I can trust her off the leash. And we may not get back to the trails until late winter because I've seen two bikers on the trail in one afternoon - don't think Billie's ready for that - although, after her walkabout, she just might be ready for anything! </div> <bR> <div>      Hope your Christmas was wonderful - mine was a couple days late but the absolute best ever!! (wearing huge grin)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Visit Billie's Page at</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=187385&j=t" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=18"><U> <img src="HTMLobj-3209/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="120" height="60">  </U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>