"Master and Commander"

Of the hound type, a few years ago I had a pooch that met an untimely death in my presence, and then while serving in Iraq, my hound had developed cancer and well, you know, my luck has been very poor and this is just the last 5 years of luck with the hound.

On thursday of this lovely week I got a late start and went to finish the winter wood gathering, loaded up and went 40 miles to a honey spot for good wood. I let my new hound out of the truck (she has been with us for months) and she went and layed under the trailer as we were cutting. I moved to a new area and she ran up when I started my saw, and then she bolted, the last I saw of her that night, we looked and looked, called and called, the canyon and trees echoed my voice and I worried that the echoes were dis orienting.

My heart sank, she was part of my family, you see she is the first hound that gets to sleep in each night, not in a outdoor kennel, she is the very first dog ever to ride in the front of my truck with me, and she always does never in the bed. she is my partner, my shadow and my freind. I lost her, I was up most of the night worried. How could I lose her, how could I let a pet get so close to me, and how was I going to share this with my son who loves her too. I offered more prayers, and pleadings to find her, that she would be takne care of that she if found would find her way home.

The next morning found me up early, I was the first one on the road in, but what made it worse it had snowed 4 o 5 inches during the night, it became an urgency to get there, and I boke out in a cold sweat worrying. I followed fresh track in the snow going along the road, none of them looked quite like my hound, dont ask me how I know, I got to the top of ridge where we had been cutting again tracks in the snow, not fresh, oh no.

I got out of the truck, the warmth I had driving up, and started calling, and calling, nothing, no baying no barking nothing. then I looked through th trees, and there she stood looking cautiously at me, when she recognized me, she sprinted to me, she leaped into my arms, she is not small, and hugged up against me, I put her inthe truck and she still climbed onto the center console and hugged up to me whining and making noises the whole time, this lasted for 10 minutes or so. After she had expressed her undying thankfulness or maybe love, she went to her spot in the truck layed down and slept all the way home, she slept all day and night, she had been there alone and scared, but she waited for me, and she and I were joined again. I am thankful for prayers that are answered.