Freezer update, networking

This is going to be a long way around something, but things have been too disturbing in my neighborhood lately.

If you haven't read my rant about losing my freezer, go back a few blogs and do so. There. Now you see my state of mind?

Okay, a related update to forthcoming story? The Thursday before my freezer went missing, I came home to the neighbor's dog having come to our place to die from a bullet wound. Not pretty, but as a former EMT I could tell them the dog was seriously injured internally. From the outside it looked like a through-and-through his ear. It wasn't.

He was doing the harsh last breath. I told the neighbors I had done my normal, "Smoky, go home!" at him. He is a pit bull (lower teeth removed) mix and a nuisance. On a regular day/night he gets up trots to his side of the fence and commences barking.

This day, he looked at me forlorn and I gasped. Flies covered his head and he made no move to get them off. Blood poured off him. I quickly yelled for the neighbors to come over. When I told them he wasn't moving like normal and I though he was hurt, they thought I was complaining.

"Oh, we'll get the hose. It makes him move."

"No. He's in shock, at the very least. Don't soak him with the hose." They looked at me funny. I'm not Smoky's biggest fan. He's annoying and tears up my yard and my things. Yep, fence coming in with next tax return.

Yet, here I was telling them how to best not hurt him. What's the world come to when people have to be surprised that you can get over your personal dislike to help an injured animal? They knew I cared about animals as I'd helped with other animals.

Anyway, we got warm water to rinse off some of the blood and try to find the injury under the flies. It was a bullet hole in his ear. He was too far gone and had to be put down. It was a very sad thing. Worst for the mother, I believe. They'd had that dog for over 10 years. I felt bad for her. So then my freezer went missing that weekend.

I had a more than passing thought that the two incidents might be related. I spread the word that I would be offering a reward for the return of my freezer but that it would be accompanied by a police report. I let the week go by to see if I had any takers.

No bites. I was getting ready to follow through on things when something happened. The neighbor lady came over. She doesn't speak English so she had to bring her younger kids over to translate. Guess what they had to translate? Worse, they knew and had seen part of this incident.

They had a female dog (part poodle) that they used to sell her pups with. She had the cutes puppies and people were willing to pay 100 for them even though they were essentially mutts. That is how cute they were.

The first question was "Did you see who shot our white dog?" They said her name, but I don't remember it.

"What?" I was incredulous. "The little white one?"

Dogs roam this area cuz it's on the reservation and despite sheriff intervention, few are restrained. It's also not a big traffic area. But that dog wasn't bad and mostly stayed home. Once in a while she'd travel out with a few others, but almost never. She hardly barked, was sweet, didn't dig up my garden, chase my car, or the other things that put us all in relative danger. She was easy to manipulate and never even growled at anyone.

Even when I was trying to chase her out of my yard, I couldn't put any real heat into it. In fact, there was so little heat, the pups came up on the porch to play with me. That's how gentle she was. I'm seriously annoyed at the dogs for getting into my stuff and I still couldn't really chase her off.

So, to say the least, I feel bad. The kids went nuts when they knew I hadn't shot their dog. (Did I tell you how annoyed I was at the dogs? They all knew that I was beyond furious. I lost a whole years garden because of the neighbors dogs and they know I'm so not happy. Plus, they bark at 120ish every morning--give or take half hour for lateness of the train--sometimes that is when I've gotten baby down and almost asleep. He hears the pups and wants to play. See? Annoyed.) They talked over themselves and the mom was speaking in Spanish. I understand just enough Spanish to make the whole thing confusing.

Finally, the older daughter comes over and basically, this is what happened. Someone shot the dog. Let it get ran over, and then, put it in a trash bag, AND LEFT IT ON THEIR FRONT PORCH FOR THE KIDS TO FIND. I am livid. That is a truly shitty thing to do.

Your sick of dogs in your yard? Fine. chase them off. If they threaten you or your kids, fine shoot them. (I don't like this, but I've seen some of the dogs around here. Pack mentality and some of these dogs have been bred for dog fights. We've been in more trouble because we keep taming the pups we see around. They become too playful for dog fights. Oohh don't I feel bad? Ruining all that time and energy of breeding dogs for fights? NOPE NOT AT ALL. I'm kinda aggressive that way. I have no proof to take to the cops or I would. So I do what I can to stop it with little things like loving the animals since they're being so obliging and letting them run around my yard:P)

ANYWAYS. I am totally and thoroughly pissed. See, a week earlier someone had told my son that if he didn't keep the dog (the one that's not our dog but that follows him around and protects him whenever he's not at his "other" home?) away from their yard, they'd shoot it. This dog is so friendly that he sits and shakes when he sees you.

What the fucking hell you doing threatening a 9 & 6 YO with shooting the dog you think is theirs? REALLY? When I get proof of who it was, this momma gonna go postal on their a--, uh, there's going to be trouble. Sorry rabbit trail.

If that's not bad enough you're going to shoot a dog, run her over, throw her in a trash bag and leave it on the porch for the kids to find? I'm so upset. I told the neighbors I was sick of it.

The father of one of the children showed up to see why we were all congregating at my front door. I know he understands English as well. He told me of a former friend of theirs that had been standing on my car but Smoky chased off. That did it. Jerks were jumping on my cars when I wasn't looking? Yeah, NO. So I went into tough mode.

"My freezer was the last straw for me. Doing this to your harmless dog was plain shitty. If I don't have my freezer back IMMEDIATELY, I'm going to file a police report. Then I'm going to call my friends in SAR (ran by the sheriff's office here in our county) and ask them to start sending at least one patrol car by everyday. As a former SAR member and volunteer firefighter, it would happen." Their faces all got an interesting look on it.

"I know that would piss some people off around here, but that puppy was shitty work. They knew who and where and it was a little dog that didn't bite or even threaten to bite anyone." Spread the word. If my freezer isn't back and another animal is so senselessly hurt, I will be calling the police and they will be patrolling. Daily, if not more often."

Hell, I might anyway. Through the talking things out process, it has occurred to me that I might be dealing with cousins on this manner. The mom is looney. I mean seriously. Has come and threatened my MIL on occasion. Well, now the 19 yo daughter JUST found out she has cancer and my DH mom and dad are over there a lot. I don't know what I'm going to do if I find out it was them. They better hope the neighbors don't find out. Two dogs shot in a week is enough to start a feud. I would end up in the middle of it. I so don't need that on my plate.

Anyway, with the threat of constant police patrols (It would happen. They drive by the area FREQUENTLY and it would take very little time or effort to swing through the town instead of skirting it.) in the air I hoped for less problems regarding the dogs.

That was yesterday. And oh yeah, did I mention that my boys all followed me out and locked the door? Seriously, I was locked out.

So around noon, my teenager comes rushing in. "We found the freezer. It's not very far from here. We need a tarp."

"Where is it?"

"In the ditch that's not really a ditch."

I knew exactly what they meant. LOL I gave them keys to the van instead and they brought it back. It still had a magnet we had on it from before it went into storage. It was ours. The model placard on the front was cracked but otherwise it's in fine condition.

Amazing what a little networking will do. Now if we can spread the word about the dogs. Keep them tied up and quit shooting the harmless ones with homes.