Today Mistress slept in way late and Mighty Mo got up way early so I, Intrepid Age Grouper, had to postpone my run for 2 hours and 20 degrees. Then it took me another 30 minutes to find all my crap to actually go run.
I am a bit bothered by running so late in the heat for my longer runs, short stuff fine, long stuff, not fine. But the water belt is jiggling, my ear buds keep falling out, I am sweating (damn humidity). I am just not comfortable. About 2 miles out I run up to a baby jack rabbit laying in the curb on the side of a busy road. As I come up he is using his front paws to scramble away from me as it appears he can't use his hind legs. So I stop for minute, I want to take him to a vet but have nothing to carry him in. So I squirt some water near him and on him and decide if he is there when I come back I will take him with me.
As I ran off I thought of hardcore Oldman and all the wildlife he sees on his runs and wished there was something I could do for the wounded animal. I grew up around all kinds of animals. The Colonel spent much of his life in the US Fish and Wildlife service as a special agent. My brother a few years ago himself became a federal wildlife special agent. So my family has an affinity for helping animals or having them about. Bald Eagles, Lemurs, badgers, bear cubs, hawks, owls, baby deer, we have taken care of or housed just about everything short of reptiles and spiders.
Its not a fun run but I manage through best I can. Having a footpod on my HRM showing me every 5 seconds how slow my pace is does not help my iratation level, or my HR come to think of it.
As I come back I start to look for the baby hippity. It looks like
he moved into the weeds somehow and I start to curse myself for not doing anything earlier. Then I see him down the way still in the curb. He is still lying there, legs dragging, he is leaning against the curb wall breathing hard and quite scared. He has turned around and he can see the vehicles 3 feet away driving by at 45-60 mph and he is terrified.
So now I stop. I look around and find a discarded McDonald XL drink cup and get him scooped into it so his paws and head are outside the cup and legs at the bottom. I squirt some more water on his face and body to cool him off and now start walking a mile to the vet clinic.
I handed him over to the nurse and explained how I saw him and that I would rather see him put down quietly than die of dehydration in a concrete curb.
As I put that last mile or so home, I felt that...oh I don't know...grateful that I could help the little guy. No one should have to die alone and afraid, not even a little hippity.
I am a bit bothered by running so late in the heat for my longer runs, short stuff fine, long stuff, not fine. But the water belt is jiggling, my ear buds keep falling out, I am sweating (damn humidity). I am just not comfortable. About 2 miles out I run up to a baby jack rabbit laying in the curb on the side of a busy road. As I come up he is using his front paws to scramble away from me as it appears he can't use his hind legs. So I stop for minute, I want to take him to a vet but have nothing to carry him in. So I squirt some water near him and on him and decide if he is there when I come back I will take him with me.
As I ran off I thought of hardcore Oldman and all the wildlife he sees on his runs and wished there was something I could do for the wounded animal. I grew up around all kinds of animals. The Colonel spent much of his life in the US Fish and Wildlife service as a special agent. My brother a few years ago himself became a federal wildlife special agent. So my family has an affinity for helping animals or having them about. Bald Eagles, Lemurs, badgers, bear cubs, hawks, owls, baby deer, we have taken care of or housed just about everything short of reptiles and spiders.
Its not a fun run but I manage through best I can. Having a footpod on my HRM showing me every 5 seconds how slow my pace is does not help my iratation level, or my HR come to think of it.
As I come back I start to look for the baby hippity. It looks like
he moved into the weeds somehow and I start to curse myself for not doing anything earlier. Then I see him down the way still in the curb. He is still lying there, legs dragging, he is leaning against the curb wall breathing hard and quite scared. He has turned around and he can see the vehicles 3 feet away driving by at 45-60 mph and he is terrified.So now I stop. I look around and find a discarded McDonald XL drink cup and get him scooped into it so his paws and head are outside the cup and legs at the bottom. I squirt some more water on his face and body to cool him off and now start walking a mile to the vet clinic.
I handed him over to the nurse and explained how I saw him and that I would rather see him put down quietly than die of dehydration in a concrete curb.
As I put that last mile or so home, I felt that...oh I don't know...grateful that I could help the little guy. No one should have to die alone and afraid, not even a little hippity.
6 comments:
Com, I don't think I can hang out with you now.
Thanks for helping a friend!
It doesn't sound like a promising case, but if there was nothing to be done, at least the little guy didn't have to wait and suffer.
The world can be a pretty mean place. We have to do what we can, even when it doesn't seem like much.
TBC,
If you were laying in the gutter with two broken legs I will be sure to spill a little malt beer next to you and then come back and take you to the closest bar and tell the bartender the exact same thing, "This is my buddy TBC, he's got two broken legs and is pulling a Leaving Las Vegas. Keep em coming! Does that help.
Bunnygirl: tip of the hat mame.
COM!!!!!! As if you couldn't get any better. That was just awesome. SO many people would have just passed on by, might have felt bad, but not enough to overcome the helpless feeling. You rock - just earned some hefty Karma points there, my friend.
Way to go Comm. And I thought all American military were just heartless thugs bent on destruction.
BTW, we met a super cool marine who had just made the marine corp tri team at Castaway. I have his first and last name and know he is at Quantico. If I send a letter there will he get it?
Heh. That's awesome of you, Com. What goes around, comes around. You should have good things coming your way soon! :)
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