Sammy Story 10: Camping

Wednesday, Sammy came to live with us. Friday we went camping. We knew it was too soon, but we had no choice. After the fiasco in the RV storage place, I kept the little guy with me, and also kept him on a leash, just in case. The camping spot was open, with no fence, and we knew he couldn’t be loose. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best we could do.

He learned to do his business on the end of a leash as we walked him a few times a day. He even went with Theo without too much trouble.

As I sat and relaxed outside by the picnic table, Sammy sat beside me. He seemed to be okay with that arrangement. It was a bit of a pain when I had to go inside, because I had to take him with me, but gradually, I could leave him tied up to my chair if it was only for a moment or two. He saw that I came back each time, and seemed to accept this.

We tried to have him on a longer lead so he could wander around the area and have more freedom. That seemed to be okay too. He wasn’t cringing or bolting.

Then I went inside the camper to start supper.

Theo started to chop wood.

Bad. Very bad.

The loud noise, and the swinging motion from The Ogre terrified Sammy and he went berserk, trying to bolt away. This only entangled him around the legs of the picnic table, tightening up his leash and choking him, which naturally scared him even more. His eyes were wild with fear, his legs stiff, digging hard, into the ground.

Theo couldn’t even get near him to untangle him.

Mom came to his rescue, speaking softly and soothingly and then Sammy was safe in her arms. After that, he didn’t let me out of his sight. I was his anchor, his safety place, and that other guy was definitely the enemy!

Poor little guy. What were we going to do with him?