The Hollow Log

The Hollowed Log
By Mary Grether


About 25 years ago I was living with my brother and sis in law, I was going to school for small business at the local community college.

I went at night and worked in the daytime. My schedule was very good and I did have some free time.
There were some days I noticed a dog roaming around the place, it was a pretty red colored dog. Later I discovered it was a “Chow,”an absolutely beautiful dog.,it looked like it was dropped off some time ago. Or it could have been part of the migrant camp nearby too. I just didn’t know. I did try to make friends with it but the dog just didn’t want any part of me or humans. It may have been mistreated.

Anyway on with this story; Much later that year I started hearing noises in the back, which was a dense forest like area. I got up the courage to investigate what and where the sounds came from.

The sounds weren’t very far from the house, as I slowly went toward the sounds, I heard yippings,(yappings?) like puppies, Getting closer I heard a threatening growl. It was like “ Don’t enter this territory”!

I saw a huge hollow log on the ground and the growl came from it as well as the yapping. I picked up a big stick and walked slowly to the hollowed log. To my surprise the “Chow “ had puppies, and had them in that hollow log! It looked like they were possibly 10 days old or so, because their eyes were opened, and “momma” gave me more threatening growls informing me to go. Which I did.

I told my family what I found and they thought the dog was probably from the migrant camp. Now to explain something, there was rumors of wild dogs roaming , so they told me to leave her alone.

Which I didn’t. I had enough spunk to one day , catch the pups, It did take time , the pups kept getting away, cage the mom from the pups. I later gave the pups away, there were about 8 of them. I did get them when they were weaned,

The hollow log was an experience I won’t forget. Sometime later, coming home from school , at night,I saw the Chow laying in the road,I noticed she was dead, I couldn’t stop in time and I ran over her. I went to the house and told someone and they went back to see about the dog. She was already dead before I ran over her. But that hurt me so much, She was such a beautiful dog! But I had to also remember a wild dog as well