Willie And Waylon - Reunited...

"Where are we going, Big Daddy? Want me to sniff out a trail for us? "

Willie, the Walker Coonhound that found his way to our house Sunday morning in the chilly rain, had been wandering far from his home since 11 p.m. Saturday night. Only 13 months old, he and his litter mate Waylon took a little adventure vacation when they were let out to burn off some energy and use the "facilities" before being locked in their run for the night. In their youthful exuberance, they took after the scent of a skunk, following it quite a distance before getting themselves sprayed for their ignorance.

Maybe it was because of the skunk spray, but the two pups couldn't agree on which way to turn to head back home. They parted ways, vowing to send a search party for the one who was wrong. Willie headed north for several miles, and Waylon headed south even farther. And then the rains came, and the only good to come of that was that some of the skunk stench was washed away.

You already know the part of the story where Willie ends up at Le Rustique, and I won't bore you with all the details of trying to find his rightful owner, but last night Willie and Waylon were reunited with Zach.

I can't tell whether that's his thank-you look toward Big Daddy, or whether he's trying to say, "Man, I'm gonna miss  working your woods with you, and I appreciate all the love and freedom you gave me during my short stay."

You just know it broke my heart to snap this photo after he was loaded in his crate in the back of Zach's pickup truck to head back to his home.

Something good usually comes of most experiences, and the good of this one is that we were introduced to an amazing breed of country dog. When we're at Le Rustique full-time, a Walker Coonhound might be just the kind of dog we want as a companion in the woods. If you don't hunt them, they're not as likely to run off and get lost, but you have to have a means to exercise them. The way Willie would wander off from Big Daddy while he was taking down old barbed wire fence, then come right back to make sure he wasn't going to be left behind is a good sign. Even after he treed some critter and started his trademark howl while jumping and biting at the tree, he came right back to Big Daddy when called off. All's well that ends well, I'm thinking.