Dogs, chooks and digits

I’ve never been one to complain.” Look on the bright side” has always been my motto. However, although I seem to have inherited the ‘clumsy’ gene, recently  the results have been more severe. More breaking of bones whereas once it would only have been a sprain.

Our beautiful Airedale pup, Jake loves other dogs and people. So we got a little female Lakeland terrier to keep him company. She is older than him so we thought she might calm his puppy exuberance.  She has however, turned out to be obsessive. If there is an insect that has gone behind something, she will sit there and sniff it for hours until it comes out and she pounces.

Jake always ignored our three chooks. However she kept trying to get to them. They were larger than her but she became more and more obsessed with them, so much so that she would ignore her food in order to hunt the chooks.

Five weeks ago I was in the kitchen and heard the ear piercing scream of a chook. I raced up the back yard and there she was in the pen attacking her prey. I went in and grabbed her off the poor hen, noting as I did so where she had pulled back the wire and entered. Intended throwing  Smiles (she came with the name, more aptly called Snarls in my opinion) out and quickly mend  the pen from the inside before she could re-enter.  I noted that the victim was unharmed albeit missing a lot of feathers.  So Smiles was tossed out of the gate, which I promptly slammed. However, in the rush to slam it, my finger got caught. I looked down and there was the top of my middle finger sliced off neatly just below the nail on the ground. My immediate thought was that I was dreaming and would wake soon as it is impossible to amputate your finger in a wooden gate.

I picked up the digit. Really neat cut. Should I fix the wiring on the pen or ring an ambulance as I was the only one at home? The ambulance won as it would have been quite a job to fix the wire with one hand, especially since I held the finger from my left hand in it. Amazingly, there was little pain and little bleeding. I waited on the front veranda for the ambulance. When they pulled up I walked down our long drive toward them. It’s funny how habit is so installed in us. My partner always nagged me as I kept forgetting to lock our front door when I went out. Almost at the waiting ambulance when I turned around and went back to check I’d locked the front door. They must have wondered what I was doing.

The ambulance driver used to have an Airdale terrier and asked if I minded if he said hello to Jake. He came back and reported that Smiles had finished the job and all the chooks were killed.

We’ve since pulled the pen down. The other half doesn’t know how it was possible to amputate in the chook pen door. Nor do I! No more chooks to tease Smiles. They didn’t reattach the finger and sent me to Sydney Hospital the following day for surgery. The staff there kept getting the story mixed up with either the dog or the chook amputating the digit.

So, I now have weekly physio and am pleased to report Stumpy is coming along fine. Looking on the bright side, I should be able to get a 10% discount on manicures, I can give the finger and pretend I was just showing my injury and if I have a few drinks at a party it should be a good party trick up the nose.