Bandits Wild Ride
The 12th installation in the series- Grabers Gone Wild
The 12th installation in the series- Grabers Gone Wild
Well the day had finally come.
I couldn't believe it.
My husband agreed to let us get a dog.
For those of you who know Big Tim, you know this is nothing short of a small miracle.
I must give credit where credit is due, and if it wasn't for my daughter in law Erin, this wonderful new addition might not have happened.
She came home with the cutest little brown rescue dog one Saturday on a whim.
The grandkids told me there was one more that looked just like their new dog "Sailor" and
I just had to go "rescue" him.
They were quite concerned, as there were several other people looking at him and time was a wasting.
Well, one thing led to another and after my extensive persuasion and coaching tactics I was able to get
Big Tim to take a rescue dog on probation
for a few weeks.
I was beyond shock and for a moment felt like I should just go out and immediately buy a handful of lottery tickets but I knew I had better wait on those lottery tickets until "we" were off probation.
One of my dearest friends Malinda was with me when we first went to see this little guy, and she came up with the name "Bandit" and it just fit!
He is all black except for a white triangular patch under his chin, and it looks like a bandana.
Welcome Home Bandit
Whose on Probation?
The first few days are always interesting and I knew I had my work cut out for me. We had an upcoming trip planned in the "Jetson Mobile" and I only had 2 weeks to get Bandit ready for the trip of his life.
Because we were training Bandit to sleep in his crate every night I knew that the sooner I got him out in the morning to potty the better chance
we could keep him,...
it all came down to getting him potty trained in time for the Jetson Mobile.
Of course there were a few accidents, but this little guy came from a hoarders house, was beaten by people, and the dogs in the shelter would bite his ears and he had scabs and holes all over his ears.
As the accidents happened it was as if he knew he would get kicked or beaten.... and the thought of his previous owners doing this to this adorable little guy just made me love him more.
We thought it was odd that he never barked or jumped and we never heard him make a peep for 2 days. And then one night we heard one distinct bark, and we ran into the kitchen to see what it was, and he had an accident and was standing there looking at us. It was like him saying...." now see what you made me do... you should have had the door opened so I could have gone outside, and you didn't, so this is what happened and I am holding both of you responsible for this!"
He only barked 2 more times after that, and we had somehow figured out a way to get him on schedule and things were looking good.
Bandit passed his probation with flying colors and our next big adventure of Grabers Gone Wild was about to begin.....
The Jetson Mobile was ready to roll and
things were about to get real bumpy.
Bolting in Bishop
One of the first stops on our way to Idaho was Bishop, California on highway 395.
After the first few minutes of traveling in the "moving earthquake", I think Bandit figured out quite quickly that he should stay in his seat.
I know when I am walking around I always have to have at least one hand on something at ALL times or I might go flying in the air, just like when you hit turbulence in a jet and the pilot has forgotten to turn on the "fasten seatbelt" sign.
The first time Bandit had air time was enough. Luckily he was trying to walk through the coach and he hit the bottom of the sofa and looked up at me with this scared look in his eyes... like...
WTF.... and you people like this?
Poor little guy doesn't have hands or fingers to grab onto anything, and I reminded Big Tim of this, and asked if he could drive a bit slower and he said he was already going in slow motion at 55 and wasn't going to adjust any speed for a dog.
Luckily he stayed where we put him and even learned how to press his legs against pillows when we would come
to sudden stops...
what a pro!!!
The first morning was our first real part of the adventure that was about to begin. We had a long leash and thought it would be perfectly fine to just put him on the leash in the morning for a short bit to do his business, and get some fresh air.
This little guy must have been drug on his leash or something really bad must have been done to him as he refused to go on a leash and when we tried he would only dig his front paws in the ground and
Big Tim and he would have a stand off. This forced us to tie him up and somehow after a few minutes, this little guy, who I will temporarily call "Houdini" came out of his harness and bolted!!
Timmy is yelling, the dog is gone, the dog is gone. It didn't help that the RV park we were staying at was packed with RVs for a festival that weekend AND that our space was the last one available and 30 yards from this major highway.
The little old lady at the front desk said the maintenance man in the golf cart rescued him as he manuevered the highway and Bandit had dodged the traffic and was on the other side of the highway.
Are you kidding me...?
How did he ever get across with out getting hit by the series of semi trucks that are always plowing through there?
It was a miracle he wasn't hit and killed.
I wanted to spank him and send him to his room with out dinner, but I thought about how badly he was mistreated, and I just wanted to love him more.
I think it scared " the you know what out of him" and he sat on Timmys feet and didn't venture far for the remaining part of the day.
We went out that day and bought some gates and Timmy tightened the harness just a bit so we thought our worries would be over.
Wrong!
Houdini was just getting warmed up.
Bandit in Boise
We love taking the Jetson Mobile to Idaho and some of our favorite people live in Boise.
We knew we wanted to spend a few days in Boise before we headed up to Lake Cascade to park the motorhome.
Big Tim was so patient with Houdini,... I mean Bandit, and was training him to walk on the leash. He was still hesitant but we were seeing progress.
Day by day, his little legs would move a little faster and after a few days, I was having to jog to keep up with him...
how can a little guy with legs no longer than 5 inches run faster than me... ( as I ran out of breath, I was thinking it was time to get back in the gym) and I quickly came back to my senses and took control and told Bandit that we are walking not running.
He looked at me like I was a wimp, and we compromised and met in the middle and
walked very fast!
walked very fast!
What a difference a few days makes and our next challenge was trying to catch him in Rons house. Seems Houdini now thinks he is Mario Andretti and after ten laps chasing him around the kitchen island, I would try to convince the racer to come to me, but he doesn't eat treats, so I couldn't even bribe him...
I mean really, what dog doesn't like special treats... not even bacon or steak....
now I am thinking this little guy has more problems than I thought and the sound of his little toe nails clipping against the wooden floor in the kitchen was
really starting to infuriate me.... and just when I would get close to him he would trot away.
He would do this several times a day, until we decided to keep the short leash on him so that all we had to do was gently step on the leash to stop Mario from his make believe racing and we could slowly reach over and pick him up.
Geeez... I would want to spank him and send him to his room with out supper but then I would think of how badly he was mistreated and I just wanted to love him more.
It was cold at night. It got down in the 30's and I couldn't bear the thought of this motley little guy outside in such cold so I had to buy a jacket for him to use in the mornings.
(thank God he is a boy, cause the apparel they have for girls is off the charts)
A little suede and velcro and Bandit is good to go...
look at those feet.... he is so funny....he looks like he has slippers
on the wrong feet!!
and what about that hair sticking up... every couple of days he looked like Alfafa,we knew it was time for a bath....
and what about that hair sticking up... every couple of days he looked like Alfafa,we knew it was time for a bath....
Bandit Hits The Hills
Rons cabin up in the mountains is a great little get away. It has full hook up for the Jetson Mobile and great views of the mountains where we are parked.
The leaves had started to change colors and
it was absolutely beautiful.
We loved taking walks and Bandit was enjoying his new sense of freedom. The word leash was quickly becoming
a welcome word for him.
.jpg)
How big and beautiful the world must have looked for him...
and I wondered what he was thinking... besides... (can't she walk any faster than this?")
.jpg)
I would like to think he was really happy!
We headed back to the city and wanted to spend a few more days in Boise before we headed south to Carson City, Nevada for a family wedding reception.
Ya Ya Jill and her hubby Jim had us over for a great lasagna dinner and we had a great time.
They got to meet Bandit and I felt like a proud mother!
Doomed in the Desert
We decided to drive halfway and stay in the
little town of McDermitt, Nevada.
We were enjoying the funny personality of Bandit that was starting to surface and Timmy liked calling him
"Invisible dog" cause he would ignore you and turn his head and we think he thought this made him invisible.
He would also become invisible when
he stuck his head under the pillows.
I preferred to call him "Cat"
He would turn his head and snub you, snub treats and snub other dogs as you walked down the street...
at first I thought,.. wow,... why can't we all just get along.... but then I realized this is probably how he survived...
he would go from being scared to death.. hence I would call him "Scaredy Cat" to "Cat" ... back and forth... from one extreme to another.... poor thing....
My biggest fear was about to become a reality.
Timmy had taken Bandit out for a walk around 8 a.m. and about an hour later he came running back in the RV yelling...
"Bandit is gone... he ran into the desert and he is gone."
I was working out on the floor doing sit ups and looked up and thought it was no big deal.
When I saw Timmys face I realized we were in trouble.
How did this happen... I knew Timmy was upset and felt bad, and apparantly Houdini, Mario, Invisible Dog, Scaredy Cat, Cat thought his life would be better without us and when Timmy accidently dropped the leash, he dashed away...
(it could have happend to me)
Timmy said it happened an hour earlier and he was out in the desert chasing him amongst the sage brush.
We spent the next 9 hours walking the desert in a grid looking for the little rascal.
Our hopes were diminishing and the sun was setting fast. I knew we only had a few hours left before the cold would hit and we would lose any opportunity
of finding him.
Timmy and I were exhausted, worn out and devastated.
We hadn't eaten anything all day, nor did we want to.
I was literally sick to my stomach.
The thought of this little guy out in the desert amongst the wildlife, and the cold was more than I could bear.
I don't really take drugs but all I could think of was... I wish I had a sedative, and poured a stiff drink and prayed my frazzled nerves would calm down.
They didn't.
Timmy had a few left over pain pills and
gave me one to help the nerves.
I went to bed in anguish and heartache and most of all,... fear.
We headed back to the city and wanted to spend a few more days in Boise before we headed south to Carson City, Nevada for a family wedding reception.
Ya Ya Jill and her hubby Jim had us over for a great lasagna dinner and we had a great time.
They got to meet Bandit and I felt like a proud mother!
Doomed in the Desert
We decided to drive halfway and stay in the
little town of McDermitt, Nevada.
We were enjoying the funny personality of Bandit that was starting to surface and Timmy liked calling him
"Invisible dog" cause he would ignore you and turn his head and we think he thought this made him invisible.
He would also become invisible when
he stuck his head under the pillows.
I preferred to call him "Cat"
He would turn his head and snub you, snub treats and snub other dogs as you walked down the street...
at first I thought,.. wow,... why can't we all just get along.... but then I realized this is probably how he survived...
he would go from being scared to death.. hence I would call him "Scaredy Cat" to "Cat" ... back and forth... from one extreme to another.... poor thing....
My biggest fear was about to become a reality.
Timmy had taken Bandit out for a walk around 8 a.m. and about an hour later he came running back in the RV yelling...
"Bandit is gone... he ran into the desert and he is gone."
I was working out on the floor doing sit ups and looked up and thought it was no big deal.
When I saw Timmys face I realized we were in trouble.
How did this happen... I knew Timmy was upset and felt bad, and apparantly Houdini, Mario, Invisible Dog, Scaredy Cat, Cat thought his life would be better without us and when Timmy accidently dropped the leash, he dashed away...
(it could have happend to me)
Timmy said it happened an hour earlier and he was out in the desert chasing him amongst the sage brush.
We spent the next 9 hours walking the desert in a grid looking for the little rascal.
Our hopes were diminishing and the sun was setting fast. I knew we only had a few hours left before the cold would hit and we would lose any opportunity
of finding him.
Timmy and I were exhausted, worn out and devastated.
We hadn't eaten anything all day, nor did we want to.
I was literally sick to my stomach.
The thought of this little guy out in the desert amongst the wildlife, and the cold was more than I could bear.
I don't really take drugs but all I could think of was... I wish I had a sedative, and poured a stiff drink and prayed my frazzled nerves would calm down.
They didn't.
Timmy had a few left over pain pills and
gave me one to help the nerves.
I went to bed in anguish and heartache and most of all,... fear.
Where was he... why did he do this.... was he still alive.... the leash was still attached,.... had he gotten caught on a sage brush or cactus out in the middle of nowhere...was he helpless if a coyote came upon him... was he shivering with cold, was he hungry and with the dark and knowing he was literally afraid of his own shadow.... .. was he afraid....
it was all so overwhelming for me...
I went to bed feeling like I had failed...
I prayed to God he would survive the night and luckly the pain pill kicked in.
I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like I was in a bad dream. I wanted to go out and start looking again, but it wouldn't be light for 3 more hours so I had to wait.
Timmy and I walked and knocked on every doorstep and gave people our business cards but still no Bandit.
This is what we were dealing with....
he doesn't bark so he can't help us find him...
he is afraid of everyone, even us,
so all he does is hide...
how are we ever going to find him....?
We pulled out of McDermitt around noon with broken hearts and prayed he was okay.
It was a long drive to Carson City.
5 hours to be exact
5 hours to think and think and think....
We arrived at the wedding reception for my husbands niece and it was a nice party.
Everyone was so supportive and it was comforting to feel the family's love and understanding.
I was fine until it started getting dark and then I felt my body playing tricks on me,... and my nerves were
starting to fray again...
I did something I have never done in my life. I excused myself from the party early and was actually the first one to leave.
I retired to my bed in the motorhome and went through the motions once again.
All I could think of was fear. His fear, my fear for him... where was he, was he still alive...
some people say dogs can travel for miles.... where could he possibly be?
Timmy tried to comfort me and it was sweet.
I knew he felt bad too.
We talked about how if he had died the night before that he was truly free...
like a bird out of a cage...
we talked about how bad his life must have been to want to run from us...
from people, from love...
and maybe in an odd sort of way if he did not make it through the night, that he was skipping and running and smiling...and thinking
Yipppeeee...... I am free....
no one can can hit me, or kick me or treat me bad again....
and those kinds of thoughts helped me alot.
And I would feel better thinking of these thoughts.
Around 9:30 p.m. that night, Timmy came into the bedroom and I was still trying to sleep and feeling quite emotional...and he says...
"Hi honey,... how ya doin....Bandit says hi..."
I looked at him and said "What are you talking about?"
he says... "Yea, Bandit says hi"... and winks at me...
"I just got a call and they found him on the Indian reservation, I am unhooking the jeep, we'll take that instead of the motorhome. Be ready in 5 minutes, pack an overnight bag and we can drive 4 hours , get a hotel room and sleep until 7:00, get up, drive one hour and be there by 8:00 to pick up the "Fugitive"
I sobbed like a baby....
(and so did he.... :)
We got to McDermitt as scheduled and
they were waiting for us.
The house where he was found is on the Indian reservation and the little old lady was native American and probably close to 80 years old and quite charming and spiritual.
We walked into her home and found Bandit sitting next to her on the sofa and she had numerous candles lit throughout the house.
She proceeded to tell us stories about Bandit and I felt a sense of pride when she said...
"You have a cool dog"
She proceeded to tell us that apparantly Bandit had enough and found his way out of the desert and at approximately 9:00 p.m. Saturday night, Bandit sat out in the middle of the street under the street light and waited to be found. His glory days were over and the reality was.... he wanted the lady back that sings to him and rubs his head all the time....
We thanked her ever so much and she walked us to the door and as we walked out she says....
"By the way,... your dog likes pot...."
I stopped in my tracks and said....
"Excuse me..."
She proceeded to tell me..."Yea, I lit up a small joint,.. and your dog jumped in my lap and put his nose to it and really wanted some, it looks like he was around this alot with his previous owners."
She assured me she didn't share as she didn't have much left and I thanked her again, ever so much and we finally left.
As I was walking to the car with Bandit in hand,
I told Timmy...
"no wonder he is so afraid and paranoid of everything...
he's a Pothead!"
We laughed and got in the car.
As we took one more glance out at the doomed desert I said..."Bandit,... if you were not beaten before I would spank you".... and then I thought of how mistreated he was... and I just wanted to love him more.
Can we go on vacation now?
We had plans to meet up with some old friends from the antique motorcycle club in San Francisco as Timmy was taking some of their bikes on consignment.
We had a beautiful ride, but the winding
roads leading into Half Moon Bay didn't go over well with Bandit and we got a little car sick.
Seems his favorite place to sleep was
upright against the pillows.
We had a wonderful dinner with friends and
called it an early night.
My poor husband had been driving almost
all night and all day.
While he photographed bikes the following morning, Bandit and I slept in, to the sound of rain on the motorhome.
I can't think of any other place I wanted to be except snuggling with the fugitive and listening to the rain. It was hypnotizing and we both fell fast asleep.
We were headed to Fresno and Yosemite that day
and enjoyed the sites.
I would lay odds that this was the first time Bandit saw the ocean or even a pumpkin patch.
Frisky in Fresno
We have good friends in Fresno that have a big place to park the Jetson Mobile and enjoyed traveling up to their
cabin in Yosemite.
It got real cold and I thought it best to buy a parka for Bandit.
Doesn't he just look dapper?
.jpg)
We even got to spend time with Jenny, Matt and the grandkids who live just 3o minutes away in Reedly.
What a great time and we got to see Katy compete in the water polo tournament.
Great time had by all.
Happy to Head Home
We had a 5 hour trip home and it gave us time to contemplate this incredible journey.
I thought of the roller coaster of emotions we experienced.
I thought of how thankful we were that there were so many friends and family that were there for us and praying for us and for Bandit.
I thought of how scared we had been, and then I started thinking of how Bandit might have been feeling... besides ...
"Damn... that was close"...
and I can't help thinking that in some crazy way,... cause you know my dog is a Pothead... that maybe he was trying to live out all his fantasies... and
who wouldn't want to be invisible...?
And who wouldn't want to be Houdini, or Mario Andretti...?
and maybe just maybe in his next adventure,...
he might just want to be a dragonslayer....
you just never know.....
Knowing Bandit....you can probably count on it...
and as much as I will want to spank him....I will think of how bad he was mistreated.... and will love him even more....
.jpg)
God Bless you Bandit, and God Bless all the rescue animals
and keep them safe.
it was all so overwhelming for me...
I went to bed feeling like I had failed...
I prayed to God he would survive the night and luckly the pain pill kicked in.
I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like I was in a bad dream. I wanted to go out and start looking again, but it wouldn't be light for 3 more hours so I had to wait.
Timmy and I walked and knocked on every doorstep and gave people our business cards but still no Bandit.
he doesn't bark so he can't help us find him...
he is afraid of everyone, even us,
so all he does is hide...
how are we ever going to find him....?
We pulled out of McDermitt around noon with broken hearts and prayed he was okay.
It was a long drive to Carson City.
5 hours to be exact
5 hours to think and think and think....
We arrived at the wedding reception for my husbands niece and it was a nice party.
Everyone was so supportive and it was comforting to feel the family's love and understanding.
I was fine until it started getting dark and then I felt my body playing tricks on me,... and my nerves were
starting to fray again...
I did something I have never done in my life. I excused myself from the party early and was actually the first one to leave.
I retired to my bed in the motorhome and went through the motions once again.
All I could think of was fear. His fear, my fear for him... where was he, was he still alive...
some people say dogs can travel for miles.... where could he possibly be?
Timmy tried to comfort me and it was sweet.
I knew he felt bad too.
We talked about how if he had died the night before that he was truly free...
like a bird out of a cage...
we talked about how bad his life must have been to want to run from us...
from people, from love...
and maybe in an odd sort of way if he did not make it through the night, that he was skipping and running and smiling...and thinking
Yipppeeee...... I am free....
no one can can hit me, or kick me or treat me bad again....
and those kinds of thoughts helped me alot.
And I would feel better thinking of these thoughts.
Around 9:30 p.m. that night, Timmy came into the bedroom and I was still trying to sleep and feeling quite emotional...and he says...
"Hi honey,... how ya doin....Bandit says hi..."
I looked at him and said "What are you talking about?"
he says... "Yea, Bandit says hi"... and winks at me...
"I just got a call and they found him on the Indian reservation, I am unhooking the jeep, we'll take that instead of the motorhome. Be ready in 5 minutes, pack an overnight bag and we can drive 4 hours , get a hotel room and sleep until 7:00, get up, drive one hour and be there by 8:00 to pick up the "Fugitive"
I sobbed like a baby....
(and so did he.... :)
We got to McDermitt as scheduled and
they were waiting for us.
The house where he was found is on the Indian reservation and the little old lady was native American and probably close to 80 years old and quite charming and spiritual.
We walked into her home and found Bandit sitting next to her on the sofa and she had numerous candles lit throughout the house.
She proceeded to tell us stories about Bandit and I felt a sense of pride when she said...
"You have a cool dog"
She proceeded to tell us that apparantly Bandit had enough and found his way out of the desert and at approximately 9:00 p.m. Saturday night, Bandit sat out in the middle of the street under the street light and waited to be found. His glory days were over and the reality was.... he wanted the lady back that sings to him and rubs his head all the time....
We thanked her ever so much and she walked us to the door and as we walked out she says....
"By the way,... your dog likes pot...."
I stopped in my tracks and said....
"Excuse me..."
She proceeded to tell me..."Yea, I lit up a small joint,.. and your dog jumped in my lap and put his nose to it and really wanted some, it looks like he was around this alot with his previous owners."
She assured me she didn't share as she didn't have much left and I thanked her again, ever so much and we finally left.
As I was walking to the car with Bandit in hand,
I told Timmy...
"no wonder he is so afraid and paranoid of everything...
he's a Pothead!"
We laughed and got in the car.
Can we go on vacation now?
We had plans to meet up with some old friends from the antique motorcycle club in San Francisco as Timmy was taking some of their bikes on consignment.
We had a beautiful ride, but the winding
Seems his favorite place to sleep was
upright against the pillows.
We had a wonderful dinner with friends and
called it an early night.
My poor husband had been driving almost
all night and all day.
While he photographed bikes the following morning, Bandit and I slept in, to the sound of rain on the motorhome.
I can't think of any other place I wanted to be except snuggling with the fugitive and listening to the rain. It was hypnotizing and we both fell fast asleep.
We were headed to Fresno and Yosemite that day
and enjoyed the sites.
Frisky in Fresno
We have good friends in Fresno that have a big place to park the Jetson Mobile and enjoyed traveling up to their
cabin in Yosemite.
It got real cold and I thought it best to buy a parka for Bandit.
We even got to spend time with Jenny, Matt and the grandkids who live just 3o minutes away in Reedly.
What a great time and we got to see Katy compete in the water polo tournament.
Great time had by all.
Happy to Head Home
We had a 5 hour trip home and it gave us time to contemplate this incredible journey.
I thought of the roller coaster of emotions we experienced.
I thought of how thankful we were that there were so many friends and family that were there for us and praying for us and for Bandit.
I thought of how scared we had been, and then I started thinking of how Bandit might have been feeling... besides ...
"Damn... that was close"...
and I can't help thinking that in some crazy way,... cause you know my dog is a Pothead... that maybe he was trying to live out all his fantasies... and
who wouldn't want to be invisible...?
And who wouldn't want to be Houdini, or Mario Andretti...?
and maybe just maybe in his next adventure,...
he might just want to be a dragonslayer....
you just never know.....
Knowing Bandit....you can probably count on it...
and as much as I will want to spank him....I will think of how bad he was mistreated.... and will love him even more....
God Bless you Bandit, and God Bless all the rescue animals
and keep them safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment