#3: Truckin with Nosey

It might seem strange that even though I was trapped in the back of a truck with a whole herd of noisy, scared sheep and had no idea where I was being taken, it wasn't very long before I fell asleep...but then, I had had a long day. I had been so excited about going hunting that I had jumped around all morning until us hunting dogs were finally loaded into the back of the truck. Then I had an all-out chase after a rabbit, followed by a long run tracking the sheep. I had also almost barked myself hoarse when I realized that I was being herded up into a truck with the sheep. When the truck started moving, I figured I might as well stop barking because no one was going to hear me. Then I realized that I was all tuckered out, so I curled up on the floor of the trailer and fell asleep.

I have no idea how long I slept but I woke up with a start when someone stepped on me. "Ouwwww", I howled. All the sheep around me jumped, which removed the offending hoof from my tail. My tail still hurt a little bit and I felt stiff, like I'd been jostled around as I slept, so I reached my front paws out as far as I could to get a good stretch. I suppose I did nudge a few of the sheep just a bit and some of them near me started complaining, "Baaa, baaa, waaaa. No shoving."

"What are you doing in here anyway?" one of the sheep asked me. "Don't they have enough sheep dogs down at the green summer pastures?"

"I'm not a sheep dog. I'm a hunting dog," I corrected him. "But what are green summer pastures?"

"That's where we're going. My mother told me that in the summer it gets very hot at our ranch and all the grass dries up so we have to go where there is a lot of rain during the summer so there is enough grass for us all. She always stays home but she told me that it is very beautiful where we're going and that the people there like sheep a lot. They even walk alongside us sheep, watching out for us themselves instead of just herding us with dogs or from horseback. I'm Nosey, by the way."

"Hmmm, I've been called a lot of things: hyperactive, rowdy, even a scaredy-cat, by some stupid dogs who don't know anything. But I've never been called nosey before."

"I wasn't saying I am nosey. That's my name. My mother named me Nosey. Although honestly it's because I am nosey. I've always want to know about stuff ever since I was little and because I find out about things by nosing around she called me Nosey."

"Bahow wow wow," I laughed. "So I guess that explains why you wanted to know about me. My name is Spike, by the way."

As we were talking the truck slowed down and finally came to a stop. Nosey and I pushed our way over to the side of the trailer so we could see out the holes down to the ground. There were lots of other trucks, all around us. For a long time we would sit still, move forward very slowly and then stop again. The sheep started getting restless and began to complain, "It's so hot. It was so much nicer when we were moving and had that breeze coming in."

(Here I have to say that I know I heard some of them complaining when we were moving that it was too windy, that they were going to catch a cold and that they were tired of rocking around so much. If I learned one thing about sheep it was that they can always find something to complain about, oh and the fact that they might be small but their hooves are sharp.)

Finally the truck stopped altogether. We heard the doors of the driver's cabin open and close. I heard people talking outside but I couldn't figure out what they were saying. All my life I've been able to understand the people at the ranch, but now I couldn't understand a word they said. I pushed closer to the holes in the side. I recognized the lady I had seen when we had been loaded up. She was talking with several men and they were walking along the side of the trailer towards where I was.

I started barking as loudly as I could. They looked up at the trailer. For a minute they just listened and then the all started talking very fast. I still couldn't understand them, even though they were right below me, until the lady called to someone up by the truck's cab, "Honey, you better get back here. It sounds like we've got a dog in with the sheep."

I didn't want to leave Nosey, my first sheep friend ever, but I didn't have much choice because pretty soon the lady opened up a door in the trailer and called me over to it.

"Where are they taking you?" called Nosey, as I pushed my way through the sheep.

"I don't know. But I'm sure they'll get me back home."

"Bye, Spike," I head him say over the bleating of the other sheep as a big man lifted me out of the trailer.

The lady tied a rope around my neck before the man put me down. I didn't care about the rope because I was so happy to be outside. As I ran around sniffing everything I could reach, I heard the lady say to the man, "I guess we'll just have to take him with us across the border into Mexico. Why don't you get him up in the cab and I'll call the sheep ranch before we're out of cell phone range and let them know we've got one of their dogs by accident."

Now that I could understand what she was saying I showed them how helpful I can be by jumping up into the cab.

"Did you see that, honey?" she said. "He jumped all the way up by himself." As she climbed in after me she said, "You can't sit in the front seat though."

Obediently I moved behind the seats and when they were both settled in we drove away.

[Click here to see the area of Texas where I grew up]
[Click here to see where this adventure took place]