The overnight snow had magnified all the scents. As soon as my lead was off, so was I. With my nose firmly to the ground, I dodged this way and that, circling and backtracking. A new scent, rabbit, I was on a mission, tracking towards the fence and through the bushes, and then the trail suddenly stopped. I pulled up short. Sure enough, there was a rabbit, a dead rabbit on a length of string. I was trying to ponder on this when I felt a sharp pain. My legs folded underneath me. I was thrown over the railings and bundled into the back of a van.
I awoke in a strange environment. Along with about fifty other dogs, I was in a large cage, inside a barn. The smell of farm animals pervaded my senses, but they were all overshadowed by the smell of fear.
Everyone’s story was the same. One day leading a nice cosy life, with a doting owner, the next being here. It didn’t take long for the cage floor to get littered with excrement. There was so little food, and certainly no extra treats. As the days went by, my coat got matted and smelt disgusting, even I was longing for a bath. The lack of exercise was getting to us all. Tensions brewed and fights broke out. It got so bad that they tethered us all. One day, whilst trying to escape, I bit a handler and was rewarded by being kicked and muzzled. I almost give up after that, I felt dejected, all my self-respect had gone.
Then one night, Tess rescued me. After biting through her own rope, she slunk through the detritus and started chewing through mine. She even managed to bite through the muzzle. Silently we freed all the other dogs and waited for the cage gate to be opened. As a pack we all rushed to get out and most of us escaping before the alarm was raised. We split off into groups to making it harder for our captors to find us.
Tess and I stayed together, foraging our way across the countryside. Eating the dog food put out for hedgehogs, begging for crumbs and scavenging in dustbins, managing to survive.
Then a car hit us both. Fortunately, the driver stopped and took us to the nearest vets. During the X-Rays, my microchip showed up on the scan. John had rushed to the vets as soon as he heard, and we had an emotional reunion, my heart beating as fast as my tail. Tess was still in a bad way, and John offered to look after her until her owner could be found. No one ever came forward despite all the notices John placed on various websites and in the newspapers Lost and Found columns. So Tess stayed with us. We never stray far from John on our walks, occasionally chase the squirrels, but never go looking for rabbits.
