Good Bye Lacey and #22

I don't want to be a rancher anymore . I think I want to get my meat in neat little plastic packages at the store. It is easier on the emotions. It makes for a better nights sleep. We have had an unplanned harvest. For you see, my dog, Smokey, and a visiting friend's dog took down two of our sheep. As luck would have it one of the sheep was our dear sweet, lovely Lacey. Like I have mentioned before I have to psychologically prepare for such things. I have to say my goodbyes with thoughts of how the animal has had a lovely life in the sunshine dancing across the grass and fields of flowers.

But then again, maybe I can withstand my tumultuous feelings. Thinking back to how I felt when I wrote the original post about Ms. Rylee's injuries and all of the other mishaps that happened that week , I realize that with the passage of time the ill feelings have faded. And I did get to say goodbye to Lacey and #22 and thank them for their life before they were mercifully put out of their misery, and the meat saved. But of course it is sad because of the undo stress such mishaps have on the animals, and because Lacey was a pet, who never was intended to end up on my plate, and because both dogs were so well loved, we, their human friends, feel betrayal.

I also have some blood on my hands because while bringing in the sheep the night before, right after my friend arrived, I noticed the dogs being very aggressive with the sheep. I hollered and stopped it, but I should have reprimanded them much further and have kept the dogs penned up. They seemed to have a pack mentality together and I should have recognized the danger. Should have, could have, would have. But didn't.

You know the old saying, "don't cry over spilled milk". So I guess I will take the advice and learn from the incident and move on a wiser human. I am wiser. I think. I am not quite sure what happened, and we are keeping the dogs away from the sheep while my friend is here. I just hope Smokey, my dog, only ran the sheep and that he didn't get a taste. Perhaps it was just the new combination of dogs. I hope. Do you think this is a blind spot of mine? Wait, don't answer that.