The Airedale and the Porcupine

An Airedale met a porcupine whilst in the woods one day,
Said the Airedale to the porcupine, " would you like to play?"

This is the start of a poem that my youngest daughter wrote in high school (and got a very good mark from Dr. Noble) about our first Airedale Cleo and her tendency to try to make friends with anything that moved, including the porcupines that live in the woods behind our house.

Well our Miss Maggie decided to try the same thing today whilst she was out for a walk with John and Gunni! Mags runs free on the rail line behind our house, but fortunately, Gunni stays on the lead. He is just too small and I am always afraid he would run into the woods and get lost. Anyway, Mags was off doing her thing when John heard her yelp very loudly and obviously in pain. She didn't come no matter how much he called so he had to go into the woods with Gunni on the leash and found her with a snout full and a paw full of porcupine quills and quite panicky from the pain. So John called me with his cell phone, which he takes with him in the woods, and I went to meet them. Poor Mags was limping along with her paw full of quills and a mouthful as well. One look and I know we need to go to the vet. I could handle the ones in her paw, but with her nose and mouth involved, experience has taught me, go to the vet. And I am glad I did. I have heard some nightmare stories about dogs and quills and would rather be safe than sorry! So they sedated her and gave her a good examination. They found some on her tongue as well as in her nose and mouth. Plus the ones in her paw. Poor baby. :( So we are both home again and she is fine now, but do you think she will learn a lesson?! I wonder. The last episode she had with a porcupine was probably 4 years ago, so hopefully this one will last for another 4 years!

This all happened late this afternoon so by the time I drove to the vet in Bridgewater (35 min. away) had Mags looked after and got back home I was 10 minutes late for Knit Nite. But the knitters were all settled in and Gunni was being the perfect host. He was quiet and cute and just cracked everyone up by casually sauntering up to them, taking a ball of yarn out of their knittng bags and walking away with it in his mouth. He didn't destroy it or anything. Just stood there proudly holding it. And looking pretty darned cute too, if I may say!