Brag and I pulled into Cuz’s yard to pick up his rabbit dog, Judy, about 6:45 this morning. She took one look at who had arrived and started yelping excitedly. She knew what was up and approved at the top of her voice.
The lights were out in Cuz’s house and in Rye’s across road. And they stayed out. Turns out, they had had a long night at the dog track over at Shorter, Alabama. Dixie and Sugar had the honors today with the electric pine limbs. I had charged them Saturday and put them on at feeding time that afternoon. I’ve only used it on them once, twice for Sugar. I’d really be happier if I didn’t have to use it at all.

The ride down was uneventful. Mostly idle chitchat. Catching up on the summer’s happenings like Brag’s cruise to the Cayman’s. We scanned the sides of the road, looking for a crossing deer to put Sugar and Dixie on. This time they escaped getting the limb, figuratively, upside their heads as no obliging deer was to be seen.

Turning off the pavement where the timber rattler, 4 foot and 6 rattles,
though I suspect that it will grow some over time if it hasn't already, we had gone only a matter of a few yards when two bunny’s zigzagged a few yards down the clay road before breaking for opposite sides. A third rabbit bolted across the wide turnaround near the gate. I hopped out, digging in my pocket for the keys because our plans were to start with that dang “cabin“ rabbit who gave the dogs the slip after only a few minutes every time. Besides, I didn’t like running them near traffic without help. I needn’t have bothered; our lock was missing with the gate secured by the power and timber company locks. Fuming, I told Brag this would have to do; at least there were rabbits. I wonder if the previous post had any thing to do with me being unable to get in the gate?

The dogs hit the ground and were soon hot on the track of the last bunny. I hotfooted it out to the paved road where I could see for a few hundred yards in case a deer shot across the rode with our little short-legged ladies in tow. Brag moved down a dirt firebreak parallel to my road, keeping the beagles between us. Just in case, they were running a deer. Not that Brag’s and my dogs would do something like that. Why they were the best dogs in these parts. Wouldn’t run nothing but a rabbit, everybody says so.
Heh.


I needn’t have worried. The dogs ran an outstanding race. The sounds came boiling out of the bottom of thick-planted pines as I moved up and down the paved road, ready to intercept them if they tried to cross. I needn’t have bothered. The rabbit had no desire to leave the relative safety of the thick, thick, I said “thick” planted pines that the rattler had came out of.
Shudder
Last year, Brag and I had barged around chasing a rabbit in these same pines. We never even saw the rabbit much less had a shot as we crashed through vines and briars that tried to out reach the young pines for the sunlight. I wonder how close we came to him?

Finally the dog’s lost him…or maybe they got tired of chasing him. I walked back to the truck in time to see Brag lifting one of the lined up dogs into the box. Judy was the only dog missing. Though a little long in the tooth, she doesn’t know “quit”. I heard her faintly in the direction of our “cabins” a time or two. We met her hurrying down the road in our direction no doubt wondering where everybody had gone.

It was a good morning and we were back at the house by eleven. I gave Rye a call and filled him in before making plans to run them again wither Wednesday or Thursday.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Maizie ran her best race of the season today, though she still sounds like sombody's yard dog. From the sound of things, Sugar, Judy then Maizie follwed by Julie and Dixie are the order that I would rate them in. Seems like Sugar is going to be our jump dog, Judy to figure out lost trails, with Mazie Julie and Dixie adding backup.