This is one of those days where my reason for this blog become apparent.  Someone out there needs to get some enjoyment or a laugh out of my life, because a lot of the time  it’s all I can do not to go batshit crazy and call the men in white coats to take me away.  Days like today I get to feeling like I have no business even getting out of bed,  let alone raising kids and animals.

Still no baby from Milkshakes.  Still checking every few hours and a few times during the night.  I am pretty tired.  It wasn’t a happy experience, therefore, getting woken up early by pounding on the front door.

There was our lovely neighbor, Jack, who has done so much for us the last few years that we have lived here.  Today wasn’t good news.  Today he woke me up to tell me that Jerry was out in the road.

It seems our electric fence isn’t functioning, and for some reason Jerry (who never, ever goes near that blasted fence) decided to barrel on over it.  My guess is that he saw something like a fox or bobcat or what have you (being that the weather’s quite warm and the predators are out in force) and felt the need to scare it off.  At least, that is what makes the most sense, and makes me feel better about the whole situation.  He was doing his job as a guardian……he just went a little too far.

I also need to tell myself he wouldn’t have jumped it if the electric was on.

I found him grazing in the yard across the street and coaxed him almost all the way back into our yard with a scoop of food.

Then he bolted.  I don’t know why.  And after that, nothing would convimce him to come back.

I panicked hard.  He was running fast, and we’re not that far from a major road.  I was also worried about some of the neighbors.  Most people don’t give a second thought to a roaming dog (we have plenty of those in these parts); even a snarling, garbage bag – destroying, pooping all over your garden and chasing your kids  dog doesn’t for some reason seem to concern people the way a harmless, non – biting llama does. I didn’t want anyone shooting him.

I called Susie to get the livestock vet’s number.  They told me to call Animal Control.  I also called a local alpaca farmer. Animal Control showed up with our other neighbor, who happens to work for the sheriff.  Then his wife and kids came out to help.

Two hours and a lot of panic,  running and some alpaca – herding advice later, we had herded him back inside the fence line, where he planted himself and slept hard for several hours.

Then I fixed as much of the downed fence as I could and found that the entire electrical system is shorted out and it’s beyond my knowledge to fix it.  So I went inside, cried a bit in the shower, and found out the dog had peed all over the white playroom carpet.

Just another day in paradise.