Rescue Dog Saves Family During Meat Shortage!

June's Adoption Day - April 4, 2015

Five years ago, we adopted June. When we saw her in her crate outside of PetSmart, she stole our hearts. Once we heard that she had been adopted and then given back, we knew we had to adopt this Jack Russell mix. She resembled my best-dog-ever Lucy in so many ways, but I quickly realized that she actually had just two of Lucy's traits - she is small and mostly black. The second we brought her home, she bolted from our garage! Greg took off on foot and I jumped in the car with Izzy to chase her down. Twenty minutes later, we captured her. Greg and I looked at each other and had an idea of why she was returned by another family.

As we got to know her better, we realized just how smart June is! She was potty trained, knew how to use the doggy door, and, man, can she play fetch! The Jack Russell in her really shined through! Then, she began digging... digging holes all around our fence line. One evening, we heard a knock on our door. It was the neighbor behind us... June had dug into their yard.

The neighbor said, "I just wanted to let you know that your little Chihuahua is getting into our yard. We have big gaps in our fence, and we're worried that she could get out of our yard."

As I thanked her and sent Greg to Home Depot for some sort of fence fixer-upper, I laughed, "Chihuahua, ha! She has no idea!"

Greg hodge-podged the holes in our fence line, but June continued to get out. Our sweet neighbor across the street rescued June so many times when Greg and I were both gone to work.

Driller & June

We still can't understand why June would want to escape! She's got it made here! Two meals a day, a puppy brother who is the beta to her alpha, a kid sister who "accidentally" drops plenty of food on the floor, and a mom and dad who take her for walks and play fetch with her daily... seriously! What more could a dog ask for!

A few years ago when I was running two to three times each week in the mornings, I returned from a run and headed to the shower before work.

Greg shouted, "Lora! Why did you leave your socks on the bedroom floor?"

I looked down at my feet. Still in my socks, I replied, "Um... I'm wearing my socks... what are you talking about?"

Greg flipped on the bedroom light and looked closer. There was a DEAD RABBIT on our bedroom floor! We both looked right at June. There were no words as Greg grabbed a couple of plastic grocery store bags to pick up the baby bunny.

June! I thought, how could you! 

I looked at Greg, and he said, "It's in her blood... she's a hunter."

Since then, June has killed five six more rabbits. She even killed one and then drowned it in our swimming pool. I cannot make this stuff up. Two days ago, she killed TWO THREE and BROUGHT TWO OF THEM IN THE HOUSE! (I found the third one yesterday in the yard.) Greg was working late, so I had to pick up the baby bunnies so they could rest in peace in a bundle of grocery store bags. Why, oh, why is she doing this? What is she trying to tell us? I feel like it's more than "it's just in her blood". What's your story June? What happened during that first year of your life?

June's behaviors make me think so much about dogs, of course, but about people, too. Every behavior is a reaction. During a research class I took, the professor kept asking us to find the root cause of the problem we were researching. Keep going back and further back. Keep asking yourself, what caused that to happen?

As we face these uncertain times, I'm still processing it all. Are we really home from school until April 13th? Did COVID-19 really shut down Rodeo Houston? And I know the toilet paper shortage is real! Every behavior, during this crazy time, is a reaction. Some of the bizarre reactions are due to the 24/7 media coverage of the pandemic. The hoarding of supplies is one thing that I do understand. It's something that is under one's control in a seemingly uncontrollable time. If it makes someone feel better to take all of the meat and all of the toilet paper, I can survive on pinto beans and two squares of tissue for each bathroom visit!

The Oregon Trail - Go play it now!

Trying to keep a schedule is key for Izzy and for me. Over the weekend, I created a simple schedule to keep us in a routine as we waited for guidance from the school district. It's nothing fancy, and I looked at online resources we already had from her teachers to build some of her lessons. A true gem from Izzy's social studies teacher: The Oregon Trail video game. I kid you not! Yesterday's lesson resulted in time travel; I was back in my 5th grade classroom dying of dysentery! These moments are the silver lining. Spending time with my daughter, no matter the circumstances, is a blessing. I am grateful that we have this time together. (Check on me in a few days! LOL!)

So now I'm just going to depend on June for meat; three rabbits a day worked out fine for The Oregon Trail... yeah, whatever!