We got robbed last night! The story should hit the local news headlined “Still Bay Stalker Strikes While Sleeping Siberian Slumbers” and a subhead; “Husky Saves The Day!” (or rather, “Night”). So our #Walk4Huskies journey is turning out to be an adventure after all! Here’s how it went down (literally!).
Remember I ended yesterday’s post by describing our overnight “Lootel” location and wrote that no humans are going to use broken toilets, so we’ll sleep undisturbed under the stars tonight?
Well, we didn’t sleep under the stars ’cause the dew made us wet. The Fossil put me on the Mahindra PIKUP’s backseat while he slept in the bakkie bin with the roll-top pulled closed. I was fast asleep, so when I heard the car door open I stood up thinking that the Fossil was letting me out to take a leak.
Then I heard a strange squeaky scream that sounded nothing like the Fossils deep voice, and in a strange accent; “Bliksem! A foken Wolf!!” And then I saw something running away.
Now, I’m a Husky, not a Wolf, but we are related and being predators, my instinct was to give chase. So I did.
Meanwhile, the Fossil had slid the bakkie roll-top open to see what all the commotion was about and saw me jumping out of the car. In his haste to catch me (it’s a Husky game – we never stop running when off the leash) he landed badly, sprained his knee, and hobble-ran after me over the sand dunes.
Back to the chase; that “bliksem” thing was running fast. But I’m faster – and I can see better at night! Just as I was about to take a bite of the fleeing butt, it tripped, fell flat on the sand, and I went right over it. Then, before I could get back to it and take a sample bite (we Huskies don’t eat just anything without tasting it first!), the Fossil arrived, grabbed my harness and pulled me away.
The “bliksem” thing was lying curled up on the sand dune and screaming even louder; “Jammer! Moenie laat hy byt nie!” and the Fossil shouted back; “Maak dat jy hier veg kom, jou skelm!” And he did. Very fast. I was sorry to see him go. “He probably thought the bakkie people were night fishing and forgot to close the window and lock the car, so he took a chance to see what he could steal,” said Des. “Certainly got more than he expected,” he laughed.
Anyway, after all the excitement we couldn’t sleep and it was getting light anyway, so the Fossil packed up and we left Still Bay headed for Swellendam.
Why Swellendam? Well, the entire coastline is National Parks and Private Nature Reserves where no dogs are allowed. Plus it’s a long week-end and none of the coastal towns like Witsand had pet-friendly accommodation available for Sunday and Monday nights. So the Fossil thought we’d have a better chance inland. When he stopped at a roadside picnic spot to feed me, he spent a long time calling guest-farms, guest houses, and hotels but everyone was fully booked!
And the Fossil has sprained his knee, so he needs to wait for the swelling to go down. Anyway, George (the person, not the town) from Arumvale Self Catering Country House offered to host us in Swellendam but only from Monday night as all the rooms are booked for Sunday night.
So, we drove around “Swellies” and found an off-street parking lot next to a fancy restaurant that was closed for Sunday.
When it got dark, though, a spot light came on and flooded the whole parking area with glaring light.
So he moved the car to a street behind a beautiful old church that was also closed. That’s the street in the pic below. We parked under the last tree and The Fossil re-arranged all the stuff in the bakkie bin so he could sleep in there while I slept on the comfy backseat.
During the night it rained a lot. When daylight came the road was very muddy so the Fossil moved the car and found a Toyota dealership lot that was closed ’cause it’s Woman’s Day and a public holiday. But that story can wait for Day Eleven’s blog post.
That’s all for now Husky lovers. Wanna talk to us? WhatsApp the tall fossil hanging onto my leash. Here’s Des’s number: +27 (0)82 374 7260. We’d love to hear from you!
JAXX
PS. That extra X on the end of my name is supposed to be a kiss (yeah, I know it’s soppy).
BTW: if you happen to be anywhere along our walking route between Plettenberg Bay and Cape Town during late July to mid-August 2021, look out for us. We’ll be walking along the beach (or not), or on a hiking trail (unlikely), or along the side a main road. Come over to say “Howzit Husky Boy!” (and ” Hello Fossil Man” if you want).
