Dottie Belle Lost Her Harness

Gypsy says, "See I still have mine."

With each type of animal I add to my family, not only is there more work like feeding and watering, but strange little mysteries seem to show up.   Thursday morning when I went to feed and water the goats and chickens, I saw that Dottie Belle did not have on her harness.  So I walked around and around and around the goat yard.  I made at least 4 trips, looking under everything, looking in the goat shack.  Could not find Dottie's harness.

What happened to Dottie's  harness?

So I called Bridget and told her to tell the grandsons that I have $5 for which ever one finds Dottie's harness.  It even crossed my mind that maybe Connor, the 5 year old, might have taken the harness off and didn't tell anyone.  You know always blame the mischievous little boy.  I really didn't think he did though mostly because of how difficult it would have been.  But Bridget kept the boys busy all day so they were not available for the harness hunt.


This morning as I was feeding the girls, I decided to continue looking.  The harness had to be in the goat yard, because they had not been out yesterday.  But I could not imagine how Dottie could have gotten it off.  It fastens in 2 places and goes between her front legs.  It also fits fairly tight.  I knew that it wouldn't be long before I would have to buy them a larger size.  What I really hated losing was the $12 name tag.

I was talking on my phone to my friend Lola as I was walking around and telling her about the  harness disappearance.  Then I said, "You don't think someone could have come into the backyard the other night and taken Dottie Belle's harness do you?  Someone might have thought it was funny to have a harness with the name Dottie Belle on it."

I live behind a bank and next door to a shopping center.  Therefore, there are many opportunities for strange things to happen in my yard.  Once I was busy spreading pine straw in my flower beds.  I had 21 bags and was down to the last bag just before dark.  When I opened it, an over stuffed bank pouch fell out.  I sat down under a tree to open it, praying that it was not a bag of money.  I opened it very slowly.  Actually, it was a neighbor's car papers, stamps and etc. When I returned it to them, I was told that someone had broken into their car and taken it from the glove compartment a couple of weeks back.  So then what bothered me was the fact that a thief had been in my yard at night and stuffed the stolen bag in a bag of pine straw.  That felt creepy.  Then again, I had the police capture a car thief hiding in my yard once. 


So wondering if someone might have thought it was funny to take Dottie Belle's harness, isn't so far fetched.  Lola said that thinking of that possibility was quite scary to her.  She sure was hoping I prove that that did not happen. 

As I was walking around talking and looking, I came to a big tree in the corner where the side and back fences connect or they should connect. 





When Don and I were working on the yard, we bought 2 pickets to connect them, but Don only used one.  

Now what I saw was a gap between the fences the size of that picket Don said we didn't need.  Actually, it was just going to take more work to put up that picket than Don was willing to do.

 

See the pink harness?

Sure enough there was about an eight inch gap that ran between the bank's wooden fence and my neighbor's chain link fence.  When I looked, I was almost certain I saw the missing harness.  I told Lola what I saw and said I would call her back, but I need to call my neighbor and tell her I need to go into her backyard.  Well Linda wasn't home, so I went back there anyway.   


And there was the harness!






Those curious little goats. 
I ran back in the house and got my camera to document all of this.

 
While I was recovering the harness, Gypsy and Dottie Belle came through the little gap to see what was happening.  They have to walk backwards to get out; it is that tight.  It is still hard to believe that Dottie had to struggle so hard, that she got the harness off.  But I'm glad no one was in my backyard with my goats.

Here those silly girls come to tell me about their adventure.  They are so proud.



Linda called me when she got home, because I had left a message on her phone telling her about my mission in her backyard.  She said she knew about the gap and a long time ago she had blocked it with tomato cone stacks. So I've blocked it like that for now.

Glad to say that Dottie Belle is now properly tagged.