Decker, being a male, is not to be fully trusted for staying around the house when I am inside for a while. Many times now, I have found him at my neighbor's place, trapped inside their fence. I have not been able to figure out how he can get in and not get out, but now I crate him on the front porch when I come inside the house. One time I even found him wandering down the street. If that is what he is going to do, then crating is what he will get!

So I have been pretty vigilant watching him, making sure that he is around, even when briefly going inside the house. When I am outside doing chores, he is always around the sheep or me. Being fascinated with the new lambs has kept him in an anxious state, pacing back and forth, around the sheep pen.

Yesterday he took Annie, the visiting Canadian dog, for a walk down the street. I was outside with him the whole time; so the fact that he was gone upset me. This behavior was not like him.

I knew that at home, Annie has taken off a couple of times with her father, Silas. He is also a dog not to be trusted about wondering off. So I think Decker saw a willing accomplice with Annie. "Sure, I'll go!"

When I noticed him gone, I went inside the house and grabbed my sheepdog whistle, and started blowing. He has been pretty good about coming to the recall whistle. As I blew, there was no Decker or Annie. I checked the barn stalls and the tack room to make sure that he wasn't stuck inside. Nope!

John was gone on an errand and Lois was left without a vehicle. I alerted her that the two might have taken off and she started off on foot. I loaded up the girls and took off in the truck. I picked up Lois a little down the road and we started our search, whistling as I was driving. I turned up a driveway to see if they wandered up to a vacant house that is for sale. No dogs there.

Just as I was starting to back down, I hear a lot of horn blasts. Low and behold, there was John in his truck. He was herding Decker back home with his truck! That was great! He kept blasting his horn, and made sure that he didn't run to the side of John's truck, herding him all the way back. When we got back to my house, I asked John if he had Annie. He said that he didn't. So after putting Decker back into the crate, I got back into the truck and backed out. John stopped me, as Annie returned before I took off again.

That was a close call. Boys! Even fixed ones like to wander. I guess its genetics.