Evans’ Rag

Vol 1 Issue 30

Did You Hear—I Saw A Deer?

Layla requested the Management, (as Peter Mayle’s dog might say) relay the following story, best it can be transcribed:

We saw a deer this evening!

You hear what I’m saying?

We did, we saw a deer!

Standing right there! OMG!

A deer! Can you IMAGINE?

Swear to god I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP!

I’m a dog; I can’t lie.

A deer! Right square in the heart of Lord Fairfax’s former estate. A deer!

It was perfect deer weather, rainy and cool, nobody else about.

It’d been raining since before sunrise, so we were the only ones out and about–us and the Amazon driver–and of course, the deer.

Did ja’ hear?

There she was, right in a neighbor’s front yard nibbling mouthfuls of bush. A big ‘un too–still as air with those amazing doe eyes and big deer ears.

She stared at us like they do, and we stared right back. Well, I did—never can say about the Management, but I think he was too.

I wasn’t going to bark or nothing ‘cause she’d have bolted. We hunter huskies know not to bark being smart that way.

OK, I did do that one little leap to launch myself proper like, but the damn lease caught me up short and she bolted anyway. Darn.

Reason I know she was a she was that she bolted. If she’d been a buck, that’s what she woulda done–that’s why they call um bucks.

The Management says the deer have been chased out of the nearby public park by the bow hunters.

Seems ‘public park’ is a bit more restrictive than the name implies.

‘Culling the herd’ is what the Management says the County folks are calling it. But it doesn’t seem to be working–more like spreading the herd into the neighborhood.

The park’s only for us tax payers!

More like, if she can stroll into the neighbors’ yard and nibble on hostas without getting an arrow through her belly and bleeding out, well that’s just a longer lasting meal, if you catch what I’m saying.

So how’s that bow hunting going, anyway?

We don’t agree on all things ethical, but the Management and I do agree bow hunting’s not real fair to the deer.

Run um down, I say–give um a chance!

I just wanted to play with her a bit. Run up and do her a little nibble, you know? I’m all about playing, and she seemed playful the way she bounded like a spring in the air. My goodness she could bound!

She had a running (sorta) start, but I coulda run her down; I’m fast when need be. My ancestors were running down deer before she was born–before I was either if that matters.

OK, Management says he’s going to wipe me dry and fix my dinner once we get back, but I’m just saying…

Did you hear I saw a deer?

From the Management: Peter Mayle’s book, A Dog’s Life makes for a great dog lecture. And Edward Koren’s illustrations alone are worth it. If I could draw like Koren, I’d quit my day job.

About ‘Boy’ – from Outward Hounds is a nice article on the book. You may also have heard of another book of Mayle’s: A Year in Provence.