Jade, the Corgi and Her Friend, A Short Tail - Part 2

 Jade, the Corgi, and Her Friend: A Short Tail ~ Part Two

Jade, our six-year-old Corgi, had her first fantastic encounter with a wild fox. “But Jade’s future held another encounter” finished part one of the story.

The second encounter with her wild fox friend was even more incredible, but something happened that I didn’t expect. Corgis are intelligent, therefore, stubborn. They know best, never letting you forget they are a superior form of canine life. This description fits Jade to a tee.

For a month after Jade’s first romp with her wild fox friend, she didn’t stray out of her yard. I vigilantly watched her from the patio door when she roamed the yard for her nightly constitutional. I lifted my vigilance as the days passed, thinking the fox wouldn’t return. Careless me!

The chilly fall temperatures changed to crisp and cold at night as winter approached. On the night of Jades’s second dalliance with the fox, my neglect almost cost me the companionship of my beloved Corgi. I let my guard down and stepped away for too long. While she was outside, I loaded the evening dishes into the dishwasher and took clothes from the dryer to fold. Usually, Jade returned after completing her business and waited by the patio door when I took longer to call her in.

As I approached the door, I didn’t see her waiting. I stepped out onto the lighted patio and called her, searching the dark yard for signs of movement. Nothing. No Jade.

I walked toward the empty lot while calling her to come. Did she follow an intriguing scent further than usual? My heart started beating faster as I walked toward the side and front yard to see if she was lurking near the street–no Jade. I walked back to our backyard, looking over at our neighbor’s yard. Again, no Jade, and I felt alarmed because she was nowhere in our immediate area.

Did I mention that Corgis are stubborn and intelligent? Jade is as stubborn as a Corgi can be, but she sticks around the house for fear of losing out on a meal or treat. She loves her food! 

“She’s gone,” I thought, but my mind couldn’t grab ahold of the terrible ramifications of losing her. “Would she wander far?” She had never wandered out of our area in the years since we brought her home. Corgis are a popular breed. “Did someone take her to sell her?” I didn’t hear a car or her barking at a stranger. “Would her kidnaper mistreat her?” Within moments of realizing she was gone, I strung out various scenarios producing rising panic way out of proportion. 

I edged my way across the empty lot, calling her name, looking all around the building site adjacent to the vacant lot. “Maybe she found something interesting to explore on the building site?” No Jade, but I kept calling. As I turned back to the house to get John involved in searching for Jade, I saw her! Relief flooded my heart as the street light revealed her silhouette. Jade trotted on the sidewalk by the empty lot with the fox. “Oh no, not again,” I thought! Mr. Fox was following four feet behind her. I always thought of the fox as Mr. Fox. They weren’t frolicking or playing this time but presented an animal parade of two out for a friendly nighttime stroll. Jade was walking along casually with the fox following as if this was their nightly routine.

As I kept calling her closer to home, the fox hesitated when he heard my voice, glanced my way, and continued to follow Jade. Instead of cutting across the empty lot, they took the sidewalk around to our side yard. Mr. Fox didn’t stop until Jade was several feet away from me. Suddenly, Mr. Fox paused his pursuit, looked at Jade and me, then he circled to move away from us. He looked a second time as I steered Jade around the corner of the house to the back door.  When Jade was safely inside, I peeked my head around the corned, and Mr. Fox was gone, like a ghost. 

I will never know what compelled Mr. Fox's attraction to Jade. Even though neutered, her female scent may have drawn him near. Did Jade tell him of the cache of food hidden in the garage? Was his den nearby? Is Mr. Fox still roaming our old neighborhood looking for his friend, Jade? We will never know because we retired to a different state last year. Our new retirement state has many new friends for us all to meet. When friendships are new, be like Jade, and have an adventure. 

And stay tuned, we may have another Jade and friend story for you soon!

Update: July 6, 2022 

Three months have passed since Jade left us. I remember, from the picture above, Jade showed all the signs of increasing pain and mobility challenges. After several months of vet visits, meds and carrying her out to potty because her pain was great, we made the difficult decision to end her life. Jade stories come from my memories now, a super-sweet, stubborn furball who invaded my heart for five short years. I miss you girlfriend.