It was a nightmare. The whole situation shot home like a bullet the fact that I am older and cannot do a simple thing like rescue my dog. Joey got out of the yard and was wandering up and down between the four houses but down along the creek bank. Eventually he got himself trapped in a bush and Guy was very close to him, but Joey wouldn't come to Guy. Guy was laying across the gabion. It was probably 30 degrees outside and very dark. The creek must have been so so cold.

When I called their house, I really just wanted Jen to come over and knock on the neighbors' doors to tell them about Joey. She wasn't home. Of course Joey didn't have his collar on so that was weighing heavily on me. He did, however, have on the bark collar, so he was quiet. That is, until Guy actually went into the creek and got him. It was horrible. The sounds coming from Joey were excrutiatingly painful and unnerving. It was just a little glimpse into hell for me. Here I am up on top of the bank unable to do anything to help. At one point I told Guy to let him go and just come up. The sound was too much. This ordeal was almost two hours.

Owen was very very sweet in comforting me and reassuring me that his dad can get Joey, don't worry, Gram. He held the flashlight and softly called to Joey. Very sweet.

Anyway, when all was said and done, I put Joey's prong collar on him and got him into the bathtub. He let me wash him and pull out many of the nettles -- the kind that are thick and bark-like, with swordfish like protrusions. He was full of them. They hurt. He even let me dry him a little bit. It would have taken an hour with the blow dryer so I just got most of the deep wet off him and put him to bed.

I'm going now to buy two or three X-Pens to put across the deck railings. They are 42" high, 16' long. That's what I should have done three weeks ago and I am really upset with myself that this was my fault for not doing it. I'm sure Guy's knee is much worse today -- I truly didn't want him to go down there. I don't know what else could have been done once Joey was trapped. It was brutal. Anyway, its over now.