Agatha Goes Camping

We decided to take a much-needed mini-vacation, it’s been a couple of years since we’ve really taken a break. With Christmas fast approaching and it’s typically rather frantic pace, now was the time to get away for a bit. Before the annual pleas from parents besieged with cries for a puppy and letters from puppy craving children begin to fill my Inbox.Ohio outdoes herself as fall begins to wane, the trees have been amazing, and I know that they’d best be enjoyed for the first snows are not far away.Agatha loves a road-trip, especially since we usually take an assortment of things along to make meals in the evenings, a few snacks that catch her attention the moment they come out of the bag.The first night we decided on a movie and, of course, popcorn. I try to keep our diet reasonably healthy, but occasionally, we all need popcorn. Agatha so agrees...To make up for our evening caloric excesses, we decide to try some exploring. The little farm where our cabin is situated borders a state forest, perfect for a hike and Agatha dances happily, ever ready to check the perimeter of any dwelling for possible intruders. She’s already been patrolling the interior, watching carefully out each door just in case she has to deal with a situation.Suddenly, in the midst of our getting jackets on for a much-needed bit of exercise, we realize that taking Agatha along might be a problem.The problem with this plan is that that our charming cabin comes equipped with it’s very own resident outdoor cabin cat.A very capable looking cabin cat, complete with very sharp dog dispatching claws. An exceedingly fierce cat who we watched dispatch the little dog from next-door with cat-like efficiency.Agatha has never seen a cat. I don’t know how we’ve missed this part of her canine education, we had a cat years ago, but he went to cat heaven long before Agatha arrived as a puppy.Sure enough, as we try to sneak out through the back door to avoid Agatha meeting the cat face-to-face, the inevitable happens and our plan begins to fall apart in several very important ways.First because cabin cat (who has begun to grow in my fertile imagination into a small panther), spies us coming innocently out the door. (Skulking out his door is how the cat termed it I’m sure).Agatha see’s her first glimpse of a real live cat.Agatha wants to see the cat, close up, very close up.Little does my small dog realize that this particular cat is perfectly willing and able to dispatch one small Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog with the greatest of cat ease.Husband and I retreat to the kitchen to decide our next plan of action while aforementioned Cavalier stands at the screen door hurling insults at the now snarling cabin-panther-cat.My Hero, (also known as my husband John), decides to do a bit of dispatching of his own, and sends cabin cat off the deck in a cloud of dust. After all, he reasonably reminds me, we are paying a rather exorbitant amount to enjoy this cabin, not wrangle dog hating cats.With the cat happily off hunting dogs in greener pastures, we managed a rather brisk hike up the gigantic mountain (hill) behind the cabin. Agatha did a lot of pulling us strongly along at the end of her lead, scouting behind every tree for her new enemy.Thankfully, we were able to complete our hike and get back to the safety of our cabin with no serious cat/dog encounters for which I was exceedingly thankful.Agatha is napping, in her favorite position, with head on her paws, so she won’t miss a possible snack event. A large leaf hangs off her ear, a reminder of her victorious afternoon.She snores loudly, dreaming I’m sure of tomorrow and another chance to show that cat what a real dog looks like.I turn on the porch light and there sits her nemesis with a satisfied look on his feline face. He’s been washing his paws daintily, obviously pleased with himself after a hard day’s work. After all, tomorrow is another day he says.