[Gpdd] MISC. - Rodeo Bud

ROYCE LARSON COTTON_COWBOYS at msn.com
Fri Jan 7 10:40:27 EST 2005


Hi,

     The holidays and excitement are over and now I'm just waiting for our rodeo season to start again in April. This is the time of year when I think about last summer and I wanted to share Rodeo Bud's biggest adventure of last season.      
     Over Labor Day weekend, 2004, we (husband, horses, Bud and I) were at a rodeo in Dayton, Iowa. It's a small town with a very big rodeo. Shortly before the evening performance it was rainy and stormy and, all of a sudden, sirens were going off and the police were driving through the contestant campground. A tornado had touched down eight miles from town and we were all being sent to the town community shelter!
     This was no small deal as trucks had to be disconnected from horse trailers and horses had to be left behind! My husband is yelling at me to hurry, we're giving rides to two people who couldn't get disconnected fast enough and I'm in the trailer trying to wrap a towel around Bud's cage so I can take him out in the pouring rain and wind.
     When I finally get out of the trailer and everyone's waiting in the truck for me, my husband says, "You're taking BUD along???!!!" I said, "Of course! I can't leave him behind!" On the drive to the shelter I have to sit with Bud's big travel cage on my lap and we end up parking over a block from the shelter. 
     I'm saving Bud's life here but I'm starting to wonder if I might give him heart failure instead.

     Anyway, we get into the shelter, crammed with noisy, wet people, many carrying their pet dogs or cats (I'm not the only one who was rescuing what they could). I set Bud's cage down on a table and gingerly start to unwrap the towel to see how he's doing. He is totally unaffected by all the noise, commotion and people. I reached in to pet him and he purrs! It wasn't long before I had half a dozen little kids surrounding me, looking at Bud and asking questions. What's Bud doing? Munching hay! 
     I like to think Bud is the traveling guinea pig ambassador of good will. Just in case you think winter might be too boring for Bud, over Christmas all my kids and their families were here in our tiny house for six days: three grown sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren ages 8, 5 and 1-1/2. We all had a great time but Bud and I both gave a sigh of relief at the end of the holidays.  :)

Carla and Rodeo Bud


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