Original story about when my hound "Ole Blue" swallowed my cell phone.
This Christmas my son the Ph. D saw my big old cell phone that my wife and I have shared for the last couple of years so he got me one of those litty bitty ones that you can almost put in your ear it is so small. I carried it around in my shirt pocket. He set the ring to chirp out the steeple chase thing they use at the horse races and because I am getting a little hard of hearing too he set it so it would vibrate like the pagers that important people and drug dealers use.
Anyway today when I came in the house for lunch after sawing some white oak boards on my home made mill I noticed that the phone was not in my pocket. After lunch my wife and I went out in the yard to look for it.
My old hound dog Blue who follows me everywhere I go was out there in the yard with us looking for the phone when I had this idea to go in the house and get the big old phone that we have had for a couple of years and call the number of the new phone and maybe we would be able to hear it ringing and find it that way. My wife dialed the number and we listened but couldn’t hear anything. After a couple of minutes though my wife asked me what was wrong with Blue the hound. I looked at him and every once in a while he would arch his back and perk up his ears and have the strangest look on his face. I forgot about the phone and went over to see if I could tell what was his problem. If maybe he was having some sort of seizure or something. When I sat kneeled down beside him I heard the steeple chase tune so I looked under Blue and all around but couldn’t find it. Then I put my hand on Blue’s back and believe it or don’t I could feel that phone vibrating. Blue has eaten my new litty bitty phone!!!!
The wife wanted to rush Blue to the vets and have it surgically removed but I said no. Heck I have seen Blue swallow a full grown squirrel and it still kicking and I didn’t think a litty bitty telephone would hurt him one bit. Besides it would cost more to have it removed than a new phone would. It probably wouldn't work anyway so I’ll just call everybody who has my new phone’s number and tell them not to call for a few days and that should keep it from bothering Blue.
Later follow up on the phone that Ole Blue swallowed.
Deer season started about two weeks ago and I have been calling myself hunting some with the grandsons over at the farm.
As old Blue and I were walking though the woods yesterday evening on an old logging road I came upon a rather large pile of dog droppings. Mostly rabbit fur I decided and was about to just step aside and be on my way when something black caught my eye in the pile of rabbit fur. I got a stick and sort of prodded the pile of rabbit fur and to my surprise I uncovered a little bitty cell phone! It has to be the one that Old Blue swallowed last January out in the back yard. I guess he passed it one day when we were over at the farm last year hunting and just roaming around the place.
I picked it up and dusted off the rabbit fur and made a little brush like my grandmother used to make to dip snuff with from a Black gum limb that I crushed the end with a rock and finished cleaning the rest of the dried stuff off it. It looked surprisingly good considering where it has been for the last year or so not even counting ever how long it was riding around in Old Blue. I was so pleased that I had found it I decided to take it home to show my wife and the grand kids etc. Knowing they wouldn’t ever believe I had found it if I didn’t.
Was my wife surprised and at first didn’t believe it was the one that Old Blue ate last year because I had cleaned it up and it looked pretty good. I asked her if the charger for it was still around and she went right to the shelf where it was and handed it to me.
I placed the phone on the charger expecting sparks to fly but nothing happened and the light indicating it was charging came on. Knowing it was a lost cause I just forgot it and went on to bed.
Would you believe that this morning I took it off the charger and thought just for the heck of it I would try dialing 911. I pushed the on/off button and the screen lit up and I put it to my ear and believe it or not the dang thing was ringing and the dispatcher answered and asked me what my emergency was. I told her that I was just testing my cell phone that Old Blue ate last winter and I had found it in the woods. She told me that if I didn’t hang up and get off the phone I could be fined. Fine I said and hung up the phone.
I think I may just go and get the contract renewed on the thing since it still works! I don’t think Old Blue would swallow it again.
Old Blue won’t come near me though when I have it on my belt so that may be a problem. If I go hunting with him I’ll probably have to hide it in my coat so he can’t see it. Or just leave it at home or in the car!
Zane