The Wild Goose Chase

  

   Who knew that a male goose could fit the entire length of his neck through a chain link fence to ward off predators or helpful strangers trying to rescue stray goslings who had wandered away from their pond?  Some things like this would be helpful to know in advance. 

   This afternoon, my daughter was tooling around the neighborhood on her golf cart when I received the most distressful phone call from her.  “Mom, come quick” is all I heard as visions of child snatchers or head on collisions came to mind.   I could tell from her voice that something was terribly wrong.  I finally pieced together context clues from panicked cries for help and determined that the baby geese at the neighborhood pond were on the wrong side of the fence and needed rescuing.  

   Unable to convince my daughter that we shouldn’t intervene, I headed out on a wild goose chase.  My son drove me to the pond where I found three girls, none with shoes, running up and down the fence line traumatizing the goslings with their failed attempts to get them back under the fence.  The girls ran one way and the geese ran the other.  By the time I got close enough, two babies were stuck between fence posts and one had taken cover in a large cinder block.  The wedged goslings managed to squeeze through the fence, but landed in the wrong yard.  This time they had pushed their way into the yard of a K9 guard dog. The girls screamed, “The dog is going to eat them! Save them Mom!”  As I placed my head close to the fence post and reached into Cujo’s back yard, Father Goose tried to take a plug out of my head.   At the same time, one barefoot girl realized she was stepping in goose poop and left the rescue effort in disgust.  I was trying to keep my eyes from being plucked out by a ticked off goose as I reached for the goslings and prayed that I wouldn’t have my hand bitten off by a trained German Shepherd.  The geese were out of reach and Father Goose was too close for comfort.  I didn't want to come out of this blind and one handed.  

   I opted for the goose in the concrete block and managed to get him to an opening in the fence where he was reunited with one very rude male goose.  About the same time, my daughter was climbing the fence to enter the dog’s back yard when I plucked her down and explained how the guard dog would eat her, too.  We waited a while and determined that the dog was either asleep or inside and we left the goslings to hide in the ivy and wait for better help than us.   A large pink note was left on the door of the guard dog’s home.  It said, “There are two baby geese in your back yard.  Please don’t let your dog eat them. -Allie  (I live in your neighborhood).”  That should be fun to find when they get home. 

   A few hours later, I drove down the road and all eight goslings were back with their parents again, swimming around the pond.   I don’t know if Mother and Father Goose took matters into their own hands (feet) or if the neighbors got the note.  Either way, a happy ending was had by all, except the girl who stepped in goose poo. 

Disclaimer:  It goes without saying that this video will never win any awards, as half way through, it is suddenly shot sideways.  I'm uncertain why the sudden change of angle, but you never know what you'll find on my daughter's phone.