Plans with Rachael went all awry

 

Shortly after writing the entry below, a police officer knocked on our door.  The police officer went outside to see Rachael, and John went with him.  The police officer tried to get close to Rachael, and each time he would get near, she would quickly run from him.   

 

The police officer told John that he had come instead of the Animal Control Officer.  If it had been earlier in the day (before 5 pm), the police officer told John, then the Animal Control Officer would have come instead.  He then told John that the Animal Control Officer would be back the next day to pick up Rachael from our yard.

 

Here's the part that has me upset.  We are renters.  This police officer decided that he would call the manager of our property, and let her know that Rachael is staying in our yard.  Yes, the manager has a right to know.  But we are not too sure she won't just want to kill Rachael.     

 

The police officer left, and a little while later John and I saw a couple of people looking in the bushes in our backyard -- someone with property management, and a kid about 18 or 20 (I don't know where the kid came from).

 

The kid was laughing like it was all a big joke, and chasing Rachael around the yard trying to catch her.  The kid fell running so fast trying to catch her, and the whole time he was shrieking in laughter.  Rachael was running around the yard trying to get away from him.  The guy with property management was just standing there. 

 

I am wondering.  Where did this kid come from anyway?  I have never seen him with management before.  Did management just pick up one of the neighborhood young people on the way over, to chase the chicken for them?  The reason this is important is because the kids might try to fuss with Rachael tonight, now that they know she exists.

 

The last we saw of Rachael was her running out of the yard and away from the kid.. 

 

I'm kind of mad.  When the dispatcher from Animal Control said they would come out, they said they wouldn't hurt Rachael, and would bring her to the SPCA.  Instead, a police officer was sent out.  I guess I had better explain something.  The Animal Control officer is a police officer, and because it was past 5 pm a regular policer officer came instead -- who was not with animal control, and knew nothing about animals. 

 

I think the police officer who came tonight (a little after 5 pm) actually had no intention of catching Rachael to bring her and bringing her to the SPCA anyway.  I think he just may have come to see if we were pulling a prank - so he could let the Animal Control know if they should bother to come out tomorrow. 

 

As evidencing this, he had no way to catch Rachael - he told John so.  And he told John he had no carrier to put her in for transport.  He did approach her to catch her, but she kept running from one end of the bushes to the other.  "What would he have done with her if he had caught her?" John just asked me.  "She wouldn't just let you pick her up like she was a puppy or something!" 

 

So we don't know where she is now.  She has run off.  I think she'll return to get food, unless she is sufficiently frightened of our yard now.  I want her to be here in the morning, in case the real Animal Control people show up to bring her to the SPCA.  I hope that boy never caught her - unless he gives her to the right people.  I think he is a local neighborhood kid, and if he found her tonight, who knows what he and the kids are doing with her.  I am MAD. 

 

Oh well.  Sleep tight red hen.  Krissy 

Tags: chicken, hen, mad, sad