Thanks orum,
I'm about 30 miles south of Fort Worth, just about 5 miles south of Cleburne.
The dog is about 4 to 5 years old I believe. During the last year or so he has developed a pronounced limp in one of his hind legs. About a year ago the woman who left him here, chuckled as she said she thought maybe he got his foot caught in a trap or something and that she and her husband talked about taking him to a vet. Of course they never took him for vet care.
I feel it may be his hip, rather than his foot.
She & her husband (who live about 2 hours away) come over here about once a month or 6 weeks, to check the empty house and mow the yard. They usually bring their dog. The lab and the woman & her dog all seemed to get along fine. The husband is a grouchy old man, I'm not sure anybody likes him. LOL About 7-8 months ago they came and brought their dog.....I heard a dog fight (after checking to make sure all my dogs were accounted for) I saw the lab come running under the gate to my property....and realized her dog had jumped on the lab. For the 2 days they were here the lab stayed on my place looking through the fence to his 'home'. The lab has NEVER caused a fight with any of the dogs that live around here, he's a sweet dog....other than chasing/killing chickens, he's a good dog. This is why I feel the woman's dog started the fight.
After the dog fight, I'm not sure the lab will even get close to the woman???
The man who leases the pasture for his few cattle comes about once a week to check his cattle and makes sure the dog has dry dog food. He is a very kind man and has a sweet 14 yr old daughter. The daughter told me a few months ago the lab won't let her get close to him either. This is all so sad and senseless.
It was asked in an earlier post, why do they hold on to the place. I believe it's a combination of the parents believing their son will be able to prove he was put into prison unjustly and because the real estate market has been low. Yes the market is low, but as far as getting out of prison....nope!!! Their son had quite a reputation in this neighborhood for thinking he was a gift to women. When I moved here 12 years ago, he had 2 wifes living with him. His first wife, who he was divorced from, but she'd moved back in with him and his younger wife. He came over to my place and starting flirting with me, even suggest I come and join his family. I talked with a trusted neighbor who's live here for over 40 years, she said she wasn't surprised about the way he'd come on to me...said she'd heard he'd done the same thing to several other neighbor women. He just finally stepped over the line and got involved with a 12 yr old who he was giving horse back riding lessons to. His mom continues to believe him when he says he didn't do anything, but the Sheriff's Dept was able to build a strong enough case to put him in for 60 years. (He in his late 50's.) He originally plea bargained and was given 4 months in jail and 10 yr probation. He came back after 4 months....I saw him about once a week, always riding with a different woman. Then the Sheriff's Dept was back at his place to pick him up again. I guess he'd broken his probation and they sent him to the big house til 2066.
The only one I feel sad for is the lab. It's not his fault he became the dog of a dysfunctional family. sigh
