a challenger appears

This afternoon was interesting. I bought a shotgun recently (my first), and had planned on testing it out at my gun club. Alas, things kept piling up, so by the time I made it out to run my errands, I realized I wouldn't have time to drive to the range and get a good amount of shooting time in. But then, on the way home, I drove past a sign for a skeet and trap range I hadn't known about. I went in and shot a couple of rounds -- abysmally! But I did better than the last time I tried clay birds, so I didn't feel too bad. (My shotgun also has a 22" barrel, which is a little short for trap shooting -- the previous owner swapped out the barrel. But this makes it easy to move around. All I need is practice.)

Then, on the way home, the unexpected happened: a puppy arrived.

My cabin is off a county road; I was nearly home, and at the intersection between my county road and another, when I saw a dog in the road licking a tossed-out soda can. I pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the car. When I whistled, the dog came right over. It was a pit bull, tan in color, pretty young -- I'd guess about ten weeks. She was friendly and in good shape, save for a scrape on her muzzle and a scratch over one eye.

I didn't see any houses, and I couldn't leave her there. So I put her in the car, said, "Please don't pee, honey," and drove the rest of the way home.

For somebody totally unprepared for the onset of dog, I'm not doing too badly. So far, she's had some water and a bowl of Crispix. I also gave her a bath, because she stunk; now she smells like wet dog, which is only slightly worse. Tomorrow, I'll start looking for her owner -- dunno if she's chipped or not, but I'll post fliers and call the paper. She is now sleeping beside me on the sofa. She was shivering, so I threw a towel over her to act as a blanket. Now she's just snoring. I'll post pictures, if I can ever find my card reader...