An update...MeeMaw figured out that the yearling bull was coming through the one temporary gate adjacent to the goat shed; there are only two strands of barbed wire there, and they're not really taut. So I improvised a stub-gate and added three strands, so now it's a five-strand.
And since I fabricated the stub-gate, I didn't need the two temporary wire latches, so I moved them over to the larger gate opening (next to the yard barn) and made that a tight five-strand setup, too. If Fergus can get through either of those, he's welcome to 'em. He'll probably figure a way to drive my truck, too.
To my dismay, when I turned back to the house after repairing the fences, I saw a gaping hole in the latticework under the deck. On closer inspection, I have deduced that Ernie's hound Gus is the culprit. The large dog-paw prints in the mud under the deck are the main clue I used in making this deduction.
Also, Gus is a scaredy-cat when it thunders...and he's been used to hiding under our deck for shelter whenever a thunderstorm comes up. I saw him in the yard yesterday during the big storm we had, and I'll bet he broke into the nether regions of the deck in some sort of canine panic. I repaired the breach with a scrap piece of lattice I saved just for such a contingency. I try to be understanding about such things.
But sometimes I fail. And I am laying for ol' Gus. If he tries something like this again, and if I catch him at it, I've got something for the elderly Basset hound. When I get done with him, he'll be a bb-shot-in-the-ass-et hound.
But that's life at Possum Cough.
MeeMaw's home from work, so it's time to rustle us up some chow.
Rest well, loved ones.
