Dog Attack

Not everyday in village life can be a nice one, and today got off to a bad start. When I was feeding the chicks in the shed I heard a bit of a commotion in the field, first from the ducks and then from the chickens. Usually the birds kick off when a large black and white cat stalks across the field, but this time the noise was so loud I thought I had better check.As I opened the field gate I could see the hens all streaking for the cover of the hen houses, with Stanley shrieking at something in the grass. It was a small dog, a terrier similar to Jess and it was standing over one of the black hookers lying still on the ground. I shouted and flung the feed bucket at it and it bolted for the fence, bounced over it and ran up towards the Churchyard.. The whole thing lasted only a few seconds, but the damage had been done.
When I got to the black hooker she was still alive but obviously extremely injured. Nearby one of the hybrids, Suzannah lay dead. I quickly checked all the others who were crowded in and underneath the hen coops, all shocked and quiet.They seemed untouched except for Stanley who had lost most of his banner tail feathers and Baby Jane who had several wing feathers standing out at right angles to her body.
I ran up to the duck enclosure,and did a head count, luckily they were fine as were the tame buffs,Boris and Grace and the five chicks in the small A frame run. Only the hens were singled out for the attack. I walked up through the Churchyard and around the other side of the village, but couldn't see the dog at all. I asked around and no one seemed to know where it had come from, so I checked on the hens again and took the hooker to the vets.
The vet must of thought I am the worst pet owner out as it seems as though I have spent the whole of last week at the surgery, but as usual he was kind and only charged me another fiver to have the poor bird put down.
The girls have been fraught and upset all day. The photos show them crowded around the coops (the buffs have spent the whole day inside (you can just see Elizabeth hiding in the doorway) and I have had to feed them warmed mash to help them through the shock (which can kill an average hen) I was proud of Stanley though, who must have put himself in direct danger, when fending off the intruder.

I have spent most of the day on guard duty, only venturing out to walk the dogs and to get petrol.The bad day got worse when my card was rejected at the petrol station, and I had to leave the belingo there (with 5 dogs in the back) to sort it all out at the bank. Apparently I had been quadrupled charged for some aftershave for Chris when I was at Terminal 5, and the string of debits had made me overdrawn! So after sorting out the petrol, I have spent a wonderfully entertaining hour or so on the phone to the manager of duty Free at Heathrow complaining.Apparently this over charging had happened to scores of customers ("and that is supposed to make me feel better?") and I should be reimbursed in a day or so........swell.just swell.