~meanwhile, back at the ranch~

One weekend I was out on the ranch when a truck came to deliver some cattle. I was in the house getting my clothes changed for a funeral when the phone rang. The Cowboy informed me that my 7lb. Yorkie, Stella, had escaped the house and had run down to the cattle pens and was barking at the cattle in the trailer. Assuming this was a problem, I ran outside to try to catch 'The Rat,' as my family members call her. I ran in my knee high boots and dress down to the area where The Cowboy was trying, and failing, to get the cattle off of the trailer. I come down yelling at Stella to come to me and continue to yell at her when she runs away. All she is doing is barking at the cattle. At this point, I am feeling awful that my dog is causing so much trouble; I continue to try to catch her...with no luck. The Cowboy and the nice delivery rancher are, i'm sure, laughing at me under their breath. Here is this city girl in a dress and knee high boots yelling at a Yorkie running through cattle pens. What a sight i'm sure! The delivery rancher leaves and The Cowboy helps me wrangle 'The Rat.' I carried her back and scolded her for escaping... like that really makes any difference. Later that day we were headed into town for the funeral. The Cowboy had sit in silence for a few minutes when he takes a deep breath and begins, "Now don't take this the wrong way, but.... Next time Stella escapes, just come find her.... don't yell. You yelling at her was ten times more stressful for the cattle than the dog barking. I know you didn't mean any harm, but yelling makes it very difficult to get cattle off of a trailer. Quiet is really the least stressful environment for animals."
Sigh.