A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad start to a day

     For past readers, you know we have two pups.  One, a German Shepherd, about 14 months old and still puppy hyper and unfortunately shedding horribly and doesn't like to be brushed.  The other, an English Mastiff about a year and a half old and nearly 200 pounds, a true gentle giant, but like others of his breed, selectively deaf.  Last evening, just before dark, I took them out one at a time, hubby is still healing from his surgery on his knee and I am trying to limit his climbing the stairs more than necessary.  Ranger, the beast spotted some critter in the tall hay on the edge of the property and took off barking.  Not to be disuaded from this pursuit, he ignored my calls and I couldn't see him in the tall hay from the ground.  Eventually, he came back, but seemed to be having some digestive issues, finally came in the house.
     Also, for new readers, eldest son (ES) and I built a chicken ark/tractor, a moveable pen for the cull birds and it is lined on the lower half and ends with hardware cloth. The structure is A frame and it is a struggle for me to reach in to get the waterer in and out and in doing so, I scratched my inner forearm the first day and cut the side of my pinky finger, probably enough to need stitches (didn't happen) two days ago on the edge of the hardware cloth.
     This morning in the wee hours, around 4:45, I was awakened by the sound of heavy rain falling on the metal roof and by a smell.  Mastiff's can clear a room when they fart and I assumed that was the case, but it didn't go away, it got worse.  Finally we turned on lights and it wasn't farts.  Cleaning up after a 200 pound dog, sick at both ends, at 5 in the morning is not my idea of a good start to the day.  Doing it while trying not to involve the badly injured finger, to keep it clean and dry made it less fun.  Once that was done, sleep seemed elusive at best, but I got back in bed.  Less than 30 minutes later he was whining and nosing me to get up and let him out (I'm the morning caregiver) and he went out into the pouring rain, spotted something to bark at and chase and wouldn't come back in.  That meant dressing, finding shoes and going after him in the rain.  Finally back in, we all settled for an hour until both dogs wanted out.  I gave up on sleep at this point, dressed again and turned them out in the pouring rain.  Shadow returned after doing her business, wet but came in for breakfast.  Ranger would not come in and I refused to chase him down again.  Generally, once she is in, he returns on his own and he did, looking like a 200 pound drowned rat.  Towel dried and fed, breakfast fixed for me, I awaiting a lull in the driving rain to go deal with the chickens.  The culls go through their food container and their water container daily.  To access the inside of the chicken tractor, one 100 inch long side lifts and can be propped up, but any birds up on the perches when you do this can escape.  I managed to chase all but one down into the bottom, but she escaped.  After they were fed and watered, the top closed, she had to be caught, single handedly.  There are places if she would go that would make it easier to do, but she wanted back in with her buds and just circled the tractor trying to find a way in.  Meanwhile, in spite of my GoreTex jacket, I am getting soaked.  She is finally back in the pen, the girls came out of the coop, discovered it was not to their liking and scooted under it.  I am back inside, jeans and socks wet, rain jacket hanging in the shower and dreaming of moving to Australia.
     Ranger is getting the sleep he denied me.