What ever is with Momma? Does she forget? I am a doggie and when I see an open door, it is an invitation to adventure (especially when I was still a little wet behind the puppy ears). The Great Unknown is a dog’s addiction. Give me half a chance and I am off and running. Some would say that only an untrained dog thinks like that but they would be wrong. Don’t trust us. We are not all born like Sir Teddy, Momma’s American Eskimo Angel Dog.
It happened again recently and Momma, was like … shocked – I had not done this since forever. She had gone shopping for the Sunday Specials, at the local drug store. I saw a kitchen door ajaro and lucky for me, the sun porch door was just swinging in the wind because the night latch had not been anchored in place properly.
Momma was kind of dopey that day, she had not much sleep because Itty- Bitty spent the night and Momma was multi-tasking, as usual. She was concentrating on remembering the bargains without considering the consequences.
Oh no, I’d be like little white, fluffy Sophie, the sad little terrier whose picture was on every telephone pole in Brampton, announcing, ‘I am lost. Please call my Mommy’s number below if you find me’. Momma stopped at each pole and warned me to never do that to her and I promised but it was a sunny morning, and our cats were parading up and down the sidewalk, teasing and tantalizing me, so I am sorry, okay, but I joined them. I never had any intention of running away – I just wanted to see if any of our neighbors were up so I could get patted and scratched and praised but alas, it was too early, they were all in bed, (except Momma), don’t you know.
So I went to the first neighbour, then the next after that … I had a plan, I was coming home, the minute I heard Momma slam the car door – that is what the cats do. They chase squirrels, they harass birds and catch mice. The minute Momma arrives back home, they cut a fast path to our open door, acting all goodie two shoes and sidle up for some Momma loving. So that was my plan, honest. I wasn’t pulling a Sophie.
It started innocently enough for me, just sniffing the perimeters of our front yard, but it seems I got preoccupied with something, maybe a squirrel, or no, I was out looking for Sophie (that is a compelling story, although light on truth) and I failed to hear Momma return. Then I heard Momma pleading, calling my name softly so Wonder Boy did not hear because he would have chided Momma for her carelessness. How many times had he told her, slow down and do it right the first time (she had done a quick search in the house and was pretty sure I was like the X-Files, out there, somewhere). Still, I lingered, another minute. Who wanted to go indoors when outdoors was so marvelous?
At last my puppy conscience kicked in. Poor Momma did not deserve this, so I left the back yard of my favourite neighbour, ran up the sidewalk, communicating with my eyes, ‘I’m here’. Momma was so relieved, she got down on her knees and I ran to her arms for a cuddle – I really don’t like being out alone, I have no one to protect me and trust me on this, Momma needs 24/7 surveillance to keep her out of trouble.
PS: Momma and I are still curious, did Sophie find her way home – we did not want to call the number and upset Sophie’s Momma – but when you erect these signs, you should be compelled to let the public know the outcome. Post something that says ‘HELP! Still Looking, Or Home At Last, Thank God Almighty, Sophie is Home At Last’. I shall call it a ‘Sophie Alert’ and include it as a Regulation in my Policy and Procedures for All Creation.
Regulation Common Sense: If you post signs for a missing pet, you are obligated to let the Public know the results so we can give up or continue the search. Don’t toy with our emotions. I can not abide thinking poor fluffy, cuddly, little Sophie being homeless. We have seen those wrenching stories on the television, hungry, bedraggled dogs living on the streets that never ever find their home again.
We can’t sleep at night, please, let us know.
