Two Dog Day

Dog 1

Yesterday morning about 9am, I was still in my nightgown washing dishes and Lucas was still in his PJs playing in the living room. I planned to pack a lunch and head to the pool to get there at 11am, just as it opened, so there was so sense in us getting dressed to lounge around the house then change into our swim suites. Or, so I thought, anyway.

Suddenly I heard Lucas yell something then the storm door opened and slammed shut. By the time I turned off the water and bolted the 10 steps to our front door, Lucas was sprinting down the sidewalk and was already about 4 houses away--the far end of my normal comfort level for him to be away from the house when I'm outside but not walking with him. I started yelling his name and telling him to stop. Not only did he not stop, he didn't even break his stride to pause or look back at me. Finally he did stop and I realized the reason for his escape: our elderly neighbor was out walking his dog, Max, the love of Lucas's life. By this time I'm standing out on the sidewalk.

Remember: in my nightgown, screaming. And also: mortified.

Luckily our neighbor turned around and walked Max and Lucas back to our house. I thanked him and apologized. He just chuckled. I took Lucas inside and immediately sat him on the naughty step. I was fuming. Lucas was devastated and started screaming at the top of his lungs. I think he was less concerned about being disciplined and more upset about not seeing Max for longer. I swear, anyone walking by would have thought I was beating the crap out of him. Which, I assure you, I was not. But, given how upset I was, I easily could have been.

Dog 2

After a busy day, I decided to pick up pizza for dinner last night. When Lucas and I got home, a new dog was outside with our neighbors. She was awfully friendly and came over to say hello to us, practically jumping into our van. At that point, I noticed the neighbors were all inside. One yelled out to us that it wasn't their dog. I looked around and no other potential owner was in sight. The dog had a collar and tags and so I made a split-second decision to put her in our fenced in yard and hope that we could locate the owner quickly.

Lucas was in heaven. He started proclaiming: we got a dog! We got a dog! I explained to him--the first of many, many times--that this wasn't our dog and that her owner was probably very sad and looking for her. We'd just give her some water and keep her safe until her owner could be found.

I quickly took a photo with my phone and posted a Lost Dog message to our town listserv. For someone who has never owned a pet and who is really not comfortable at all around animals, I was taking it all in stride. Our local animal rescuer (a neighbor who is always helping lost/abandoned animals, etc.) called soon to offer a crate and dog food in hopes we'd be willing to keep the dog for up to a few days rather than take her to the local (and very quick to euthanize) shelter. I agreed, but with a bit of trepidation.

Lucas spent the rest of the evening obsessed with the dog. He looked out every window to follow her around the yard. We went out several times to pet her, take her water and attempt a game of catch. When inside, Lucas was frantic to go outside. When a plane flew overhead, he got worried the dog would be scared (our neighbor's dog whines like crazy whenever planes fly overhead, which unfortunately for us is often). When Abel arrived home, he cheerfully announced, again, we got a dog! We got a dog!

Luckily after just a few hours the owner called and walked over to collect her. Lucas said a very heartfelt good bye and I had to admit that I enjoyed Shadow's company for that short time as well.

But, I think we had quite enough dog adventures for one day!


Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!