On New Years Eve some of my neighbors were shooting off really big fireworks. I had to work, of course. Anyway, when I called home that night to talk to Doug he told me that the lady down the street called and said that Troy (my dog) was down there running around scared to death. He put on his shoes and jacket and went down there but Troy was gone by then. I searched high and low for that dog. I made daily trips to the animal shelter, put up flyers, went door to door, searched on foot and driving, even passed his picture around at church. Every day I would go outside, several times a day and call for him. I know if he had heard me, he would have come. Finally, I got up on Monday morning dreading another disappointing trip to the animal shelter. I also dreaded the tears that I knew would come since that's about all I had done. I looked out the kitchen window and there he came running up the fenceline. (He dug out from under the fence). I went running out the front door in an old nightgown with holes in it and kind of short. I was jumping up and down and probably showing my butt to every neighbor I had. I brought him in and woke Doug up. Shelly, Billy, and Hannah were here and Shelly raised up in bed and she was so happy. He had been gone for 4 days and 5 nights. I had just about accepted the fact that he had gotten killed and I just hadn't found his body. Shelly was all smiles all day. And of course I made their picture together:
He looks awful clean to have been outside running all that time, but looks can be deceiving; he stinks. But then he's a dog and it's been raining and he smells like a wet dog. Maybe that's why he stinks. Anyway, he is now microchipped, his collar and rabies tag is on, and I'm having another tag with my address and phone number on it. But I really don't think he'll run off again. But in the event he does, I'll be ready!
