Lost And Found

Today I told my husband I have to take a walk with my invisible dog (again) and I headed out towards the sun in the icy air. I was thinking all morning that I don't feel right without my daily walk through the city. No matter how gloomy I am I usually feel a smile coming on after a few blocks. Today as I passed the senior center on Social Street I saw a loose dog running up ahead on the sidewalk in front of the Rent-A-Center. I whistled for him. He was being pursued by three nine-year-old boys carrying skateboards. I ran towards them to meet the dog. The boys asked me if it was my dog. I said no. The dog seemed friendly and strong. They were holding the dog by the collar trying to read the printing on his three green, purple, and blue dog tags; Blackstone Dog license, Countryside Vet Clinic rabies vaccination, and a tag labeled Seamus with a Blackstone phone number. I said Seamus, a nice Irish name. I told the boys I'd take the dog home and call his owners. I also told them that my dog just died ten days ago and she was a chocolate Lab too. One of the boys said are you sure she died? He was implying that this was possibly my deceased dog! I said yes, I'm sure.

I didn't have a leash or a rope so I just gripped his wide leather collar and held on for a very vigourous mile. It must have been a funny sight of me pulling, slightly bent over while walking, steering him to my neighborhood. Boy was he strong! We had to stop a few times for me to switch arms. He had a huge head and was dark brown with yellow eyes. I tried to make eye contact with him and to get him to sit but neither worked. He was obviously young and a Labrador and judging by his head shape possibly mixed with pitbull. We walked through the park onto Elbow Street and a tall man getting into his white pickup truck parked behind Joe's Moldy Oldies offered me a piece of rope about three feet long. I thanked him and as I was trying to make my favorite knot shaped like an eight, a woman came out onto the porch above us and said here you go! and tossed down a black leash. I said thank you so much! I can return it! She said no, I have plenty. I clicked on the leash and he was in heaven and so was I! Sadly we were a block away from my home because now we were both ready to have a real walk.

I let him into our little yard and he sniffed everywhere, marking where Honey's scent remained. We went into the big yard and I knocked on the living room window motioning to Bill to come out. I told him the story of finding the loose dog. Do you believe it! God is winking at me, I said. Bill offered to call the dog's family while I played with Seamus. I threw a tennis ball and he tried to find it in the snow. He was a goofball! He loved burying his face in the snow and snorting with delight! He chased the ball but didn't exactly bring it back. So I retrieved it for him and tried again walking in the deep snow in my clogs! After about 15 minutes the dogs owner arrived and he was very grateful and sweet. I told him we just lost our chocolate Lab ten days ago. He said, Seamus loves you! He said the dog is a pure-bred Lab 16 months old and has escaped his yard a few times. He said the dog is not fixed because they are going to breed him. He looked at the dog and said his tail is down because he knows he's in trouble. I said don't be too hard on him, we had a lovely time, as they descended the steps.