Archie, a visit and a happy ending
I was out in the yard this afternoon doing a little yard work, and spotted a stray dog ambling down the street. I know all our neighborhood dogs, and this wasn't one of them! It was a young adult seeming, fairly recently trimmed Wheaton. "Hey, pup!" I said, and he stopped, cocked his head at me, then caught a scent he had to follow, and kept going. I saw him turn into the neighbor's garage, and thought "Uh, oh - wonder what trouble he'll find there!"
When I got to their garage, there he was, munching on their garbage. I talked to him, then went up to him, he wasn't at all shy (animals usually know me for who I am with no intro) and checked his collar. Right away I saw, printed on his collar, a phone number! Oh, thank heavens, I thought. I took him by the collar, and we started walking back to my house, so I could call. Paul pulled the car out of the driveway (we had been about to go out) and onto the street, saw us and pulled over." Who is that? and what are you doing with him?" Paul asked, I explained, and intriduced them, by now I had turned the collar enough to see his name, Archie. I left Paul with Archie and went up the stairs into the glassed-in porch, and as I tried the keys in the door, Archie had followed me up, with Paul behind. The bunny, thankfully was in the house. I let Paul and Archie onto the porch, and went inside to try the number - no answer. I came back out to the porch, and when I sat down, Archie came over, sat in front of me, and leeaaned on me as if to say "There you are!" Paul has looked closer, and seen a shiny new tag with Archie's address on it. We looked on a map, it was jsut a couple miles away, and said, well, let's bring him there! As I asked "wanna go for a ride?" Archie ran to the door, and led us down the steps to the car! After pursuading him that he was to sit in the back seat, cause I wanted the front, we settled in, and drove him home. We stood at the front door, and as I rang the bell, Archie barked! His human Mama ansered the door, said "Archie!" and all was well. They had recently moved, and the back yard fence at this house has an Archie-sized hole. They were out in the yard thsi morning, and he escaped before she knew he was gone. She was very concerned to hear where we found him, as we live on the other side of Commonwealth Ave., a major, busy street. "Archie! she said, "Bad dog!" She thanked me profusely, swore that she DOES feed him, he really wasn't starving enough to forage for garbage, and called to her toddler "Archie's home!"
Archie's collar had his name, a phone number, and a street address. It was perfect. It was a lot easier being able to take him home than calling the dreaded Dog Officer! I see many "missing pet" signs in this city, and am glad that, beacuse of his collar, Archie wasn't the next one!
Please put some ID on your pets, dogs, cats - just in case!
[ December 07, 2001: Message edited by: Karen ]
