For the Love

Today Horton got out of the yard and gave me a freak out attack. This is the first time he's ever gotten out in this house, and it's been our big fear, because we live not too far off of a major road. The few times he got out in Colorado, he always came trotting back to the house within an hour, so I tried to tell myself not to worry. That doesn't really work though, because I keep thinking about how fast cars go on that road, and about this couple who lost their dog in our neighborhood last fall, and the poor little lost dog signs are still up today. I want to drive around the neighborhood and see if I can find him, but I am car-less today (another story for another day). So I grab Abe, and we trot down to the end of the street by the major road. Thankfully, no dead dog in sight...but still no live dog either. So we head back up toward the house, and I'm starting to cry, wondering what I will ever do if I never see my little Horton again. This lady out in her yard tries to start up a conversation with me and I probably seemed rude, but at the time I didn't care because my little doggie is missing. So Abe and I make it back to the house. (I was encouraging him to pee on everything in site so that Horton would catch Abe's smell and it would be easier for him to find his way home.) So I'm resigned that I just have to stay in the house and wait, but in the meantime, I am worried. So I call Jesse and start leaving him this hysterical ridiculous voicemail. Then, as I'm looking out the window, a few blocks over, I see a glimpse of golden. I hang up the phone, and go sprinting outside running that direction. I'm totally out of breath, have little tears on my face and am trying my best to yell and whistle as I run...talk about a freak show. I get to the spot where I thought I saw the furball, and can't see the little pooch anywhere, so I decide might as well keep running toward the direction that I hear dogs barking. I figured maybe they were barking at Horton...so run run I go...finally, I stop, feeling like my jello jiggler legs are just going to collapse, and I see little happy Horton come trotting around the side of someone's house. I yell out his name and he puts on his big smile and comes sprinting over to me and I give him big hugs. Holding his collar, we both run back to the house, and as we are approaching, I can hear Abe just barking away, feeling so left out of this little adventure. Haaaa...that was about two hours ago, and the two dogs have been sleeping ever since.