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| Calvin, my sassy, stubborn dog! |
Fast forward to three hours later. . .
It dawned on me when I sat down to write this morning that if I could create time to write, I could surely get my butt out there to run. I would probably write better after a head-clearing run anyways, so I got dressed, procrastinated a little more, then finally leashed up my dogs and headed out. I figured I would warm up by walking them and then head back out for a couple more miles.
When I walk my dogs I like to take them to a trail that runs behind the nearby creek-- it's only three blocks from my house. My dogs drag me down the streets until we get to the trail where they know they can run free. The trail itself is about a 1/2 mile each way so it's the perfect distance for me to warm up and for them to burn off some energy. Plus, I don't have to worry about them getting hit by a car. It's as perfect as it gets being a dog owner that lives in town.
The dogs and I have a routine. Usually, it's down and back and then home again. Sometimes, we do the trail twice. Today, I decided to do the trail twice. It was so nice outside! Besides, I love watching the dogs run and play, and after all, I was busy procrastinating a run so why not do another lap, right?
For those of you that don't know my dogs, I have a giant lab named Deke. He loves to run the creek trail. He hunts up birds, chases rabbits, and usually gets a swim in. He would run the trail as many times as he could. He sounds like a horse galloping down the trail (yes, he's that big.)
My other dog is Calvin. He is a 10-year old Westie with a sassy, stubborn streak. He loves to walk and run. In fact, when we bring him hiking in a nearby nature area, he will walk for hours without tiring- most of the time trying to lead the way. For some unknown reason though, when walking the creek trail that we were on today, he only likes to do one lap. Several times he's tried to skip out on the second lap by looking at me and then running the opposite way. I usually have to chase him down, grab his leash, and coax him back down the trail. Today though, he looked at me, rolled his eyes (yes, dogs can do that), turned around, and followed me with no problem. In retrospect, I should have known better. . .
10 minutes later when I got to the end of the trail and turned around, I realized Calvin was no where in sight. I didn't panic immediately because sometimes he walks really slow (pouting because he had to do two laps) and waits for me to head back. Sometimes he emerges from the treeline after sniffing something out. This time though, he was nowhere to be found.
I looked at Deke and told him to find Calvin. He snooped around. Nothing! The little sh** was gone! He was gone! I hurried back towards home expecting him to pop out of the trees or just be lying there on the ground waiting for me with a big doggie smirk on his face but he wasn't.
I got home, hopped on my bike, and headed back to the trail. I checked out the creek, rode the trail twice, checked the creek again-- no dog.
I rode around the neighborhood expecting to see him nosing around, as he has been known to do when he escapes, but nothing. I got my son from work and we headed back down to the creek. We checked the trail again as well as the nearby cornfield. Finally, a lady that lives by the creek asked if we were looking for a small white dog. "Yes!" I exclaimed.
She told me that somebody had picked him up and brought him to the vet clinic or the police department. Can you say R-E-L-I-E-F?
I called the PD and left a message as they weren't on duty yet. A little while later, some wonderful people that live around the block from us drove up and knocked on the door. "Are you missing a dog?" she asked.
I hopped in their van with them and went to pick up Calvin. He was as sassy as ever, like nothing unusual had happened. I walked him home and when we got there, he wanted to keep walking. Really dog?
So, from what we could figure out, he turned around and followed me down the trail for a little while. Then he must have decided he was heading home. The people that found him said he was sitting by the side of the road. They stopped, he hopped right in their van, and took off with them! He must have figured he was getting a ride home. This all happened in about 10 minutes. What a dog!
For those of you that know me, and know this dog, you will know that it is totally possible for me to lose a dog while walking it. For those that don't know me (or do) and think I must be a dumb-ass, I will give you that. It's deserved.
All's well that ends well though. Thanks to Pat G. for easing my mind and letting me know that my dog was safe and a HUGE thank you to the Hasbrooks for rescuing my dog and going out of your way to make sure he got home. Thanks also to the CCPD for following up with me. There is nothing like a small town when it comes to kindness.
Calvin is now snoozing comfortably after his adventure. I plan to join him. The run? I think it can wait.
