The
Plan: Do a little serious spring cleaning each weekend in May and be
finished by Memorial Day. My hope is to to circumvent my lack of
motivation.
I'm
on my way to buy cleaning supplies when I come across the little
white dog. She's some mix of maybe chihuahua and Jack Russell and
she's standing in my driveway, watching me intently.
I
take one step toward her and she streaks off. This becomes the
pattern for the next three hours as she races from one end of the
block to the other and back again, darting in and out of traffic -
slow moving as it is but still dangerous - and checking out the
neighbors yards at random. I call, I coax, I offer treats but she
won't let me get close. I knock on doors but nobody recognizes her
and I'm at my wits end when she's finally hot and tired enough to let
her guard down. On a hunch, I get into my car and open the driver's
side door and she hesitates a second or two then jumps right in. I
slip a leash around her neck just as I've seen done a hundred times
in rescue videos - she turns into a whirling dervish at this
indignity but I stand my ground and slowly but surely lead her inside
to a kennel I keep ready for just such emergencies. By the time I
run my errands and return, she's settled down considerably and is
sitting calmly and quietly. I take her picture to post to social
media and check lost and found, hoping her owner might have noticed
her missing but there's nothing, so reluctantly, I re-leash her and
drive her to the local shelter. By the time I get back, her picture
is posted along with her owner's name and within an hour she's
reclaimed and returned home. I learn her name is Finny, she lives
one street over, and according to her owner, is an accomplished
escape artist. I have my doubts as to the last when I read that “she
never leaves except today she did”. Still, it's a happier than
usual ending and maybe her owner will have learned a lesson.
As
for me, it got me out of cleaning for another morning.
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