Dog Gone

If you were anywhere doing anything last night around 10 pm that did not include wandering around in the rain searching for a pet that was not yours – I don’t want to hear about it. Oh, and a neighbor accidentally set their house alarm off and couldn’t turn it off, so it was wailing for a good hour and even better? It took the cops 25 minutes to show up and investigate the house alarm. I felt very comforted by that.

It was time for Dogger to go out one more time before she went to bed. Actually, I had been listening to the house alarm wailing and I wanted to go see what the deal was but not in a rubber necker kind of way, a more casual way. A “I’m Just Out To Take The Dog For A Pee” way. I saw the neighbors car in the drive way and I could tell it was not an actual burglary kind of thing. It made me glad I didn’t call 911 – but as it turned out maybe I should have as it might have gotten them to the scene faster - 25 minutes! I mean, the hell?

Okay. I took Dogger out the front door and was greeted by the dog from across the street. I said “Hi Mike, hire yew” I tried to grab his collar, but it has gotten too small again and I couldn’t get a hand on it and then he ran away. I put Dogger back into the house and went after him. The neighbor with the house alarm saw me and wanted to chat. I should have told her to hold it - I was dog fetching, but I stopped and talked to her while trying to keep an eye on Mike – who promptly took cover of night and disappeared from view. Have I mentioned the rain? It’s still raining. I tried to follow Mike, but I lost him in the dark.

I went back to my house and took Dogger for her long delayed pee. She doesn’t like peeing in the rain and she makes us wander around. I decided that if she is going to wander around that we could wander around and look for Mike. I’ve been standing around in the rain all night and I’m not going to get more wet. We go and do check the near by busy street for any Mike shaped lumps in the street, we circled the block occasionally asking random people shaped forms in the dark if they have seen a big fluffy dog. They hadn’t. They were outside listening to the house alarm wailing. I go back to the house the dog got away from and read the Do You Know Your Dog Ran Off AGAIN!/Why Don’t You Take Better Care Of Your Dog?/ If I Find Him First I’m Going To Have A Talk With Your Mama!/ You Had Better Hope He Comes Back Home riot act to a kid on the porch because I’m pissed off because I’m the one out looking for his gawd damned dog! In the gawd damned rain! I’m pretty sure he really can’t hear me over the wailing of the neighbors house alarm.

I get back to the house and put the now dripping Dogger to bed. I have a few minutes before my rerun comes on and I go back into the dark. I ask more people also wandering around in the dark if they have seen the fluffy dog. More people have not seen the fluffy dog. The alarm is still wailing. I got tired of being soaked and my glasses got fogged. I go back again to Mikes house to admit defeat, and talk to a teen age girl outside yakking on her cell phone – while the alarm is still wailing. The cops are finally there. She agrees the dog is not at the house. I go home dripping and guilty and pissed off that Mike got away, from home and from me and I’m the only one who seems to care. I don’t know if he came home or not.

edited to add,Yay! he did.