Sunday, December 12, 2010

What Happened Today

I was upstairs on the computer in my sewing room this afternoon.  I was still in my pajamas because I had decided today was pajama day.  Tony had gone for a ride on his motorcycle.  The dogs were outside enjoying the beautiful weather.  All was quiet and peaceful until Maggie started barking at the patio door.  Our dogs have different sounds to their barks to mean different things.  There's the UPS man bark, the somebody's-walking-their-dog-on-our-sidewalk bark, the play-with-each-other bark, the there's-birds-in-our-yard, on-our-tree, on-our-fence bark.  But this bark was different.  I had never heard this bark before.  I run down the stairs, open the patio door and in runs Maggie.  Usually, Fergus comes in first.  (He lets Maggie bark at the door for the both of them.)  I poke my head out, expecting to see Fergus coming around the corner.  But there's no Fergus.  I poke my head back in the house, thinking did I miss him in the house?  Meanwhile, Maggie is running in and out the door.  Finally, the sense of urgency in her bark becomes all too clear.  I step out in the yard to check the gate and it is open!  Fergus is gone!  I call him repeatedly, but no Fergus! I close the gate, run back in the house, grab the phone, start calling Tony, check out the front door, and then change clothes as fast as I can.  Tony answers his phone.  Thankfully he is inside one of the stores on his errands.  I tell him to come home, Fergus is gone.  He can hear the panic in my voice.  I can't move fast enough.  I grab their leashes and my keys, leash up Maggie, and race out the back door.  I'm calling his name as I head down the alley behind our house.  There is no Fergus.  I get down to the end of the alley and around the corner comes two boys with Fergus on a leash!  "Ma'am, isn't this your dog?"  It is!  Maggie is so excited and is bouncing all around I can hardly get Fergus's leash on him. I get him leashed up, the boys make sure he is on his leash before they release their leash, and then the tears come.  I thank the boys, ask where did they find him, thank them again and head home.  In a few minutes, Tony is home.  I tell him what happened and the tears come again. Tony fixes the previously unknown problem with the gate while the dogs play around us. 

Of the two dogs, I would never have suspected my couch puppy Fergus, Eeyore Fergus, laid-back Fergus to be the one to leave the yard.  And I am pleasantly surprised that Maggie not only stayed in the yard, but let me know something was wrong! 

So then, as the tension subsides, we start coming up with titles and sayings to make us laugh about it.  Fergus's Day Off, Fergus's Big Adventure, there's going to be no living with him now, The Adventures of Fergus, The Hunt for Fergus.  The laughter helps, but I need a good cry.  So I do. 

LaDonna

3 comments:

  1. So glad you found Fergus - the trauma - I can just imagine it having had my two naughty dogs escape twice. When you get them back you want to scold them profusely for scaring you so badly but you know you can't coz they wont understand and you are just so happy to see them. Good dog Maggie - your title should be maggie saves the day! Give her an extra scratch from me!

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  2. You're so right, Cherry Red Quilter! If it weren't for Maggie alerting me, there's no telling how far he would have gone! Because of her, I think he was only gone for a few minutes!

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  3. Oh my! That is some story! As the owner of a large energetic mut with no fear of cars I have felt the panic. Glad it turned out so well. Enjoyed looking at your other posts as well.

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