Dog Day Afternoon

Life is always interesting when you're the mother of three dyed-in-the-wool animal lovers.

After school, Jacob was driving by the public library when he saw a small dog almost get hit by a car, twice.  He felt compelled to rescue her, so he scooped her up and drove her back to school with him, bringing her to my classroom where I was waiting for Dylan to finish his Big Brothers/Big Sisters activity.

I admit, she was cute as a very fluffy button.  Full of winsome personality, a bundle of energy, affectionate but well-behaved.

Jacob wanted to bring her home with us, promising to plaster the neighborhoods around the library with flyers.  He was smitten with her perky little self immediately.

However, I pictured a sad family, missing their pooch.  She was well-groomed, well-fed, and clearly well-loved.  I didn't want to make her family wait and search longer than necessary.

Besides, I already have more mouths to feed than I can afford, between 3 kids and 5 pets!

After Dylan joined us, we drove straight to the Humane Society.  We were thrilled to learn that the little dog, a pomeranian mix named Bridget, had a microchip under her skin.  The staff scanned the chip, punched the numbers into the computer, and gave us her name and her owner's name, address, and phone number.

Apparently Miss Bridget is quite an escape artist.  She'd also slipped away from her home just this past Saturday and had ended up at the Humane Society that day, as well, forcing her owners to pay $20 for her release into their protective custody. 

We offered to drive her home ourselves, thus saving her family further fees.  There was a joyful reunion between Bridget and one of her owners, an older lady named Mary.  Bridget had wandered quite a bit farther from home than was usual, so they hadn't even considered looking for her in the area of the Larson Library.

The boys felt so warm and fuzzy about their good deed, they quit complaining about losing Bridget's cheerful company.  Then, as we turned onto our street, far ahead of us we saw Sarah struggling to manage a huge, shaggy dog on a leash.

It seems Sarah had found her own stray while we were gone.  She had just returned home from an all-day babysitting job when she found Blue, a neighbor's dog, running free.  Sarah is the biggest dog lover of them all, and she can't bear the thought of anyone's dog being lost or hurt.  She can be counted on to mother every animal that comes her way.

However, Blue is a muscular, enthusiastic handful, even for Sarah, so Jacob and Dylan jumped out of the car and ran to her aid.  They soon delivered him safely to his home around the corner and down the road. 

So much for the restful afternoon I had planned!  But it's good to know our canine friends are safely at home with their loved ones tonight, and their families aren't worrying about their furry friends' welfare.  It was a satisfying way to spend an hour!