Daisy, The Run Away Dog

I've never been much of an animal person. In fact, I'm the one who rolled my eyes and walked away at work when the cute pet stories got started. But ever since we got Daisy, I've been smitten with dog love. Now I understand! So, on to my pet story.........


When Daisy came to live with us last winter she was a dog who had been found galloping around in snow banks, so it should've been no surprise when we discovered she loves to run! Given the opportunity, unleashed, she takes off with her four little legs at the speed of lightening. If we turn our backs on her for a second, off she goes, helter-skelter, into the trees and bushes and beyond. When Lenny hollers for her she usually halts quickly and turns back. (His voice is hard to ignore, even for a determined dog on a mission to see the neighborhood.) Well, on Tuesday night we let her out for the last time before bed and didn't realize the latch to the back gate was left open. Lenny went out to get her and she was GONE! It had been about 30 minutes and knowing the way she runs we figured she could possibly be in Montana by then. Since it was pitch dark and hollering her name didn't bring her home, we went to bed. I was the only one who didn't sleep well. Lenny's head hit the pillow and he was snoring. The cat didn't seem to miss Daisy at all, she was spread out on the bed enjoying the extra space. (Usually it's the four of us, cramped in the queen-sized bed, with not much wiggle room.) That left me, alone in the dark, with visions of Daisy hungry and cold, far from home with her little legs too tired to turn back. The last time I felt so anxious in the middle of the night was when I had teen-agers! Morning finally came, after a fitful night's sleep, with a happy ending. It turns out Daisy had spent the night at a neighbor's house down the road. They had spotted her running down the center of the street and were afraid she'd get run over. They rescued her and found us in the morning. She was brought home by a bubbly woman who said Daisy had gotten along well with her family of kids and other pets. Daisy went right to her food dish, ate her fill, then curled up in her favorite napping spot. I think she missed us and hadn't slept well, either!














Welcome Home, Daisy!