Boy, did I have a rough night!
It starts yesterday midafternoon when I noticed Leo wasn't around. This is virtually unheard of; he usually is literally underfoot. I began to worry that he had followed the car out when we brought Ana to Austin's birthday party, or followed Brian when he went running. I searched high and low, everywhere outside he could have possibly been, got in the car and drove up and down the highway. Nothing. I was pretty darn worried---a little black pug on a busy highway on a foggy night? Worried? I was sick! Brian got out of bed and took a turn driving around too. We both went all the way to Cold Spring and back, though we didn't think he could have gotten that far (just wait til you hear the error of our ways). By bedtime I was convinced he was dead in a ditch. It was so awful. He is MY puppy, you know; always with me.
I had a horrible night and so did the kids. When I dragged myself out of bed this morning Ana was already up and working hard on the computer making "Missing" posters. She came up and presented me with a big stack of them. They are so cute. "MISSING. GENDER: MALE, PUG, BLACK. OWNERS 685 4166 AND 282 4166. LEO IS NOT WARING HIS COLLER WHEN HE RAN AWAY".
Her eyes were all puffy and red from crying all night worrying about him, I felt so bad for her, but wasn't in better shape myself! Brian had an inch worth of beard on his face and the boys were walking around like zombies (minus Wils, who had a tummy bug--which explains the car fart issues from yesterday).
When the kids were on the bus I went to town to the vet clinic to tell them we were missing a black pug, assuming someone would find him by the road and bring him in. The receptionist was very sympathetic and carefully took notes on what I told her. As she was writing, another receptionist came up behind her and said "Hey, I've got a guy on the phone wondering if someone is looking for a little black pug."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So "my" receptionist took his call and told me he would meet me in Avon (Avon? That's 12 miles away!!) at McDonalds in 20 minutes. Before she hung up I heard her say to him "Yes, he's very special to them too." (So I knew he liked my dog).
I stopped at the bakery to get a gift certificate for the guy, and called the school to have the secretary tell the teachers to tell the kids.
When I pulled into McDonalds (in AVON????) this guy gets out of a forklift service truck with my dog...on a leash, with a collar on :) Said dog goes nuts with excitement of seeing me! I got lots of pugs and kisses, and when I looked up the guy was bawling his head off. I mean, tears just streaming down his face. He was about 65 years old and kind of rough around the edges but his face was just the softest, mushiest, face ever when he looked at my dog. I thanked him profusely and told him he had made 5 kids very happy (the kids..hahaha!). The guy sniffled a few times and said....."I used to have a little pug."
Well, I know Linda is nodding her head and saying "That explains it!". Right, Linda?
I had a gut feeling and asked him if his little pug lived out his full life. He said no, his pug, a fawn, was hit by a UPS truck and killed. Ironic, because Minnie survived that, although hers I think was Fedex (I'm sure those wheels feel the same).
Leo's benefactors name appears to be Bob (how's that for goosebumpy, Linda?), and he told me his friend had found him walking on highway 50 about 10 miles from our house. The friend brought him to Bob, apparently because he knew Bob had had a pug. Bob knew right away that someone was missing that guy. He took him in and let him SLEEP IN HIS BED WITH HIM! Right away in the morning, he called the vet clinic--AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME I WAS THERE. What are the chances of that? I mean, really? What are they? I'd say slim to none.
So we have our miracle puppy back home. He is none the worse for wear with the exception of a missing toenail. That can be explained by his marathon walk; I lost toenails after the Twin Cities Marathon.
Seeing the kids again after our joyful reunion was especially fun. Except Ben, kind of, because he was convinced that his friend Cody had found him, because Cody told him on the bus that he did and that Leo bit him so he had to let him go. Riiiiggggghhhhhtttt!
Elijah arrived at school to see a note on his desk that said "Leo has been found". He grabbed it and ran to find Ana, who was already celebrating the news herself; it had been relayed verbally by Ms. Schmidt.
When I got Elijah off the bus this afternoon, the bus driver motioned me over to ask "Did ya find your dog yet?"
Isn't it sweet how dogs can warm people up like that?
Ana has been the most excited about this; she has been almost manic. She had been so worried. She has him wrapped in a blanket and is bringing him treats. I guess that is just the nurturer in her.
It was also hilarious to see the look on Brian's face when I walked in the door with the dog. He didn't know he'd been found; his eyes were glazed because he was falling asleep and he kind of bleary eyed saw Leo walk by him and then BOOM! he was upright and yelling 'leo!!!!!". He looked at me in wonder and I said "Yes, Avon McDonalds".
And thus concludes Leo's big adventure. It'll be his last, if I have anything to do with it!
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