Some prayers for a dear friend of mine, if you would...

[Greg]

I don't want to take away from the situation at the Cartrette's house...please make sure to go read Eric C's thread in this forum titled "THIEVES!" and give him and his family some support.

Anywho...
Today I finished my shift up at the lake and was driving back down to town when I came into where I get cell service, and called Lori to let her know I was on my way home. I was about 15 minutes out at this point, and when she picked up a phone, she told me that she couldn't find my dog (Shadow, my Border Collie, who most of you have seen in photos at some point, most likely.)

So of course, I broke several speed laws to get myself back in town in less than the remaining 15 minutes to join in the search, which Lori and her brother had underway already.

Between driving around without results, running a grand total of about two miles on foot without results, and having my life threatened by some douche of a high schooler in continuation school because I walked on "his" campus looking for my dog...I didn't have a good day.

So yes, you read that right, we don't know where Shadow is. Yes, you also read correctly that by walking onto the campus of a continuation school which the Dog and I frequent to play ball and asking if any of the students had seen a black dog, I was told to get the f**k off of "their" campus, that they'd stab my pasty white b**ch a**, and if they saw my dog, they'd kill him too. Not exactly the nicest of people, eh?

So I'm a wreck. Shadow's my best friend, hands down, second only to my fiance. But those of you who are dog owners know what I mean...it's a different kind of friendship. A friendship with a dog is an unspoken bond that only a true dog person can really understand. Shadow took the place of my lifelong friend and partner-in-crime Levi, who lives with my folks back in Los Angeles, and is getting quite old. He's been there for me when I needed him most, he is the most steadfast companion dog I've ever had, the most incredible ballplayer on four legs on the planet, and may have actually saved my life at one point due to an incident that almost involved a rattlesnake.

Needless to say, I really want him back.

No...I NEED him back.

For those of you who believe in the power of prayer, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

PS: For the questions that I'm sure are coming...yes, he's been microchipped, and yes, we've checked the pound. I'll be checking every day in the morning and the evening from today on.

[Peter Remling]

Know the mixed feelings of fear and frenzy but they are a lot smarter then we give them credit for. With any luck he'll be back waiting at your door to come in .

My thoughts are with you both for a quick reunion.

[Willrett]

I hope you get him back soon.

[mcapanelli]

My thoughts and prayers are with you man, really. I'm sure the little fella will be back safe and sound before you know it.

[Eric C]

We've got things held down here at the Cartrette house. My prayers are with you and the dog. They truly are special friends.

[Sam]

May he come back safe and sound, and give you a big wet lick
I deeply sympathise Greg, the bond between a man (or woman) and his dog is irreplaceable and something very special. If he was in the wilds I wouldn't worry, but the man-made landscape can be treacherous.
Searching for a black dog named shadow can't be easy in the dark. Let's hope that he finds his way home.

Your story of the hoods at the school sickens me. Our world is infected with a darkness that we must fight hard to counter. I'm glad you managed to avoid a confrontation. I think the majority of towns in the west have similar problems, including mine.

[R.D.Metcalf]

Consider it Done, Greg, and for your safety as well.

[kaelln]

I hope Shadow comes home soon. We've had dogs take off from time to time, and they just don't realize how dangerous the urban landscape is for them. For them, it's an adventure; for us it's a heart attack. We just had our youngest dog come out of her first heat, and it could be the lure of, ummm, "romance" shall we say? that lured him away. Whatever it was, please let us know when you find him. Sending good thoughts your way, buddy. Stay strong!

[Greg]

HOLY FREAKIN' CRAP!

*sigh of relief, and...dare I say, confusion?*

Thanks everyone for the kind words and the prayers. It was NOTHING short of a miracle, but he's home.

STORY TIME!

So Lori and I've gone on two LOOOOOONG walks together today, just out talking to each other and looking for the pooch. We JUSt got back from our last one (it was about 10:15 pm at this point...VERY dark to be looking for a black dog named Shadow, as Sam put it so well) and we were walking towards Lori's folk's house, no more than two doors down, when we come across two ladies looking for THEIR lost dog. They're calling and whatnot, and they asked us if we'd seen their little beige terrier. We said no, and Lori, bless her, turns to them and says "We're actually looking for our dog that went missing this morning. He's a jet black Border collie..."

"He's right over there, behind the fence!" they replied.

I take off running, of course.

I find a solidly built wooden privacy fence with no cracks in it, and no light around it. I'm calling for Shadow, and hearing some whimpers that sound familiar, but I don't wanna stick my fingers under the gate lest it be an unfriendly pooch, so I pull out my cell phone and shine a light under the fence and see a very familiar pair of beady black eyes and a mopist snout pressed firmly up against the 3/4" crack under the gate.

I rush over towards the front door to knock on it, when Lori calls my name and says "Greg, this is the house those girls live at!"

"Those girls", needs to be clarified. A group of two or three girls that lives two doors down from Lori's folks has been walking by the corner Lori lives on and harrassing her dog and mine through the wooden fence for a few weeks now, making them bark like crazy and such. Lori's dad and I have both told them to stop it, and have received snyde remarks and the bird on one occasion. Not a neighborly relationship.

But the Grandfather opened the door, and was like "Oh, that's YOUR dog?!" So we got him back, no problem.

The woodpile has been getting quite high lately up against the fence where this harrassment has been taking place. We originally thought shadow had climbed onto the woodpile and jumped over. Now it's looking more like he was egged on by the girls, jumped over, and was taken to their backyard as a joke.

We're not jumping to conclusions, but it seems pretty reasonable to assume foul play. Their senile grandfather and guardian has no idea how the dog got there, and says the girls just "found" him. He has an id tag with their address on it, and they've seen him come in and out of that house a million times. But regardless, he's home, and in two weeks he and I are moving into our new house, where he'll be safe.

Thank you all again for your support! I'm glad this was resolved quickly. Pete, you were right. The initial jitters of a lost dog are ALWAYS worse than the final outcome.

[Eric C]

Thank goodness!!! Yeah, the girls are pranksters, but that is nothing short of what happened here. They still took that which does not belong to them, though it was probably for different reasons than our recent bad news. We're going to be getting a dog so this thread kinda hit home for us too. This will be our second dog. Jilly, our Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix, was with us for 14 years before she left us and "went the way of the world." Broke our hearts. She was in a way our first child and our best friend.

So they already had an ID tag made for him? Keep a close eye on that dog and those girls!

[Willrett]

Glad to hear you got shadow back, yet more proof why guys should not follow girls it always leads to trouble LOL.

[kaelln]

Thank goodness! At least he was kept away from the roads! I had a feeling there would be good news this morning!

[Greg]

So they already had an ID tag made for him? Keep a close eye on that dog and those girls!

Sorry, I worded that wrong. By "their" address, I meant Lori's family's, since I don't have a permanent address currently. Well, that is, until next week! WOO HOO!

[Eric C]

Oops. Yeah, sounds like Granddad needs to take a firmer hand with those girls.

[Sam]

Great news! I'm glad he's home safe and sound.