Goodbye, Sophie

Last night, after we got back from the grocery store, I had two missed calls on my cellphone. I didn't recognize the number, and the caller had hit "1" to page me. I called back, and the man, Frank, introduced himself to me. He said that he had some bad news. I immediately got nervous.

He said that he was out very late on Monday night looking for his lost cat. While he was out, he found a dog that had been hit by a car. After seeing our posters, he was sure that it was Sophie. Being a very nice man, and considering that he was looking for a lost pet himself, he said that he couldn't leave here there. So, he picked her up and took her home and put her in a box to bury.

As it turns out, Frank lives just down the street from us. He asked me if I wanted him to bring her to us. He offered to keep her and bury her himself. I said no, that we would take care of it, and he said that he would bring her over.

DJ and I went out and bought a shovel. Then we met Frank and put Sophie in the backyard under a tree. We wanted her there with us - in our backyard, forever a part of our family.

I will never forget yesterday. I will always miss Sophie - "yittle Soph." I will never forget how the kindness of a stranger offered us some peace and comfort on a very difficult day. And I will never forget crying with my husband over the loss of a beloved pet.

Goodbye, Sophie. We will miss you and love you always.

Lost Dog

It was a sad day on Monday. DJ and I came home and let Soph out in the backyard, as we have been doing since the move. The weather has been so nice that we wanted to give her a little fresh air and play time. Needless to say, when I went out about 2 hours later to give her dinner, she was gone. I have no idea how she got out. She did this once before about two months ago, when we first moved into the house. We found her right away, though, and we plugged up what we thought was the hole in the fence through which she escaped. She has outsmarted me again, though! I think she is either small enough to squeeze through the gap between the fence and the gate, or she is outright climbing the fence. Either way, she is being a bad dog!

I'm worried about her, though. I went to Animal Control yesterday and looked to see if they had picked her up, but she wasn't there. DJ and I put signs all around the neighborhood last night, but we haven't gotten any calls yet. He also called the closest vet office to see if anyone has brought her in. We live on such a busy street. I hope that she is okay and that she comes home soon!