Not a happy Sunday. My big old chocolate lab is missing from the farm. A little neighbor dog came courting and although Dub is supposed to be neutered, he still gets interested in the females when they come calling and he must have gone off with her. I had planned to put him up before that happened, but I was too slow about putting him in the basement. And now he’s been gone four days. We’ve ridden around the road, called all the neighbors, whistled and yelled his name to no avail. Two other dogs in the neighborhood disappeared along with Dub and the female dog. All are still missing. I haven’t been able to call the Animal Control because of the holiday weekend. But unless they got picked up I’m afraid my sweet old Dub may have come to a bad end. Poor old dog. I miss him stretched out on the back porch. He has a way of stretching out and sleeping that have had two or three people see him sleeping and call to tell me he’s dead. But he just knew how to relax big time.
He was a faithful walking companion even the last few months when he hasn’t felt well. He’d get way behind when we were walking and I’d have to figure out a way to casually wait for him so he wouldn’t be embarrassed about getting so far behind. Dogs can get embarrassed, you know. One time a neighbor gave his little dog a buzz haircut and the dog wouldn’t come out from under the car. I’ve had bad hair days like that. How about you? Of course I didn’t hide under the car, just felt like it. Anyway I’m missing Dub today. Still hoping he’ll find his way home, but worried that he can’t. I don’t know anywhere else to look. Thank goodness my other dog, Oscar didn’t go off with them, but he’s been lonely.
Enough blues about my dog. I know some of you out there will understand, but others of you might think it’s silly to get the blues over a dog. Guess you haven’t had a dog look at you with those big eyes as if you’re the most important thing in his life. Dogs don’t care if you’re having a bad hair day. Dogs don’t care what you look like. When you belong to them, you’re the most beautiful person in the world in their eyes.
That’s the way our families are, too. And maybe even our church families. We might see the faults and even point them out (That’s where dogs are better than us. They just ignore those faults and love us without reservation.) But our families are the most beautiful people in the world to us and the ones we most want to see. Still, we sometimes take our families for granted and treat strangers we don’t even know with more kindness than we do those people we love best.
Hope you had fun with your family this weekend. The neighbor put on a great fireworks show last night right over top our yard. All around us in the distance I could hear the boom of more fireworks shooting off. Oohs and aahhs all around. Celebrating freedom.
Hope you have a good week. And thanks to all who befriended me on Facebook and Goodreads. And for those of you who follow this blog. You’re the best.