Dog Day Afternoon

So my doorbell rings, twice, insistently, and I go down the stairs grumbling, "who the hell is this, and why are they such a pain in the ass?"

It's my across-the-street neighbor Kristen (so I immediately lose the attitude, since she is a sweetie, and I am just a grumpy "why do I have to go down 2 flights of stairs to open the gol-darn door" kind of person). She points to my friend Viv, who is herding a large yellow Lab. Can they park the Lab in my back yard, which is the only fenced one around, while they call animal control to report a wandering dog?

Yes, indeed, I say, and we go around the back and let the dog in, and I give him some water. His name, which is on his tags, is Buddy, and there is no answer at the phone number listed on his tag.

Kristen calls animal control, Viv goes off to give my sister a massage (my sister lives 2 doors from me - it's a pretty cozy neighborhood), and I decide to try to call the owners again.

I leave a message, and the animal control person turns up. She is extremely nice, and we have a long talk, I introduce her to my cat, and we decide Buddy should just stay with me instead of going to the shelter. If I have any problems, I'll call her back.

I leave another message with the owners, and then I look at the map (Buddy's address is on his tag, too), and realize they're only 3 blocks from me. So I decide to leave them a note to find when they come home so they don't wonder where the dog is and get worried before they pick up messages.

As I am leaving the owners' house, I hear someone calling "Buddy!" It's his owner and her toddler son! Yay!

So we walk to my house, where Buddy is very happy to see them. Having lost the leash on the way, the owner accepts my offer of a rope, since Buddy has no intention of walking quietly. He may be 11 years old, but by gum, he's having a good time!

All's well that ends well.