Oh where oh where have my little dogs gone?

Finding the gate unlatched when I open the side door to bring in the dogs always leaves me with a sick feeling. Good God, they’ve escaped again!

It happened just before 7:00 AM today, just as I was about to leave for work. This wasn’t the first time. Jake is the Houdini, who figures out how to get the gate open. We have taken to using a secondary lock on the latch, just because he is so good. But apparently it wasn’t on this morning.

In the past they have gone as a pair in every conceivable direction, and they never come home of their own accord. Nice people normally find them and then call the number on their tags or take them to a local shelter or even bring them home. It usually takes just a couple of hours. But today it has been 8 hours and we haven’t yet received a phone call.

I’ve called all 3 local animal welfare groups – Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax – carefully describing the dogs, their collars, their ages, their color, their weight and asking them to call me immediately if they show up. But so far no calls.

Dylan is so old and blind at 13 that I really worry about him. I keep imagining him collapsed in a small black pile somewhere in the woods. His hips are bad and his stamina left long ago.

Jake on the other hand is in much better shape and could run for quite a while before getting tired. In the past he has never left Dylan. I picture him hovering over Dylan and urging him to get up and run.

Then my thoughts wander to dogs who have tangled with cars and then I just have to stop thinking. My dogs are not street smart because they are never off leash.

Missing dogs make my work problems pale in comparison. The only thing that might be worse would be missing children.

Every time the phone rings, I am so hopeful. But so far there are no calls from nice strangers.

My heart is aching for those guys to come back. Oh, please....

(The above picture is not my dog but rather a lookalike for Jake, so don't try calling...)