RESCUE 911

It can get a little bit crazy around here. Toby—a pint-sized puppy full of rambunctious energy—and Mr. Higgins—an older, more distinguished canine—can create quite a loud fuss over just about anything. A stolen tennis ball or a snatched-away treat are all it takes to declare war between the two—and it happens at least once every single day. Toby is always the instigator. I dropped him off at the vet very early this morning. The long drive home gave me time to think about the peaceful afternoon I was about to enjoy! A day without snapping and yapping and begging to go out—I could hardly wait to get there!

When I pulled into the driveway, good old Mr. Higgins, lazy as he is, greeted me at the front window. When Abbey pulled in behind me, I had to look twice at what appeared to be a huge, stuffed animal sitting on her lap. “What on earth?” I thought out loud. “Did she go pick up Toby? Why would she do that—he hasn’t been there but for an hour.” But it wasn’t Toby—it was a shaggy, long-haired, cream-colored Lhasa Apso, in desperate need of grooming (yep, that's him, right there to the left). “I found him wandering in the street,” she said. “I couldn’t just leave him there—he might have been hit by a car!” I envisioned my entire afternoon swallowed up by caring for this unknown animal. “Let’s get back in your car,” I told her. “I’ll help you knock on doors.” So we did and we found the rightful owner of Mr. Lhasa Apso. “What’s his name?” we asked her. “Hampton,” she said, obviously grateful we had restored him to her. “Goodbye Hampton,” I sang as we walked down the driveway to Abbey’s Honda. "Hello peaceful afternoon!"

Thanks for reading,