Heartspeak Blog

Recently, on a walk through my neighborhood, I noticed a dog wandering a block away. A driver stopped, parked his car, and pointed through his open window. “See him over there?”

I nodded. The man got out and approached the canine, medium size with a tan coat.

With every step the man took, the dog retreated four. He wagged his tail but wouldn’t even consider an outstretched hand.

In desperation, the man turned to me. “Can you catch him? I think there’s a collar with an I.D. under that bandana.” He walked back to his car. “Sorry I can’t stay and help.”

The man drove off with an apologetic wave. Pup and I engaged in a staring contest while I considered how to catch a dog that didn’t want to be caught.

Since he seemed friendly at a distance, I started a conversation. “Hey, boy! Wanna come home with me? I’ve got a fenced yard and a water dish.”

Good plan, except we still had twelve blocks to go. Would he stay with me that long?

While I kept to the sidewalk and offered a steady stream of encouraging words, Pup darted into front yards and back, sniffed tree trunks, and yipped at birds. I phoned my husband at home and asked him to open the back gate and fill a water dish.

Pup and I meandered in a southward direction for about 20 minutes.

Remarkably, the good boy never wandered far away. He even inched a bit closer as we reached a busy street. Though he still wouldn’t let me touch him, we made it home unscathed. He trotted through our open gate with very little persuasion, heading for a cool drink.

Soon he felt safe, and he let us pet him and read his collar: “Rowdy,” it said, with a phone number.

The next moments passed quickly. We made the call, the owner came, and Rowdy hopped into her car without a glance back.

She thanked us, explaining she lived on the other side of town. Our call prompted her to check her fence, where she discovered a gaping board. More thanks, and she drove away with the happy tail-wagger in her back seat.

Would Rowdy have found his way home without me? Would another Good Samaritan have stopped to help if I hadn’t?

We’ll never know, but I’m glad I was the one to find him. Our brief friendship gave me a good feeling and a happy memory.

And, the fulfilling of a biblical mandate:

Deuteronomy 22:1 (CEV)

If you see a cow or sheep [or dog!] wandering around lost, take the animal back to its owner.