We had a small scare on Tuesday night. My adopted (from a rescue organization) dog went "missing" for 3 hours. He's been known to dig under the fence and carouse in the neighborhood, but we'd thought we'd patched up all the exits from the yard with chicken wire.
Well, we couldn't find him, even after calling his name, offering dog "cookies," and shaking his jangly leash for a walk. I ended up driving a radius of 5 miles asking anyone out walking a dog to please, please, if you see him, pick up that stray Boston Terrier and call the number on his tag if he crossed their paths.
To my chagrin, we eventually found him underneath our backyard deck, in a very dark recess, afraid to emerge. We don't know why.
This personal story leads up to today's Offbeat piece. We've all heard about it. Dogs and cats that can find their way home after getting lost, being accidentally displaced, or even being swept up by a tornado. I'd like to think my dogs are that attuned, that they could somehow find their way back home, but I'm not sure.
Here's an interesting article on this subject from the Straight Dope. (This is an insightful website with a unique take on what is rumor and what is fact. Bookmark Straight Dope for the next time you have a question about an urban legend, a myth, or what I would call the "pets getting home" topic--where else do I get this information?) Does it really happen?
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2323/can-dogs-and-cats-really-find-their-way-home-over-long-distances-as-in-incredible-journey
Happy first weekend of summer to everyone. Pray for those fighting fires in over ten US states, and be grateful if your vacation/picnic/potluck goes off without a hitch. I am picturing my many friends squishing melted marshmallows on top of Hershey bars, on top of graham crackers. S'mores!
No comments:
Post a Comment