Mike was over in Portland so was going to be home very late. I had gone to bed but just after midnight Molly started pacing. Back and forward. Coming up next to the bed and thumping her chin on it to wake me up. Pacing again. I figured she probably needed to go out for a wee and told her to hold on.
Pace pace pace even more.
So at 12.30am I groggily got out of bed, dressing gown on and took her outside. She went over to where she usually goes, but then decided to turn and walk into the front yard, so I followed. Then she saw the front gate was opened ready for Mike to drive in, and before I knew it she walked right out.
Black dog + black night = frantic Carol.
I started to race after her but she completely had disappeared into the night. Quickly inside, grabbed her leash and a torch but she was gone. Oh God, my poor dear sweet Molly, I was in tears when only a few minutes later Mike's car came round the corner, he was home. Wondering what I was doing out in my pyjamas. In tears I told him.
So he grabbed another torch and what a pair we made. Walking down our street, shining torches into people's yard, softly calling out "Molly" ... me in my pyjamas and Mike in a tuxedo! No sight nor sound. How far could she have gone. She's 12 years old, she gets muddled.
We drove around in the car after that, round the block, nothing. No moving shadows, no barking dogs, nothing. By this stage I was in despair. Came back home to check in case she was sitting by the back door, she wasn't. I pulled on clothes and Mike decided to head down to the highway which is a block away, the trucks hurtle down there of a night. I decided to head up our street up to the golf course which is one of her favourite walks.
By this stage it had gotten to about 1.15am. In tears we met back, well okay I was in tears, Mike was all business. What to do? My heart ached when Mike said we were looking for a needle in a haystack in the night, that we should leave the gate open, the back light on and hope against hope that she would curl up in someone's garden where it was nice and cool and we'd go out at first light and find she'd be laying in her bed at the back door. I knew I wouldn't sleep a wink.
We were both just looking at each other in the loungeroom when Mike thought of a crazy idea. Could Lucky track her? I thought he was stark raving mad and had watched way too many Lassie movies as a child, but anything was worth a try. I grabbed Lucky's lead and he thought all his Christmasses had come at once going out for a walk in the dark.
Running down the driveway he was pulling like he always does at the start of a walk, making his little sounds, leash was jingling and all of a sudden out of the dark Molly comes running in the driveway, I guess thinking she was missing out and almost pounced on him to play.
OH THANK YOU GOD!
I grabbed her, put her leash on and quite frankly forgot all about it being nearly 1.30am and started yelling out, "Mike, Mike, I've got her". Goodness knows what the neighbours must have heard, particularly as it was a very still night. I didn't care, I had my girl back.
I can't bear to think about the what ifs. What if she decided to head to the highway and was hit by a truck hoofing it through town? What if she made it to the golf course and got through the wire fence and got herself lost on the fairways? What if she just didn't know how to get back from wherever she went? Which now I think about it she was probably in a yard very near to where we were, but we just don't know.
What a night. After 5 and a half hours sleep I was up for work. I have been wrecked all day. A bit long winded? Sorry about that, but it was certainly a night for lots of emotions last night. This girl is one of the greatest loves of my life and it was all my fault and I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to her.
On the scrapping front...
One of the latest pages I have made for the book for my nephews. Err yes, that is my hat! Surely everyone has a hat like this? Anyone? Anyone at all?
And with that I'm off to bed.
5 comments:
I'm sorry you had such a scare and grateful that it turned out okay!
Oh my goodness, I could feel your panic and distress just reading it. So glad there was a happy ending. Just caught up on all your news, you are very organised for the silly season!!! Love all the pages for the boys, what a treasure for them.
Oh, Carol! I thought she'd passed away!! It must have been awful with Mike not home. I'm so glad he and Lucky were able to get her back home and she is fine!
OK, my heart fell to the floor after I read the words "I lost Molly" I had to stop reading and quickly scan your e-mail lower down to the part in bold that said "Thank you god" and then I knew it was ok to read the story. Hugs that everything turned out OK!!! Had a scare quite similar to this in the thick of night while camping near a very dangerous stream (with my dog, Candy, that loved water). Panic of all panics set in when we realized she wasn't at our campsite. Was she going to be eaten by a wild animal, fall into the stream, or just plain drift too far in the middle of the unfamiliar woods at night. She came mozying over to us after frantic searching...sigh. Hope your blood pressure has returned to normal.
Frantic night with a happy ending, and a smiling face.
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