That is, I was in the “people house”

It happened a while back and I meant to tell you about it then, but stuff happened. For one thing, we had a visitor with us and that took my mind off of things. My mommy’s friend from Boston was here. They used to teach in the same school and carpooled from the suburbs into Boston. She is a nice lady, she walked me in the mornings because my mommy has been limping lately. Since she’s gone now, my mommy rides the golf cart and I walk in front of it. It looks like I’m pulling the golf cart along.

But yesterday my mommy came home and told me about a puppy she tried to rescue and couldn’t. She was pretty upset about it. Mommy and Jean were driving on Thacker Avenue coming back from the acupuncturist, and there was this little puppy right out there ready to dart into traffic. Jean stopped the car and held up all kinds of traffic behind her while my mommy tried to get the puppy. Every time she got close the puppy ran back off the street, but then when she headed to the car, the puppy came back out ready to run into traffic. She finally gave up and now she can’t stop thinking about that poor little doggie.

She said “see, that could have been you”. I knew right away what she was talking about. I got in BIG trouble a few weeks ago. Boy, was she mad.

Here’s what happened. One day back in January, when we went for our usual morning walk it was time to turn around and head back home, I didn’t want to. I stopped and wouldn’t move, she had to pull and pull and finally get me up off the ground. I couldn’t go back home then, I just couldn’t! You know I am a canine expert on mysterious things going on in Solivita and this was something that needed investigating. There was an odor I will never forget and I needed to get to the bottom of things. Of course she won the tug of war, but she had to practically drag me all the way home.

Well I like to sit out in the courtyard when we get back and watch people going by and bark at the dogs that walk past. But that day, my mommy didn’t get the gate latch quite closed. I was able to push my nose into the gate and open it. I was off and heading toward the mysterious odor when this man and woman in a truck stopped. I am a very friendly dog, so I went over to say hello to them. Then they scooped me right up. Boy was I disgusted. I didn’t even know those people but Peter next door told them where I lived and minutes later there I was back home. When the man rang the doorbell and asked mommy if she was missing a dog, she nearly panicked. She always tells everybody how good I am and that they don’t have to worry when they come in or leave my house because I would never run away. She was surprised, but mainly just mad—at me. I wasn’t allowed to stay in the courtyard for a long time after that and now she makes sure she has that latch securely in place.

She was mad, but I was offended. I know my way around my neighborhood and I know my neighbors, they are all friends of mine. I don’t need any stranger taking me back home like I’m a two-year old.

Worst of all, there is that mystery in Solivita that will never be solved.