May 9th, 2011

It was 8:00 am and I just got Lauren onto her bus for Kindergarten.  I turned on the computer and sat down.  Within seconds there was a knock at our door, a loud knock.  I had a feeling it was about our missing dog, Elson.  I looked out the window and saw a police car.  Sydney was playing nearby and I was hoping I could keep myself in check if it was bad news.  I was prepared for bad news since Elson was missing for a week now, blind, and not blessed in the brains department.  Here’s how it went down:

Policewoman: Do you have a missing dog?

Me: Yes….

PW: Has he been missing since this morning?

Me: No, he’s been gone for a week, did you find him?

PW: A week? Yes, he’s right up the street.

Me: Is he……okay?

PW: Yes, a man is standing on the corner with him.

Me: You mean he’s completely fine?

PW: Yes, you want to go get him?

Me: Like he’s not hurt or anything?  He’s blind.

PW: (Laughing) We figured that out.  Soooo, do you want to go get him?

Me: I’ll have to walk up with my 3 year old, so you’re telling me it’s okay for her to see the dog, he’s not bleeding or anything?

PW: No, he’s fine.

Me: Sydney, get your shoes on, we’re going to get Elson!

Sydney: Yay, Elson is back!  Jumping the fence is a no no.

Me to PW: He’s a grey and brown blue heeler, that’s the dog you have?

PW: Yes, just go to the corner and I’ll meet you there.

So apparently Elson was walking down a four lane road a block from our house.  The cars all stopped and Elson started bumping into the stopped cars.  It was then apparent to the drivers he was blind.  One lady called the police and an older man had his dog in the car with him and a leash.  So he used his leash to walk Elson to the side of the road so the other cars could go on their way.  The police came and saw our address on his collar and drove to our house.  He looked just like he did the day he jumped the fence, except a little thinner.  So this blind dog that is fairly high maintenance in our household and has much difficulty maneuvering around without bumping into things was able to survive a week in the world and come back absolutely fine.  I was over the moon and completely shocked.  To this day I’m still shocked and constantly wonder what in the world he was up to.  Our theory is he lived in these woods by our house and that’s why nobody noticed him and then this morning he wandered his way out into the neighborhood.  Thankfully, the weather the week he was gone wasn’t too extreme.  I took him home, gave the man his leash back, profusely thanked him for his help, and lead Elson into the house.  He bumped into a couple things, I gave him some food and water, he licked the floor under where the girls chairs are in the kitchen (a highly performed routine), went to the living room, plopped down, and took a big ol’ nap.

Just last night, Trent and I were talking about how crazy it is we got the dog back.  Yesterday I came home to trash all over the laundry room floor because Elson knocked down a full trash can and went to town chewing things up, I cleaned it up thankful he was home safe to be a little stinker.