One Scared Puppy...and a Dog

I have been staying with an incredibly gracious friend for the last month and a half. He is a dog lover and has rescued a greyhound or 2 in his lifetime. Right now, his baby is Dexter. About a week ago Dexter got out. It's a horrible feeling and I was SO glad it didn't happen on my watch.

This week, my baby, Cecelia has been here too. Did I mention how amazingly gracious my friend is?! On Wednesday, I went to a movie and headed home. I wanted to get to bed early because I had an early meeting. I ended up getting stuck in traffic. I turned onto my friend's street and I see him walking toward me with a flashlight. Uh oh.

"Cecelia got out. It hasn't been more than 5 minutes" I wanted to barf. He climbed into my car and off we were. A neighbor overheard us and told us that he had just seen her. We set off in that direction - straight toward the retail area...

We stopped by a house where there were a bunch of kids drinking in the garage ~ undoubtedly the ones that set Cecelia off with the fireworks. "Uh, no, we haven't" "OK, if you see a 45 lb dog with golden hair, please try & get her" "Wait...does she look like a fox? Yeah, I saw her over there about 5 minutes ago!" (sure a fat short version of a fox...).

And we drove off. And around. And around. AAAAnnnd around... My friend walked around while I drove. Then I parked and walked. And then I drove some more. My friend ran into some fellas that had seen her at Gamestop - very close to the state road...

Still no luck. It had been nearing 2 hours. I dropped my friend off and made one more attempt. I drove north on the state road, on the shoulder with hazards on going about 4 miles per hour. I was just about to turn off the road and I caught a glimpse of a Cecelia shaped movement!

My heart leapt. My anxiety, still high, but overwhelmed with relief. I called to her & without even so much as looking up, she headed toward my voice ~ straight into traffic.

I was already on the shoulder and threw the car into park & jumped out. The intersection we were at is probably one of THE most dangerous ones in the area. It's wide and angled. Just all around dangerous and my puppy was walking into it.

She was southbound and the traffic was all northbound and far enough away that I was able to run out into the intersection without risk of getting hit, as long as the drivers were paying attention. Cecelia stopped and sat when I told her and I leashed her. She went straight to the car and sat in her place and seemed quite content to be there. I mapped it and if she only walked a straight line, it was 1.4 miles.

The next morning, she was being a royal bitch. I have been caging her since I am concerned that she would pee in my friend's house ~ well, she cussed me out and flipped her bowl. When my friend got home later that day, he came home to a stinky house and a urine saturated dog bed in the cage.

I can't blame her. She's confused and scared. My friend scares me too! :D

We didn't see where she escaped. we concluded that she had to have climbed the fence. I found it hard to believe, but we had no other ideas...until daylight. My friend found the escape hatch. In a matter of mere minutes, she managed to eat through the chain link fence.

Things you learn by owning a convertible:

Last September, I bought a powder blue convertible VW Beetle. It’s a car that I always wanted and it has quickly proven to me that you shouldn’t always get what you want. To say it’s been less than what I expected would be an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute and I look adorable in it (…duh…) but, all-in-all, I can’t wait until I can afford to get something else.

For the time being, I have to make the best of it and try to enjoy the summer with the top down. Here are a few things that I have learned while owning this car:

People will just talk to you. Think about it…when you are driving around, how often do you engage in a conversation with anyone outside the confines of your own vehicle? Now, I know there are occasions where you pass someone you know and give a “hayyy,” or when you need some Grey Poupon,, but when was the last time you talked to someone you didn’t know. If you are anything like me, it would only be to cuss them out behind your closed window when they cut you off.

It happens to me all. the. time. With the top down, people seem to think it’s an open invitation to converse. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t (generally) mind it, but it is a bit invasive at times. I realized while I was driving around a neighborhood that people spoke to me more while I was driving in the convertible than when I walked past them on the sidewalk. It was an interesting observation.

Does the type of vehicle matter, I wonder? Does the “personality” of the Beetle attract it more than other more pretentious vehicles like a BMW or Mercedes (they have convertibles, right?).

Another lesson learned: You shouldn’t wear a skirt with the top down. Really, no further explanation is needed on this one, is there?

You really need to be aware of loose items in the car as they will no longer be in the car once the top is down and car is in motion. Even that random straw wrapper that you didn’t know was there…it will let you (and all the other drivers in eye shot) know it’s presence and then it will make you an unintentional litterer.

Sunglasses aren’t sufficient. You really need a visor or hat unless you have those uber cool sunglasses that were popular in 1982 that had the side-blinders and were super close you your face. You even need the hat when the top is up because the windows are so high and the built in visor is tiny, so you need something to help block the sun.

Lastly, your hair must be secured and be prepared, even with having back, it will feel like straw.

Since I typed this, I came up with a few other things, but I can't remember most of them now. One that I did think of was actually related to the "Beetle" aspect of the car, not the convertible one... and that is, it's fun to see who around you still plays "slug bug."