by John Meissner
One day this past summer, Meggie, my Miniature Schnauzer got out of my car while it was parked in front of my work place. It was warm, so I left the two front windows rolled down a bit to get that good cross-'dog' ventilation going, so she'd stay cool. Well, the window were down TOO much, and Meggie jumped out. As near as I can figure, she came to the front door looking for me. When she didn't find me, she decided to go on an adventure by herself. Meggie has a very outgoing personality, and will go up to anybody to say hi! Well, she ended up walking around the corner to the auto parts store next door, where some really nice people found her and took her home. In the meantime, I decided to go out and check on her, since I hadn't done so in awhile. Well, when I went out to the car and discovered she was gone, my heart broke into a million pieces! After having sent my best friend Willis (Please visit him at http://www.aone.com/~rbartley/willis.html) to the Rainbow Bridge the previous summer, being without a dog for 5 and a half months and only having Meggie for a short time, I was grief stricken. I looked up and down the street, drove the neighborhood, called friends, whatever I could think of. And, since I work in radio, I even went on the air, asking for help in finding Meggie. Then, I'd do it all over again! I'd go out and look up and down the street, asking no one in particular: "Why?" And I'd talk to Meggie-"Why did you leave? Are you okay? Are you scared? Are you hurt? Are you hungry? Please Meggie, please come home! I love you, I need you!" But, just a short time before all this happened, I made what turned out to be an incredibly smart decision, spending five dollars for a tag with her name and phone number. Actually, since I didn't have a phone at the time, I put my friend's phone number on it. Well, he called me late that night, giving me the phone number of the people who found her. Boy, oh boy, was I ever excited! My heart soared, I was so full of joy! I went to get her, and the lady who had her said what a joy it was to take care of her. She told me how Meggie had fun playing with her children, and how they even fed her a banana! All told, we were apart for 8 and-a-half hours, which was a really long time, considering the fact that we have never spent the night apart since she came home with me when she was seven weeks old. Meggie is now 13 and-a-half months old, and my love for her grows more everyday! To think of how close I came to losing her scares me. That tag represents the best five dollars I have EVER spent! It allowed me to be reunited with my best friend. And, I am forver thankful!
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