Jake

I'm never sure what to expect when my partner and I arrive for these exchanges. Most of the time, the people we meet don't know, either. This was clearly no exception. When our little sedan pulled up to the curb, the young woman looked petrified. I stepped out of the vehicle and opened the back door. Jake bounded from the back seat and I released the breath I'd been holding. He was home!

Sinking to her knees, the woman was doing her best to keep her beautiful brindle boxer still while he smothered her in unbridled affection. She asked, “You're not from the pound?”

“Oh, no, Miss Collins. Jake was never at the shelter, and we're not city employees. We're just volunteers that help get lost pups back home.”

“But he's been gone for 2 weeks! I was ready to give up!”

“Well, it's kind of funny, really,” I chuckled, “The man that called us lives just across the park.” I motioned in a generally diagonal direction toward the huge expanse of trees and grass a block away.

“Really? I walked over there twice a day every day for the first week, trying to find him. I called the pound until they were tired of my calls, even though they did their best to be polite. But how..”

“Well, Jake here, started showing up at a house across the street from the man's home and laying in the grass outside the chain link. The man that lived there put out water for him a couple of times, but Jake was pretty nervous and kept running away. The man has 2 cats, so he couldn't bring the dog inside.

“These neighbor guys talk to each other quite a bit, and the first guy - let's call him “Mr. Smith” just to make things easier, decided to try to get Jake to stay in one place. Mr. Smith didn't know Jake's name or anything, of course. The thing is, he's a dog lover – I mean the guy really loves dogs and has 2 of the nicest Pit mixes you'd ever want to meet. In fact, they'd been going nuts every time Jake walked by while they were in the back yard.

“Anyway, Mr. Smith had dog treats and food, so he sat on the lawn by his side door while his wife kept their dogs calm inside the house. It took a long time, but he coaxed Jake over with a big treat and a bowl of water. His wife brought out a bowl of dog food, which scared Jake off at first, but he came back and ate it all, then relaxed and laid down on Mr Smith's feet. That's when he called me.”

I could see the confusion in her eyes. “So, you guys are friends?”

“No, not exactly. I run a social media site for lost and found dogs. A lot of people don't want to call the shelter because too many dog owners never come get them, and an overcrowded shelter doesn't have lot of options. He knew about me and my group, so he gave me a call.”

“But how did you find my phone number?”

“Well, we got lucky. When you got Jake chipped, you didn't register him in the National Database, but the Humane Society still had your information on file. They gave us your phone number and we've been calling all afternoon.”

The poor woman was blubbering like a baby by this time but tried to explain, “I was at work, and they don't let me answer my phone there...”

“It's fine, really. When you answered and gave us Jake's name, I whispered it to Mr. Smith. It was the cutest thing to watch. Jake was actually dozing off, but when Mr. Smith said, 'Hey, Jake?' he jumped up and just looked at him like, 'How do you know my name?'

“Mr Smith walked to the back door of my car and opened it and said, “Wanna' go home, Jake?” That good boy there ran over to the car, sat down in the seat and looked at him like, “You coming?” The guy just gave Jake ear scratches and another treat and said, 'Have a good life, buddy!' And here we are.”

Jake was settling down, and I could see the relief and exhaustion on Ms. Collins' face. “I probably should tell you one more thing. When we leave here, I'm going to make a quick phone call. Mr. Smith asked me to do something I'm not really supposed to do, but I think you both deserve it. When I drop off a dog, I'm required to make a few quick assessments. Jake obviously loves you and missed you. I'm going to watch while you get him back inside to be sure he's comfortable in your home. And then I'm going to call Mr. Smith and reassure him that we all did the right thing. Okay?”

Her smile beamed while the tears continued to flow. “Yes! I guess he really is a dog lover!” She let go of Jake, walked up the steps of her front porch, opened it and looked at him. Jake took two gigantic leaps and bounded completely over the steps and through the door, then sat and looked at her with his tongue lolling to the side. She followed him in and stood in the doorway by his side.

Laughing and waving, my partner and I climbed back into the car and I was already on the phone with “Mr. Smith.” I thanked him and he assured me it was his pleasure, and we agreed that Dana was a great name for dog rescuers, since it was the one we both happened to have.

I pushed the “End Call” button and turned to my partner, Joan. “Think we'll see Jake again?”

She sighed as she turned the corner and headed toward my place to drop me off. “I don't know, but he sure made some friends today, didn't he?”

“You know,” I replied, “I think we all did.”

***

Something a bit different for the Small Kindness Challenge. There's still a little time left, so hurry and get your entry in:

Author's Note: The story is true, but this conversation is imagined, since I wasn't there when they finally took Jake home. Yes, it was a woman named Dana I knew was a rescuer and I called her number on the Lost and Found Dogs page. She and her partner go to incredible lengths to get lost and stolen dogs back to their homes.

I've haven't seen Jake since, but we bonded that day and I sometimes wonder if he's okay. "Miss Collins" is a fictitious name, since these volunteers aren't allowed to share personal information about owners or other people involved in getting their dogs back to them.

All of the dogs that have shared my home in my adult life have been rescued from the shelter. They're family members. They protect our property, the neighbors love them and we spoil them rotten.