The Day He Left Me

After a 90 minute shopping trip, I arrived to an empty house. Before I left, I kissed Ramone and told him I would be back soon. He obviously couldn't wait.

Our new house has a doggie-door that leads into the back yard. I figured it was the perfect solution to the long days I sometimes work. Without Joe here, Ramone would be cooped up for 12 hours without a potty break. With the doggie-door, he could come and go as he pleased. The door was working fine for the first week that he used it, but something happened last Friday that changed everything. While I was gone for a mere 90 minutes, Ramone dug a hole under our fence and was gone.

There is nothing like that feeling of terror when you realize that something is not right. At first, I thought he was hiding from me. Then I saw the paw prints in the dirt and the hole under the fence. He ran away! He had never run away in his life! I instantly thought that he was mad at me and I had done something wrong. Why else would he dig a hole to escape his life? I called Joe, broke down into tears, and then grabbed my bike to frantically cruise around the neighborhood, yelling his name between sobs. After riding for 10 minutes, I got a call from a number I did not recognize.

"Excuse me, can I speak with Joseph Carr?"

"This is his fiancee, Ashley."

"This is Officer Vitelli from Portland Animal Control. Do you have a dog named Tanner?"

Tanner! His original Humane Society name. When Joe and I changed it, we thought we would never have to hear it again, but here it was, coming back to haunt me. He is in the microchip database as "Tanner".

"Yes, Tanner is mine."

"Well, Ashley, I found him dodging traffic on 92nd and Taylor. He looked really confused and scared. I lassoed him and I've got him in the back of the truck. I can bring him by your house. Where abouts do you live? Ivy St?"

I told him that we have moved from Ivy St to Hassalo St and that I hadn't changed his id tag yet. When I told the officer where we lived, he couldn't believe it. Ramone had run 2 miles south on a busy Friday afternoon. He crossed 4 major intersections. I shudder to think about it.

When he was dropped off, he was scared and submissive. I gave him a bath and told him how much I loved him. The officer was extremely nice and made the whole situation a lot easier for me.

The disappearance got me thinking of other things, "what ifs", if you will. What if he was hit by a car and was maimed? What if he died? What if a nice family picked him up and took him in? What if a prostitute hanging out on 82nd took him in? What if he ran away because he really was mad at me? What if he was only chasing a squirrel? These questions, I guess, will never be answered.

Joe returned last night from his 3-week vacation. As I get ready for work, the two boys are in bed, cuddling and slumbering. I realize that I love them more than anything. I am so glad that I have both back, safe, sound, warm, and snuggly.