Being lost
Last Sunday we were invited in the village to a 40 years wedding anniversary. We had a great time, the food, the company, the music, the entertainment and obviously, the drinks were fantastic. The invitation was for 'as from 11.30 AM' and we were there about midday. We did not come home until about 7.00 PM and Alan decided to go for a long walk to get the alcohol out of his system which had slowly been building up as we had been out the previous evening as well to a function from his shooting club. As he is not used to having a mobile with him, I specifically told him to take it with him this time. He also decided to take Aischa, our little Yorkshire terrier, with him.
When it started to get dark, I was worried and phoned him, however without success. I tried several time and each time had the same result. I was getting frantic, thinking that something might have happened. In the end, I went out of the house hoping I could see him coming. I saw him coming around the corner and he was on his own! He told me that he had lost Aischa and was very upset, especially as we had just lost our other Yorkshire terrier Krümmel, albeit through old age.
We left the doors to the garden open in case Aischa would find her way back and left in the car. However, where Alan had been walking was cross-country over dirt tracks. My car is not built for tracks like that and the Landrover had been taken to the garage the previous week. The tracks were full of holes and by this time, it was dark. We stopped at places where we thought she might be and called her. We went up and down the tracks and were stuck a few times. In the end we gave up and drove back, hoping that she would have found her way back home on her own. And she had!
When we arrived back home she was trying to get into the front door and the gate to the drive was closed. I wondered about that and then I saw the girl next door. She was still shaking when she told me that she and her boyfriend had come around the corner when Aischa ran in front of the car. They only just missed her! She took her to the front door and rang the bell but nobody opened and all the lights were on!
It was than when I turned on Alan, who was still upset. He very seldom looks back when he takes the dog(s) for a walk. He just assumes she will follow him, which she normally does. However, sometimes she takes her time to sniff at things and is left behind. In addition, why did he not answer the phone when I called him? He had left it in the garage before he left. He put it down to get his coat on and forgot all about it. I just hope this has taught him a lesson but all the same I' pleased that all worked out okay in the end.