Lost and found

Wednesday was a stressful day for me.

Everything started off well with an early morning trip to the park, followed by a nutritious breakfast and a well deserved nap.

Where things deviated from normal (Plan A) was during my afternoon walk. For whatever reason, I got distracted and separated from my dog walking pack leader and didn't know it until I couldn't track them down.

So I did what any self-respecting dogger would do, I found another dog to play with while I waited from Plan B to take effect.

I have no idea what Plan B is but apparently it went something like this;

• A phone call to my monkey at 2:45 or so alerting him to the fact I was missing,
• My monkey leaving work and heading to my last known location,
• My walking group leader initiating a search for me at my last known location,
• Asking passer byes if they had seen, "a knee high brown dog wearing a black vest",
• Narrowing and redirecting the search area based on that information,
• My monkey arriving on the scene around 3:30 and quite worried,
• My pack leader Karen (aka mom) monitoring our v.mail from her work very far away, for anyone who may have found me and called the number on my dog tag,
  
• Meanwhile my monkey on the ground canvassing the routes I was familiar with including; my Spanish Banks running route to the western dog beach, Admiralty, Pioneer and the other Spanish Banks trails, my rabbit hunting grounds, the duck ponds, all of the beach from Jericho East to Spanish Banks West,
  
• My monkey deciding running the routes was fastest, in his work suit and the shoes I am not allowed to chew,
• Recruiting any volunteers who offered to help in the search. In the end there were probably a couple dozen on the look out for me and some even going out of their way to help,
• Many cell calls back and forth coordinating the search and finding more searchers,
• By 4:30 my monkey was very, very worried as it was getting dark,
• My walking pack heading to my house in case I made my way home which required crossing Alma, MacDonald and 4th during evening rush hour!
• My monkey very, very, very worried and thinking "dog-napping" by 4:45
• Around 5:00 my mom (coordinating from afar) relayed that Adam, a nice man who knew I was lost, had brought me home with him and called to give us his address.
  

In the end I was only a block from home, safe and sound. I was a little worked up over the whole separation thing, but no lasting effects. Apparently I am now working on recall and proximity training again.

I heard my monkey says he's thinking of getting an Astro collar later this year. I wonder if its for me or him?

The Gaffer

PS Shika you wanted this link