Six months ago, back in May of this year, someone left a 'lost dog' flyer in our mailbox. His name was Aldo, a white lab mix, very friendly the flyer said. His owners missed him very much. There was a picture of Aldo, sweet looking dog, and I felt sorry for the owners, because I know what it's like to have a beloved pet go missing. I kept the flyer on my fridge for several weeks, then I took it down and put it in a kitchen drawer--just in case. Last night I found the flyer in the drawer. I took it out and laid it on the counter, thinking I need to just throw it away now.
Today, I finally did toss it into the trashcan, thinking I sure hope they got him back. No sooner had I done that, I heard a dog barking in the back yard. I looked outside and saw this white lab, barking like crazy at our Buddy Cat who scurried inside the open door. I could not believe it. I got the flyer out of the trash and went outside where the dog came trotting up to me, and I said, "Are you Aldo?" It had to be. He was very friendly, so he let Neil check his bone-shaped dog tag and sure enough the name on the tag was 'Aldo' with the same phone number as on the flyer.
Neil tied Aldo on a long rope and we called the owner and left a message. She came by later this afternoon to pick him up. As it turns out, Aldo had not been missing since May. They did get him back eventually. But it seems Aldo is quite the escape artist and has been lost and found several times over the past six months. He had been missing for a day this time. He lives on our street about a half a mile from our house. I do hope Aldo stays put this time. I fear for his safety. Our street is heavily traveled. But if he does show up at our back door again, at least we can take him safely back home.