This past weekend I went to Austin to see my family and spend some time on the lake. All was good and fun, until I got home. See I had left Willow in a dog run at my parents house, along with their dog Manna. Willow loves Manna, and since Emma and Holly have died Manna and Willow have become best friends. So, Friday morning around 10 am I left them in the kennel and headed out to the lake. I returned Sunday morning to pick her up early so we could go home and get the house cleaned before the Pampered Chef party I was hosting.
It was so crazy because I had a feeling over the weekend that she might not be there when I returned, but the thought left my mind so quickly I wasn't worried. My worst nightmare was true when I came back to find only Manna waiting to greet me. Panic set in and I began knocking on neighbors doors trying to explain (through some major tears and sobs) what had happened and asking if they had seen or picked up Willow. A really nice family across the street got in their cars and on bikes to ride the trails surrounding the street and helped me look for her. If you've never seen my parents house, the picture below will give you a good idea of the landscape. Woods, woods and more woods.
I had no idea how long she'd been gone, whether it was two days or just a few hours, so a million thoughts crossed my mind as we searched. After Jenni arrived to help we went knocking on other doors hoping someone had spotted her and taken her in, but had no luck. Eventually we had to go home to get ready for the Pampered Chef party, so my dad continued the search when he arrived home a couple hours behind me. I made flyers and had emails sent to all of the surrounding neighborhoods and slowly calls began coming in that people had been seeing her over across the river in the Weston Lakes neighborhood. I was so glad she had been spotted alive!! (Later I was a little less amuzed that everyone had seen her and not stopped to pick her up) Finally as the Pampered Chef party was coming to an end my cell phone rang, and it was 24 Hour Pet Watch! They are the company who made Willow's microchip and I had spoken with them earlier to file a missing dog report. They were calling to say that she had been found and that her rescuer was on the line waiting to give me directions to come get her!
I have never been so relieved in my life!!!!!!!!!!! Turns out my dad had been driving by just as this lady picked Willow up, and he assumed it was her dog since he only saw half of the dog's body, so he drove on searching. Not ten minutes later he turned around and brought her home to me!!!
I wish I had taken a close up picture of her when she arrived home, it was a sad look for her!! I was reminded of how dirty she was when I first got her from the pound.
Her entire bottom side and all of her paws were COVERED in burs, grass, weeds, thorns etc. She had obviously been through the woods and back!! OH and the smell.........let's just say it was bad.
However she ran right in the house and came to me for some petting, but was clearly either embarrased or traumatized. We later decided she was traumatized and probably scared most of the time she was away. She loves people so much I can only imagine what she was thinking the whole time! We think she at least spent one night away since she was sighted over a mile away early yesterday morning.
After a pitiful attempt at a bath we wrapped her up and spent 3 hours combing the burs and other allergy filled grime out of her fur.
She was so tired she slept the entire time and didn't cry once when we pulled on her hair!
After a full night of sleep and a good (maybe supersized breakfast) she's pretty much back to her old self.
She is such a good pup and I was a MESS when I thought I had lost her.
I owe huge thank you's to everyone who helped find her....
JENNI- who was the best for helping calm me down and then helping groom her for 3 hours! Mom and Dad, Uncle Mark, Mrs. Palmer, even Gina was at home in Austin calling Houston shelters to see if Willow had been taken in....without their help I would have been one sad puppy-less lady! Thanks for all your help and prayers, Willow is home safe and sound!
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In the shark at a local gift shop, one of the traditional part of the Port Royal experience! Below is the view from our condo, it was so pretty to wake up and see the ocean!
This year we discovered sand crabs that come out at night when the tide is low, you can barely see them because they burrow in the sand, but once you dig them up you can see they're pretty big! I thought I had found the biggest one yet, but it turned out they were a pair of mating crabs, go figure!
Laura and I enjoying the beach on our last day!
She was so tired she slept the entire time and didn't cry once when we pulled on her hair!
