The Garage Sale Dog

             After taking the children to school one morning, I saw a sign for a garage sale.  I was at the time into collecting old records and bells.  I decided to stop on the way back and see if I could find these items.  It was early and not everything was put out yet.  The lady holding the garage sale kept going in and out of the house bringing things out.  I wasn't the only one stopping early.  The theory on this was, stop early and find the best deals.  Or at least, I thought that was the case.

                I felt an apology necessary, “I hope you don’t mind my coming early.”

                “No.  Not at all!  Just look around and see if you find what you want.  If not, simply ask as I may just not have it out yet."

                It proved to be what I thought; a useless stop.  And so it was for others stopping.  They left before me.  But then, I saw a large box under a tree.  I walked over and saw three little black puppies inside.  I reached out and started to rub one.  The lady had everything out now and saw me bent over the box rubbing a puppy.

                “Would you like a puppy?” she asked.

                “No, we have a dog,” I answered.  “But thank you anyway.”

                I had opened myself up for conversation.  Before I left, I took with me a little black male Labrador retriever puppy.  I didn’t need another dog.   But I still was sure this little fellow would be accepted by the children and husband.  And so, it came about as Scotty became a member of the family.  I wonder how many pets a person can own in a life time.  There always seems to be room for another.

                Scotty did not become an inside dog.  Our other dog, Zundel, was not one either.  The big size dogs lived outside.  Since we had just bought our house, we didn’t yet have a fenced in back yard.  Zundel never went beyond the yard.  She was an older dog now and was more settled in her ways.  Scotty wondered away.  He was always back for feeding though.  We kept fresh water out.  And of course, the food was given at the time of his coming for it.

                I couldn’t wait until that fence was put up around the back yard.  I figured Scotty was becoming a nuisance to some of the neighbors.  Besides, both dogs need that fenced yard.  I couldn’t see chaining either dog.  It seemed wrong.  But I guess others might see allowing a dog to run free as wrong too.  We can’t and don’t always make the right decisions.

                An appointment with a fence company was made.  Because of a heavy back load, it would be a week before the fence would go up.  The fence did finally go up, and one dog would call the back yard its home.  Zundel, who went nowhere, was put in the fenced yard.  But where was Scotty?  He failed to come home.

                I wonder to this day whatever happened to Scotty.  I know after his disappearance and the passing of Zundel, we never got another dog. There are so many ways of disappearing.  There is picked up by a dog pound.   There is an attack by other animals.  There’s the abuse by someone.  And so; the list can go on.  Sometimes it is better not to know.  You can hope the best happened.  He was a pretty dog.  He was so healthy.  I am in hopes that his disappearance came from someone who really cared about dogs and took him as their own.  But still, I wonder, as closure to this day has not come.