Our home sits back from the road about 200 feet so I drove down our driveway and got out of the car to look for her. She loves getting out of our yard! She will explore the dirtiest stuff and cover herself in dirt and grime with a silly dog smile, tail wagging, jumping around excited. I just needed to find her, bring her back over the fence wire and then off to the shower to wash off indescribable smelly dirt that she loves to roll in...
As I drove towards the road I saw her in the neighbors property across the street. The road was quiet, I was tired so instead of heading across the road to get her I called her to me. Her head immediately popped up, she looked at me and ignored me... Ok, so that's the game we're playing. I realized I would need to go and get her this time. I was parked about 20 feet from the road. I shut the car door to walk across the street. As I checked for cars I saw that a car had left the one of the neighbors down the street and was headed our way, so I waited to cross.
Missy decided that she would run over to me after all. It all happened very quickly, in the dark of our country road. I could see our white and tan Missy heading down the little hill and the car heading towards our part of the street...my heart stopped! I tried to call her away, I couldn't stop her.
20 feet in front of me, the car and our Missy, were about to collide. The car braked after the sound of the "thud". There was no way the driver could have seen Missy. It slowed down 50' from the impact and then kept on going. I panicked! Three more cars went by before I had a chance to find our doggy. At first glance I couldn't see her. Not in the road, not along the side... I went back to the house for a flashlight. Lila had heard the "thud" too and she was back by the house. We grabbed our flashlights and began searching for our Missy.
Is she severely hurt?
Did it kill her?
Can we find her?
We have coyotes all around us. I didn't want to leave her helpless out there in the dark. We looked up and down the road, looked on both sides of the road. I walked through the fields on both sides. No Missy.
Did her collar get caught on the car when she was hit? Please Papagod, help us find her. I can't imagine her being dragged down the road! I jumped into my van and drove the roads, no Missy. We looked all over our yard thinking she was injured and hiding, which is common for injured dogs to do. Nope, not in our yard. We looked over where the impact happened, there was no blood, no fur, nothing at all.
After doing all that we could do to find her, we eventually went to bed. We prayed for her and for us. We talked and wept. We both heard the impact and I saw the car hit her. What ever was to be found would be found in the morning...
This morning I was up early, the day was bright, but my heart was sad. I put on some old clothes, grabbed an old towel and went to find Missy. I drove my service van down the driveway towards the road. The van sits nice and high and it would make it easier to find her. The day was bright in the early morning. I could hear the barking of our neighbor's dogs the crowing of their roosters, the dove and other birds throughout our yard singing and chirping. Normally these melodies brighten my morning, but not today.
As I pulled up to the road I could see directly across the street. Past the little hill and the empty field the neighbors dogs were playing and running through the trees in the orchard. My heart felt sadder knowing that I wouldn't have Missy around our yard anymore running and playing with the grandchildren. Cuddling up to us to be petted. I couldn't look at the dogs playing anymore or I would break down and cry. I had a sad task before me. As I turned my gaze away I sensed that I needed to just sit there and watch the dogs playing in the orchard; maybe I needed to cry before I continued to look for her. So I sat there, in my van, my keys in one hand and the old towel in my other.
Looking across the field I could see that the orchard was a big play yard for the dogs, they were having a great time chasing each other. As I looked closer I saw a flash of white and tan running between the trees.
Wait.... what?!
Again, a medium sized dog with the same marking as Missy was running around in the orchard. As I strained to look closer I saw the electronic collar- it was Missy! Shock and thankfulness filled me at the same time! This time I drove across the street and up to the orchard. I jumped out of my van and called out to her. She didn't hesitate this time. She came bounding towards me! No limp, no noticeable injury. A very dirty, muddy Missy jumped into my van. She seemed glad to see me!
I took her home and washed her down in the tub. Lots of dirt and mud but no injuries to be found anywhere. Lila woke up and stepped into the bathroom as I finished cleaning her up. What a great surprise for her! Our sad, sad evening was followed by a miraculous discovery. I can't explain it, we are grateful that Missy has a second chance!
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