Jake and Piper

I fully admit that I'm not really an animal person. If I come to your house and you have a pet, I will give it an obligatory pat and move on. I will not pick it up or encourage a relationship of any kind with it. Don't get me wrong. I love animals in general and am fascinated by God's creatures. I just don't feel a bond or responsibility to treat them like a person. (Sorry, animal people.) Unless, apparently, it's my own pets.

I've discovered over the last twelve hours that I can in fact form a bond with animals...if they live at my house. Last night when I got home, I found out that our dogs, Jake and Piper, had once again escaped their pen. They have a rather large area to run and play, but every once in a while they like to run off for an adventure. They hadn't gotten out for a long time since Arrty and the boys had fortified their fence. But Monday night Jake started barking like crazy and trying with all his might to get out. I figured that there must be a wild animal in the woods by our house and Jake wanted to get to it...probably to play. Both dogs finally pushed through the gate. They ran on to the porch and we put them back in the pen and Josh fixed it so that it couldn't be pushed open so easily. But then last night at the same time, Jake wanted out again. They were able to find a way through a weak spot in the fence and went on their way without us knowing. Arrty called the sheriff's office to report them missing at about 6:00 and drove around looking for them with no luck. At 11:00 we got a call that two dogs had been hit by a car about a mile from our house and that they fit our dogs' descriptions. Arrty drove up there and sure enough, it was them. Both hit. Both gone.

I'm sad about it. Sadder than I expected to be. I confess that I said just recently that once Jake and Piper were gone, I'd never get another pet. But I thought it would be a while. Jake was ten years old, but still healthy and active. We got him when he was two months old and he was the cutest little chocolate lab puppy ever. Piper was about five years old. We adopted her from the shelter when she was eight months old. She was border collie/beagle and was so sweet and helped keep Jake young. Losing both of them at the same time is terrible. Just sad and terrible.

The kids are doing okay with it. And I'm doing okay this morning. Arrty is the one having to deal with the aftermath and taking care of them, so he's having a harder time. Keep us in your thoughts today and give your pets an extra pat for me.