It was New Year's Eve several years ago. We had a group of friends and family over to the house to celebrate the changing of the calendar. After partying, cheering and partying a little bit longer, we were out front saying goodbye to the last of our guests. As we were standing there, an absolutely beautiful creature approached us. As I'm sure you can guess, it was the afore mentioned husky dog, Max. Max had a beautiful coat, was very well groomed and was obviously very well taken care of. He also had something else. A leash. A leash that did not have a human counterpart at the other end. I began hoping that there was not someone passed out in snowbank or ditch close by.
We figured that this beautiful animal must belong to someone, so checked his tags. They said that he lived in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. A good two hour drive from where we stood. Without any other leads to his owner, I called the number on the tag. Worst case scenario I will contact someone who knows Max and can contact the person who should have Max. I got an answering machine and left my name and phone number, and of course, the fact that I had their dog.
I came up with the plan, without any assistance from alcohol, that I would take Max for a walk and maybe he would instinctively take me back from where he came. Sounds odd I know, but the other option was to hold onto Max overnight. I pictured Max at around four n the morning letting out a "You guys are great and all, but I wanna go home. Aaaaaaa Ewwwww!!!" So, off for a walk we went. Just as we started our trek, a police car flew around the corner. It briefly stopped, but then sped past us.
Now Max was no help at all. I don't really blame him, he wasn't from the area after all. As we aimlessly walked around, I heard a really faint call for "Maaaax." It was faint and I asked my wife if she heard it too. She agreed that someone was saying something. We then heard "Maaaaax." a little louder. As we turned around, we saw a woman running towards us, again calling out "Maaaax." Obviously, we had found someone who knew out four legged friend. Before the lady got to us, the police officer stopped by us and asked if we had found the dog. We said we had and he drove off.
A couple weeks later there was a knock on our door. The lady at the door asked if I was Matthew, which of course I was. She said she wanted to thank me for everything I did for Max. I drew a blank. My wife works in a daycare and my only thought was it was a parent of one of her kids. My wife walked over and I repeated that she wanted to thank us for everything we did for Max. My wife, who is the smartest person I know on Earth, knew what the lady was talking about, but could tell I didn't. After reminding me about out New Year's friend, I clued in. The lady gave us a Tim Horton's card to say thank you.
Even after several days, I find myself still thinking of that poor dog that got dropped in the Welland Canal with his legs hog tied and two bullet wounds in his head. Last I heard, not one single lead had been given to the proper authorities. I write these stories of past pooches in my life as a dedication to a dog who left in a completely wrong way.
Just so we're not leaving each other on a sour note. The story as I understand it was that there was a New Years party. Someone thought it would be a good idea to take Max for a walk. Some time later, that person returned to the party, without Max. When asked where the dog was, this person simply responded with "I don't know." This caused the owners to start banging on doors around the neighbourhood looking for the dog. Keep in mind that this is around one-thirty, two o'clock in the morning. Hence, the reason neighbours were annoyed. Annoyed enough to call the police.
By the way, The Shin Kicker says take the Q-Tip out of your ear.
- Matthew Terry
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