Daisy Dog

Mount Shasta, Summer 2005: A week ago on Thursday, I returned from walking down to the post office, and opened the back yard gate. On the far side of the yard a small white dog raised its head and came running. Seeing me, she leaped up on me and all around, saying “Hello! Hello! You’re wonderful! Hello! I’m so happy!”

I liked her.

I went in the back door, leaving the leaping white dog outside. Adrienne was puttering. I hung up my hat.

“I see you found my dog,” I said.

Adrienne turned around, looking timid. “Lizzie and I found her on our walk …” she said, breathless. “And I want to keep her.”

“Good idea,” I said.

It seems that Lizzie and Adrienne, on their morning walk, found the little white dog wandering on the next street. Her ribs are showing, and she’s very young, perhaps four months old. She’s a border collie, like our Tulip, but the little white dog is all white except for speckled brown ears.

The little white dog followed along with Adrienne and Lizzie on the rest of their walk, and then came home with them, I suppose so that she could greet me when I got home. I’m happy to see her.

To be fair, we took the little white dog to the Humane Society for a week, so that if she had family looking for her, they could claim her. She was wearing a worn collar, too tight, but no tags. We want this dog, but if she’s got some child pining for her, they can find her during the week.

Today it’s thursday again. We have visited the little dog every day at the Humane Society, and now she’s legally ours. The folks there called her Jewel, but I seems to me that her name is Daisy. Adrienne agrees.

Now Daisy lives with us. She’s made friends with Lizzie, our black aussie, and with Percy our cat. They have made up games to play and they have a daily routine.

I’m grateful for Adrienne.

She found my dog Daisy, when I hadn’t even known that Daisy was lost.