A So Cal Girl in the Desert

Last night we went over to our friends', Mr. and Mrs. W's, house to check out their new backyard. The backyard was awesome, but not the most memorable part of the evening. On our way out the door, we discovered two wandering dogs. One of which continued his journey down the street, and the other, an old Black Lab named Coffee, couldn't resist a good stranger scratch. He was super friendly with kissing and all. Hubby called all three numbers on the tag, and all were disconnected. I pulled a leash out of my Mary Poppins Pet Bag and hitched Coffee up. He seemed perfectly happy to go along with whatever.

Hubby followed Coffee's buddy while Mrs. W, Little W, B, and I went the way the dogs came from to try to find the home. We knocked on a few doors and got clues from neighbors that we were headed in the wrong direction. Coffee was no help, as he would have been happy making himself part of any family we approached. We headed in the other direction and, with the help of neighbors, pretty much figured out where Coffee belonged. Rang the doorbell. No answer. Odd because their garage was open. We poked our head in the very dark garage and said "hello?" The response we got was a bark and a howl, and after several minutes, Coffee's friend, some sort of hound dog mix, emerged from a doggie door at the back of the garage, which was in the door that led to the laundry room. The buddy dog wasn't as friendly, but didn't attack or anything. Both dogs had the same collars and tags, so we knew we had found Coffee's real home.

I figured we had to secure the dogs inside, so I boldly entered the garage and headed for where I thought the light switch might be. Click! Now buddy dog started barking again and headed back in through the doggie door. I tried to push Coffee in, but he wanted to stay with me. Smart dog. I thought that if I could get Coffee inside and find the block panel for the doggie door, I could lock them inside. The panel was no where to be found, so I figured it must be in the laundry room. No harm in trying the door, right? I grabbed the handle, turned it and...

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP... I guess the "Brinks" sign in the front yard should have been a clue, but when doggie welfare is in jeopardy, I can't think clearly about anything else. Mrs. W said "Hang on to that dog, Kristen. He's your alibi." At least one of us was thinking. We also made sure that the angelic-faced kids stuck around.

Coffee kissed me as we waited for the heat to arrive and take me into custody. I waved to them as they pulled up to the front of the house, and Mrs. W went on and on about what a good deed I did and how I'm a pet sitter and how we were concerned about the safety of the dogs and the security of the home...The cops looked suspicious at first, but then realized that we were truly caring neighbors and decided to help us rather than arrest us. Whew! They had us hold the dogs while they searched the house, just in case.

Guns drawn, they shouted at the doorway, "PINAL COUNTY SHERIFF! WE ARE ABOUT TO ENTER THE HOME! IF SOMEONE IS INSIDE, COME OUT NOW!" They repeated that a couple of times, and then said "WE HAVE A DOG!" Heh. Lying sons of...well, they had Coffee, but I don't think that's what they meant. They entered the house all "movie cop" like, crouching down and covering each other. It was a bit frightening. I mean, you see that on TV a lot, but how often do you see it live, within bullet range? They came out after a few minutes, officially announcing that the coast was clear. They helped us put the dogs in the house. I left a note for the family along with a business card (hey, I should get a bit of advertising for all my troubles!). One of the cops pulled the whole "push the button and run, then jump over the sensor while crouching so you don't bash your head on the descending door" move on the garage door (successfully, on the first try, I might add), and we were all done with the drama.

They thanked us for being such good neighbors, and gave each of the kids a pat on the head. No stickers, though.