Amy and I are having a Dave Berry experience - last night we had some pretty good thunderstorms and rain - and when it tapered off, we took the dogs for a walk.  Coming back, we ran into a black spaniel type with all white around his mouth and eyes. Rather, he ran into us.  Soaking wet and petrified.  Of course we took the dog home with us.  Did the calling the numbers on the collar route.  One was the vet, who of course was not opened. (I think the vets office should have someone there after hours.) The second went to an answering maching.  On the collar, it said "Buddy Armstrong" - so we figure the dog's parents name is Armstrong.  That is not a big leap of assumption.

Here is Buddy Armstrong in the garage.

We waited in the garage for a while, hoping someone was looking for the dog, but finally called it quits and brought the dogs in.  I got on the computer and thought I would look around on White Pages to see if any Armstrongs lived near us.  Bingo.  8 houses up, the Armstrongs.  So we walk the dog back up the street.  Ring the door bell, bang on the door.  No one answered.  Amy pointed out the newspaper still in the driveway and I checked the mail.  Still there.  (We could give "True Detectives" a run for their money.) So back home.

Amy was calling the new dog "doofus" - we couldn't figure the dog out - he is a ball of energy, active - and very white in the face.  Then, he goes in Amy's room and pees on her clean laundry bag.  And then he peed on one of the chairs.  Amy now calls him Mr. Tinkles.  A light goes off in my head - Amy is on the neighborhood e-mail list, so I ask her to put a message out about the dog.  10 minutes later, we get a message from the dog's mom, who is in Wilmington, NC.  She evidently left this dog with two golden retrievers on the back porch with food and water and the ability to get out into the back yard.  And she asked if we had seen the other two.  And had we checked to see if the gates were opened.  Nope - and we didn't check.  

The fun part of life with the visiting dog is:  the two big dogs mill around, Buffy is VERY FEEBLE and can't go out down the steps to the back yard and we have Lori's dog every morning and now we have an unknown spaniel.  So we have 5 dogs milling around.  We have to take Lori's dog out immediately because he is "barely housebroken", so I have mine happy to go (180 pounds of dog moving forward), Lori's dog maybe 10 pounds, Buffy maybe 40 and fragile, deaf and blind and this Mr. Tinkles, a hot 40 pounds.  

It is "go out, come on, go out, no, you stay in, no you come out.........." It is definitely cray cray at our house. I wonder what the neighbors think when they hear us.

And, the dogs owner just showed up.  She evidently left Wilmington at 6 am to get here and get her dog.  And, Mr. Tinkles is 14 YEARS OLD!!!!! And, no worries, the golden retreivers stayed at home.

Now all is calm and quiet.  And time to get Mom her breakfast.  Crack that whip!

Love, Leslie