Pets
On December 31st 2007 I was sitting behind my counter at the Sunday market with Mishka, my podenca dog, listening to the music playing from the stall next to me. Suddenly fireworks filled the air, a normal Spanish passtime, and Mishka got spooked and slipped her collar. Oh did she run, I have timed her before and she can run at 45kph, fast. There was no catching her, she was gone, into the crowd and dissappeared.
I spent the entire rest of the day, and most of the night, searching the streets for her, to no avail. I have never been so miserable in my life, imagining her out on the streets with fireworks going off all over the place (new years eve) and her being terrified. The next day the same and still no sign of her.
When everything got back to normal I contacted the local English paper and had them run a story with a photo, I printed flyers and posted them everywhere, I informed the police and all the dogs homes I could think of, I kept busy. I got loads of responses from people who thought they had sighted her, but it never was. This went on for 35 days, I was at my witts end, I had almost given up, I never thought I wuold see her again.
Then, on Feb 5th 2008, I got a phone call from one of the dog pounds telling me they had my dog, I didnt believe them, but they had her photo and said they were certain it was her. I jumped in the car and drove the 1 hour to get there (probably broke a few speed limits that day) and they had her in the office, she went crazy, crying, jumping, whimpering, she didnt quite know what to do with herself when she saw me, not did I when I saw her. Needless to say it all turned out well, she wasnt even thin, someone had been feeding her as she was fatter than when she left, and she came back with a collar and necktie (as can be seen in the picture.
The photo is taken on the day she came home, and the strange thing is, February 5th is the anniversary of my husbands death - how spooky is that.
