Stray

We were on our way to get a coffee and a breakfast sandwich before work. For a time that had become a little midweek ritual of ours, a way to break up the mundanity. We listened to music and talked about nothing and everything depending on the mood as we watched the sun start to light up the sky.

The highway traffic was especially bad on this particular morning. Our lane was going very slow, but it wasn’t long until I understood why. I looked out my window and saw a large dog loping along the side of the highway. My heart hammered as I took in the situation, not good, not good, not good. I think our entire lane was willing the dog not to dart out into the oblivious traffic flying by just one lane over.

At one point we were shoulder to shoulder with the dog and I called to it from my window. But the minute it heard my voice it picked up the pace and I knew it was hopeless. Attempting to approach it on the side of the highway may make the situation much, much worse. And so we proceeded slowly toward our exit. Incredibly, the dog took our exit as well.

Miraculously the dog started running on the sidewalk the same direction we were heading. This was better, but it was running toward a major intersection that lay just ahead. I knew it was unlikely I’d be able to grab the dog, but I had to try. 

We pulled ahead of the dog, I got out. I hoping to stop it in its tracks, but the dog took one look at me and prepared to bolt past me. I braced myself for the worst.

But then suddenly the dog slowed as it saw a dog (and its person) approaching. I quickly explained to the dog walker what was happening as they approached. And then it happened. The dogs stopped to sniff each other and I quickly grabbed the collar of the runaway. Relief flooded through me.

However, now that the collar was in hand, we weren’t sure what to do next. This large dog wasn’t going to fit in our tiny car, that much was certain. But not even a moment later, a woman pulled up in a truck and asked if we had a plan. She explained that her sister was a vet working nearby and that she could take the dog there for care and next steps. And so we helped the dog into the passenger seat, thanked her, and hoped for the best.