I found a dog's name tag when walking last Friday night. The name on the bone-shaped tab was "Thom" and it had a phone number on the back. Instead of kicking it down the sidewalk, I messaged the number to make sure that their dog was accounted for. I also wanted to see if they wanted the tag back.
After a bit, I got a text back from a very appreciative guy that wasted no time in sending me a picture of his puppy. He wanted the tag back so it was a good thing I reached out.
Heerrreee's Thom.
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From the decor in the background, I could tell that this was likely an older man. He expressed his thanks and appreciation, and we arranged to meet on Sunday...pup included!
On the meetup day, he wasn't at the corner he said he was when I arrived. I think he went to the wrong spot and got confused with the blocks. Within a few minutes, I saw Thom pulling an elderly man, so I made my way to them. You couldn't miss him.
Before anything could be said or done, Thom jumped up all over me. It was actually pretty nice since I don't spend time with dogs that often anymore. He was quite a big puppy, but definitely full of all that energy. I welcomed it and gave him a few hugs. He loved to jump up, so I pulled away to not be too dangerous for his elderly owner holding the leash. He even took some friendly nibbles on my hand. He was such a ball of energy.
Here's one shot that was captured, while all others were blurry as he jumped all over me.
It turns out that Thom had pulled his owner in the past, tearing his rotator cuff and biceps tendon. After seeing how strong and energetic his dog was, this wasn't a surprise. As his owner gets older, I really hope that Thom settles down because he'll be impossible to handle.
In closing, I returned the tag and he gave me this bottle of wine. The wine was chosen for its dog theme of "Double Dog Dare," and I tried to refuse it. He insisted so I didn't want to offend him.
I presume that this will be the last time our paths cross, but they live nearby, so there's a chance I'll see them on the sidewalk.
This isn't the first time...
There was a time many years ago I saw a tiny puppy running through busy city traffic. My heart stopped. Everyone else ignored it and plenty of cars drove around it. Not me. I sprinted and zig-zagged to get it. I grabbed the tiny panting thing and held it in my arms to keep it safe. I immediately called the owner's number that was on its tag and she told me that she was several blocks away and franticly trying to find it.
I waited while she ran to my location. As no good deed goes unpunished, the puppy peed on my jacket. The woman finally appeared and she sprinted down the block to gave me a kiss right in front of my ex-girlfriend. She tried to give me a $50 bill, which I attempted to refuse. I honestly can't remember if I kept it or not. I don't think I would've, but she may have forced it on me.
Anyway, as I head out to find more recycling to salvage (already saved this below earlier today), I just wanted to blog about something simple and fun.
14 minutes later:
Thanks for your time,
