I was just about to post yesterday about our new dog Maggie, a one-year-old cream-colored Labradoodle (half Labrador half Standard Poodle), when I got a call from my wife telling me that Maggie had torn away from our housemate Jana on a walk and was running around in the Arboretum. Jana chased her until she was out of sight and then drove around for hours trying to find her. Occasional sightings by strangers told us she was still okay. I left work early and spent several hours bicycling around in the rain calling for our dog and hanging up "lost dog" signs. When daylight had incontrovertibly vanished we gave up for the night, sad that we didn't know if our new dog was okay.

This morning the chase was resumed. I drove around looking for her, then went to work. Sara loaded up the kids and finally tracked her down on foot. Maggie didn't want to be found. She kept running away. But I just now heard from Sara that after a long chase involving both our children, a policeman, and several kind strangers, Maggie is back firmly in hand. In the end it was Theo, my four-year-old son, who Maggie trusted enough to come up and hug her.

Having something happen to our new dog so soon after Tella had died would have been too much. It was very nice indeed to have a happy ending.