Writing by Ear

Do you believe in coincidences? There’s a whole school of thought that doesn’t. I haven’t decided.

So what do I make of my recent dog days?

On a scorching late afternoon walk on Monday, I was just about to start up the hill when I noticed Rufus, my neighbor-2-doors-down’s Great Dane, sitting on the road by the gate that’s not supposed to be open.

Sigh.

Clearly my neighbor’s grass-cutter hadn’t shut the gate. But it’s a fancy automatic gate, so I wasn’t sure how or even if I could close it. So I led Rufus back up into his yard, hoped he’d stay there, and went looking for my next-door neighbor to see if she had gate-savvy. She did, and though Rufus was now safely contained, I lost my energy in the 10 minutes or so that all took and abandoned my walk. (Is this why Good Samaritans tend toward chubbiness?)

This morning, another dog coincidence, also involving Rufus. I made it a little farther up the hill this time and noticed a cute little dog sitting by the other (side) gate to Rufus’ house. He looked pretty dejected and didn’t move at all as I cautiously approached. Well, gee, the poor thing had his collar stuck on the gate! I didn’t know how long he had been there, and the collar seemed awfully tight. He patiently waited while I loosened the collar a bit before putting it back on him. I was just about to try to give him some water from my water bottle, when he very confidently trotted back down the hill, a dog on a mission. He ended up at my neighbor across the street’s front door. So I knocked, waited for Nancy to appear, and learned it was indeed her dog (well, her daughter’s dog she was watching for a while). Seems she had taken Ginger up to play with Rufus, and Ginger somehow managed to escape and get caught on the gate.

Poor Rufus, he lost his “sister” Daisy, another Great Dane, a few weeks ago when she had to be put down, and he’s been heartbroken ever since. We hear him howling nearly every morning after his “mom” goes to work. It’s so sad. Makes me wish we had a fenced yard so I could bring him over here to hang out during the day. (He’s so big he can sit on your lap with his feet touching the ground — it’s a hoot.)

This time, even after another 10-minute delay “rescuing” Ginger and consoling Rufus a bit,  I had the oomph to continue my walk. At the top of one of the hills (a dead-end), I saw yet another dog I’d never seen before, this one a sheepdog-looking cutie. This one apparently lives in the last house on the street — thank goodness, because I really wasn’t up for another rescue mission.

Three dog encounters in a short time. Is it meaningless coincidence or kismet? Is it telling me I should volunteer at a shelter, or maybe get a dog of my own? (I’m pretty sure it’s not telling me I should abandon walking around the neighborhood.)

Time will tell.

In the meantime, do you know where your dog is?

Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.
~ Albert Einstein