A Dog and a Tire

Today is the day we go to my mom's house for dinner.  We usually go right after Karina gets up from her nap.  Today was no different except she's still on out of town time, and it was 4pm and she still hadn't woken up.  So, I opened her door, went in and woke her up.  It was so late, I didn't bother changing her diaper, but just put on her shoes and socks and our coats and we went on out to the car to go to Mom's.  Where we live, we're in the middle of a really cold spell.  It's been hovering around freezing during the days, and even colder at night.  As soon as I turned out of our cul-de-sac, I saw this little Yorkie dog running along the sidewalk and in the road.  I realized it was my neighbor Susie's dog Muffy.  This dog was freezing, and running everywhere, so I pulled over--I don't normally do this, by the way--got out, picked up the dog, and walked over to Susie's house, right across from where I parked.  I got to the driveway, and looked at the dog's tag.  It was not Muffy.  It was some dog named Silly Dilly.  So, then what was I going to do?  I called the number on the dog's tag, and a lady answered.  I told her I had found her dog running loose, and asked where she lived so I could bring the dog to her.  She told me and I agreed to wait for her, since she was about five minutes from home.  I put the dog in the car, got in, and started down the street, and then I saw her house number.  It was my backyard neighbors, John and Wanda!  Bill and I talk to them pretty often, especially when we are taking regular walks with Karina.  They have a little baby boy about a year younger than Karina.  I never even knew they had a dog!  We did also help them rescue a baby bird once, too, by loaning them our ladder when I happened to look out my kitchen window across the backyard and saw them trying to put a bird in the tree without a ladder.  Our cul-de-sac is oddly shaped, so we have a backyard fence we share with John and Wanda who actually live on the street that's perpendicular to ours.  We also have a next-door neighbor whose house is on the corner of our street and the other one.  I know it's hard to picture.  Sorry.  So I pulled up to John and Wanda's house and the babysitter (adult) came out and I told her what had happened.  I hope she called Wanda back to tell her the dog was safe so she didn't drive all the way back.  I hope I see them soon to tell them it was me who found the dog!

Then as I was walking back to my car, I saw that the rear passenger side tire was totally flat.  Well, almost totally.  I then had to call my mom back again to tell her I had no idea when I'd get there because now I had to put air in  my tire and hope it would hold air til I could get there.  Crazy.  If I hadn't rescued the dog, I wouldn't have seen the flat tire.  Who knows when I would have noticed it?  Not good for driving around with my little one! 

So that was my exciting day.  I'm glad I didn't just ignore the little pooch though.  Those little Yorkies aren't meant for 33 degree weather. 


*Names of neighbors and dogs have been changed.