Darwin Scared the Crap Out of Me!!!

[Camilla and Darwin]

I can't believe I am telling one of these stories.  I hear them all the time, and I think "Oh my gosh I couldn't handle that if it happened to me." Today, I lost Darwin for a terrifying 30 minutes or so.

99% of the time, Darwin is in a fenced in area or on leash when outside. I do this because I'm cautious, even though he has a very good recall and isn't one to run off. But we have a routine, where I will go out into the yard to take pictures for my photo-a-day. I will go out with him, he pees, then waits on the porch or sniffs around while I snap the photo. This usually takes about 5 minutes and he's never once acted like he wanted to leave the yard. The yard is completely fenced except for the front gate, which is usually open. So today, he peed then waited on the porch while I set up my tripod. 

I'm serious, it looked at him on the porch, bent down and took 4 photos, and when I looked up he was gone. I assumed he had run to the backyard, because he NEVER tries to leave the yard. I had lost sight of him for maybe 30 seconds. So I put my camera inside and went around back. Nothing. I started feeling uneasy, and in the next 5 minutes of searching, I realized that he had actually left. I ran out onto the street and started calling him, and my MIL came out to help. She looked inside, then drove around the block. Then SIL joined in and we all started searching.

30 minutes in, I was absolutely panicked. I had called DH and he was coming home from work early to help, and he was about to call the shelter and tell them to keep a look out. He just happened to NOT be wearing his collar which is terrible, but he does have a microchip. I was on the verge of tears. I felt (and feel) like the worst dog owner in the world for letting this happen. "He NEVER does that" is hardly an excuse that brought me any comfort. I was imagining him trapped somewhere, wanting to come to my calls but being unable too. I wondered if maybe someone had brought him inside when they saw he was wearing no collar. I walked down the street and started to cry. Maybe two seconds later I faintly hear the word "dog". 

Whipping around I saw the most welcome, happy, infuriating, surprising, and unsurprising sight. Darwin was rolling/rubbing/frisking around on the grass, IN THE MIDDLE OF A BASEBALL GAME. It was the players who had been saying dog. No doubt they were wondering who he was and what they should do. I ran over to the field and called Darwin, after which he looked at me then promptly trotted off in the opposite direction. He ran around to each of the players, nudging their hands or sniffing their crotches, then rubbing on the grass again. It took me a bit to work around to the opening (the whole field is fenced) so he had plenty of time to disrupt the game. 

I was so angry and relieved by the time I got to him that I may have said a curse word or two. After which the players whistled and were muttering "oooh, Darwin's in trouble." Then I led him out by the scruff of his neck as I didn't know what else to hold. That was bad planning on my part but I was so panicked I didn't think to grab his collar or leash from the house. As we left, the players all started yelling "see ya later buddy" and "bye Darwin". I had no idea how they knew his name, until I realized I had been yelling it at the top of my lungs after I saw him. 

I brought him home and was unsure whether to hug him or cry. So I snapped this picture with my phone. He was VERY happy with himself. He's now fast asleep on the ground next to me, no doubt exhausted from his fun day. DH and I were talking about it, and it makes sense that he would leave and go find the most exciting people possible, he's just too friendly for his own good... 

He's wet because it was rainy and muddy.

Moral of the story, NEVER trust your sweet obedient Doodle. LOL. Caution is always a good idea. 

Finally, I am SO glad MIL and SIL were so level headed and great about helping me look. They are the best!

I apologize for not making this a blog... but discussions are quicker and better as far as responses go.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Oh my gosh this is scary!!  I'm so happy that you got Darwin back home safely!!!  A lesson for all of us!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Probably that, and my bad phone camera. :-)

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Wow.  What a scary thing to have happen.  I am soo glad you found him.  You will have to get him a baseball jersey for Christmas next year!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Darwin, you little devil, do not go scaring everyone like that. We lost our son once in a totally foreign city when we were visiting relatives, one minute he was on the front step, the next he was gone. Where did I find him, at a ball park , happily playing 3rd base. He was 7 at the time and a kid across the street invited him to go play ball and off he went. That is one scary, heartstopping situation and I'm so glad Darwin is back home safe and sound. Thanks for the reminder, we do tend to get complacent.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My heart almost stopped reading this! OMD, I am so glad he's home safe!

[Regina and Hurley]

I am so glad you found him! What a terrible feeling when you think you won't be able to find your dog. I am happy everything turned out good and he was safe!

[L.M.]

So glad Darwin is okay!! Scary things like this happen and of course it is NOT your fault!! I'm so glad we have a site like DK so we can all learn from these experiences!! Hugs for all of you!! 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Camilla, I'm so sorry....you must have been absolutely terrified.  It's hard to blame Darwin....it was a BALL GAME....a real one with "the guys".  I'm sure it was his dream come true.  Thankfully, it ended well, but I'm guessing it's not something you'll forget for quite a while. 

[Carol and Banjo]

Oh Camilla....I'm so sorry you had this experience and SO HAPPY for the end result!    I'm nearly in tears for you here.   You're NOT a bad Doodle Mom by any stretch of the imagination.   Stuff happens.   We've had a couple of incidents with Mr. Banjo....same story....NEVER runs off when he's actively engaged BUT he's done it twice with DH.  Fortunately it's just to the next door neighbors yard, but it's a large area and we loose sight of him and it IS the scariest thing....not knowing.

Soooo happy you got your guy back!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I certainly can sympathize although my main escape artist, Luca, has been better. But that feeling is awful as are the visuals that go through one's head. I stopped yelling at Luca and started telling him I was glad he was home. I think this makes him a bit more likely to return sooner. I am glad Darwin is back and yes, sometimes doodles do take advantage of one's trust.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

So happy your little guy is home safe and sound.  The closest I've come to this is just Sophie getting out of the fenced in back yard or the front door.  Two separate times and I never lost site of her, just couldn't catch her.  She was too busy being nosey but I was still in an absolute panic.  So, I'm not even sure how I would survive 30 mins of not knowing where she was. 

[Pattty Oehrlein]

Love the happy ending! I would be a lunatic if that happen. I think he is singing "take me out to the ballgame" in that photo.