Every dog has his day

While on my way to one of my very adventurous stops, I came across a very interesting situation. I was weaving my way through the streets of Fort Lee, and if anyone knows Fort Lee, it can be a very unforgiving city. As I zipped through the one way streets, I noticed the car in front of me swerve to the other side of the road and then move on. I was curious, but cautious at the same time. To my surprise, appeared a very beautiful, very frightful Golden Retriever. Well, me being the animal lover that I am, (friends call me a tree hugger) I threw the car into park and approached the pooch. I was weary, as was this Golden beauty, but figured, hey, there are plenty of hospitals in the surrounding area! The dog cowered as I approached, squatted on the nearest lawn and relieved herself. Apparently, she was more frightened than I. I offered my hand for a good sniffing and then gave the animal the once-over. She was collarless, clean and her nails were perfectly trimmed. With all of these clues I figured the lass must belong to an unsuspecting neighbor. I retreated to the car to dig for a refreshment for the thirsty girl. She seemed happy to have a friend in this unbearable heat we've been experiencing. She slopped up the water in a very cute, very messy manner and then relished in some back scratching and head petting.

It was time to find this sweet girl her rightful owner. I decided to start with the one place the pup had cowered and retreated to. With a quick ring of the doorbell, I was greeted by a not-so-trusting, peering eye. With a smile and a pointing finger, I tried to coax the man out of his home to claim his "prize." To my very happy surprise, he claimed the adorable Golden as his own. I warned him about the dangers of a collarless dog roaming the streets of a very busy, very congested city. He shook his head in approval and we both moved on.