What a day!!!!

I'm going to try to describe the type of day we've had. Try. Let me just preface it by saying we are suffering the backlash of Hurricane/ Tropical Storm Hermine. Torrential rains moving thru the area. We've gotten 6.92 inches of rain so far today. Another 1-2 inches are expected. Pouring buckets. Big ol' buckets. Winds 30-40mph. Quite breezy to say the least. Got your mental picture? Okay, I'll proceed.



Despite the weather, it was Maestro's day to be groomed. Luckily, I didn't have to venture out. We have one of those services that come in a van right to your home. Quick. Convenient. Safe....Or so I thought.



At the end of the grooming service, the grooming van somehow popped out of gear. Started rolling forward towards our row of Arizona Cypress trees and the neighbor's fence behind it. The groomer jumped out of the back of the van, hopped into the front and got the van put in park with just inches to spare. Closely averting disaster. Yet, not fully.



In his haste to stop the vehicle, he left the side door open. Maestro jumped out of the moving van and took off running. In the rain. The torrential flipping rain.



I get a knock at the door. Instead of being handed my dog, I hear: "Maestro jumped out of the van and has run off!!!" Oh, you have no idea.



The feeling of fear for your pet. The feeling of deja-vu having lost a dog once before in similar weather conditions and never having found him. The feeling of utter dismay because you thought having your dog groomed in your driveway was perfectly safe.



I ran out of the house full throttle and started calling and searching for him. I search for 15 minutes before returning to the house. I figured at this point, I should really check back in with my unattended children. Make sure they are doing okay. Notify them what was going on. Give them specific instructions as what to do in my absence. And what not to do. Oh yeah, and put on some flippin' shoes and grab a rain coat. OY! I can't even do justice as to how wet I was. Although, I barely noticed with all the excitement.



I grabbed some shoes, my rain coat and called Ricardo to come home and help in the search. I notified Home Again Pet Recovery, as well as the neighborhood via e-mail. Then, I grabbed Ella and took her out in the torrential rain. Thinking that if Maestro could see or smell her, it might give him a sense of security and flush him out. Although, Ella is a wonderful dog, she is not a bloodhound. She got his scent took off after it, and then quickly lost it. Guess we won't be signing her up for search and rescue work anytime soon.



I could go on and on about what happened and all the chaos that ensued. There was the groomer, me, my husband, Ella, and the groomers boss who traveled 30 miles from his home to join in the search.



2 1/2 hours later. Maestro was found. The boss man found him wedged between 2 fences. I can't even describe it. He definitely found a semi safe haven. He was still exposed to the elements, but not prey to larger dogs or other danger. Nope. He had found himself a snug hideout. Not enough room to walk back and get him out. We once again had to use Ella to give him the courage to walk towards us. It took an additional 15 minutes. He was scared, shaking and hunkered down in absolute fear. Finally, after much cajoling, he came towards Ella and me. And we grabbed him. Although, holding on to him was a difficult task indeed. We were all wet. Not to mention caked in mud.



With 2 grooming vans now on sight, Maestro went back into one for a re-bath. And now that Ella was dripping wet and sloshed with mud and muck, she went into the other with the owner of the grooming service. I could only hope that there would be no further excitement upon exiting the van. But at this point I didn't dare place a bet. Who would have thought that a van could pop out of gear and a dog would jump out of a grooming van to begin with?!



While this additional hour of grooming was taking place, Ricardo and I took our turns showering as well. He had to get back to work. I had to sit down because my legs were shaking so bad, I didn't think I could stand much longer.



It's been an hour since all the hub-bub concluded. Maestro has quit shaking, as have I. But we are both just toast. What a day!



The outcome of the story was a happy one. Anyone who has ever lost a pet knows it doesn't always end this way. I'm thankful. Grateful beyond belief. And relieved that no one was hurt as well. Needless to say, the grooming (and regrooming) for both dogs today was free. But having our pup home safe and sound, not having to tell my children we might not find our dog, or having to tell them he was hurt, that is PRICELESS!!!



Today's Daily 3:



1. I'm grateful for all the help in finding our pup.



2. I'm thankful that all of my pets are microchipped in case the unexpected (or unbelieveable) happens.



3.I'm grateful that I stayed calm, cool and collected during this ordeal. I amazed even myself.(I'm not sure if the groomer knows just how grateful he should be... but he should be reaalllly grateful) Had the outcome been any different, all my future posts would have been from a prison cell.