There and Back Again, A Lost Dog's Tale

The following was provided by Emily Passman, who , on Saturday, March 17. And below that is a few words from Andrew Dixon, who is dog-watching for Jake's owners while they're away on vacation.

Some ways (hint: not facebook) that I have had unplanned connections with my fellow Lexingtonians: Shoveling out from an unexpected snow storm off season, a yard sale, fallen trees blocking the road, a blackout ... and a lost dog.

That was the story on Saturday while gathering around a large, calm mannered black shepherd in Lexington Center. A few concerned neighbors, a hungry dog, Karen Masterson of , dashing to the restaurant’s kitchen to fetch bread for his tummy.

He was perfectly happy as we coaxed him to the police station. They said he'd been seen around town a lot that day. 

I started getting that excited feeling when serendipity might toss us into a decision we have been trying to make...should we have 2 dogs? Would Eva, our now 1-year-old white Shepherd mix, allow such a thing? (See the photo to determine for yourself.)

Over the next 48 hours I connected to the , the during his Monday morning walk, a few vets, neighbors I have not chatted with in a while who put up info on a Lexington Yahoo group, and also my facebook friends, who "liked" his cute face we posted on a "FOUND" entry.

See? A lot of connections! And a sweet, sweet dog who'd somehow lost his way. His name was now "Lexxie" as we found him in Lexington Center. (Corny but...)

Oh the imagining we'd done! “Maybe someone decided if they abandoned him in a nice town, then someone would be sure to take him in - (and we were the lucky winners).” Or, “Maybe he fell off a truck on 128.” And on and on.

He slept soundly, ate lots and only urinated twice in the house – incidents excused when we explained it as nerves and needing to claim territory. (I believe we were right, because as soon as he learned our "doggie-door" leading onto a fenced yard he used it!) Smart dog too.

We were falling in love...uh-oh. And Eva seemed happy too... Should we stop searching for the owner? I was perturbed that no one was calling the police to find him! And why did he have no collar?

Then the call, from a family who was very happy to make sense of the missing dog for whom they were caretaking! It was on Patch where they saw the notice.

So, I made connections, felt part of the dog-centric world here in town, was reminded of the importance of community, and maybe even made a decision that Eva would survive with a canine sibling.

The take away lesson for all of us? Please make sure your dogs are safe, keep them in fenced yards or on leash, never take off their collars or tags, and take them to Willard's Woods to romp on weekdays! I believe they'd roam less if given off-leash running time.

We all need ways to connect with our community to feel we belong. It took a village, and now "Jake" is home. (To me he'll always be "Lexxie"). And we are looking forward to yard-sale season to connect with neighbors, as this year I see it won't be shoveling out from a blizzard.

The Other Side

Andrew Dixon, a Bloomfield Street resident, responded yesterday afternoon to a post on Patch about the missing dog. He had told his neighbors -- Jake's owners, who reluctantly left for a planned vacation on Sunday -- that he would keep an eye out for the dog, which he was planning to look after while they were away. Here's what he had to say after reconnecting with Jake. 

As a (former) dog owner I know that Lexington has a great community of dog owners, and I was confident if Jake was found in Lexington that he would be taken care of until he was reconnected with his home.

This is exactly what happened and both the owners and I are extremely grateful and proud of our community - especially the wonderful family who took care of him.

Jake has a chip with the owners information and, if it had come to this, scanning him would have revealed this. It's something all dog owners should at least consider because, although difficult to imagine, your it could happen to any dog.

Thank you.