“There’s a vast, yawning and (for most folks, at any rate) readily comprehensible difference between someone dying of natural causes, and leaving a loved one to die — alone and afraid — in the cold and the wild.”
Yes, yes, there is and I’m guilty! About 5 years ago the day before Thanksgiving, UPS or someone left my gate open. About half an hour had passed when I realized my little dog hadn’t come back to the door and I discovered the open gate. She was a rescue critter and now she was getting old and crippled, so I thought she couldn’t have gotten far. This was a very remote, wooded area.
Everyone had already left for the Holiday, so there was no one to help me look and it was getting cold. My back was not doing well, so I grabbed my staff and started looking. Not a sign, no one had seen her. I looked until it was too dark. Then it snowed. I felt like the biggest loser on earth!
The next day, I started looking again, up and down those hills. Needless to say Thanksgiving dinner never happened for me. I delivered my pies, borrowed my son’s dog who did pick up her trail but the trail just seemed to ‘end’. We searched again until dark. And it snowed again.
I was never able to find out what happened to that poor critter. I put up fliers, ran ads, all the usual stuff. She was kinda cute, so I hope someone just took her home.
The next day, I started looking again, up and down those hills. Needless to say Thanksgiving dinner never happened for me. I delivered my pies, borrowed my son’s dog who did pick up her trail but the trail just seemed to ‘end’. We searched again until dark. And it snowed again.
God bless you forever, for doing everything in your power for your loyal, loving little friend.
You're about the furthest thing in the universe from a "loser" to me, ma'am.