# Longest Night of my Life. Annie Ran Away.



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I've never had a dog run away. Ever. I've had dogs get out, and run down the street, me hot on their heels, and brought them home with me, but never... ever... have any dogs of mine been able to slip out, unnoticed, and be gone. 

Until tonight. 

I am one of those "dogs aren't in my backyard if I'm not home" kind of people. Too much can happen. Plus, I have neighbors in too close of proximity for dogs to have the chance to stand out there and bark. 
I have a routine. I feed the dogs, then put the ones that sleep in crates away, shower, and get in bed. If someone hasn't pottied by the time I'm sick of sitting outside being eaten by mosquitoes, I leave them in the backyard while I shower, and bring them in after. (I just spent almost $2000 making my back yard secure, by the way...) 


Now, what was different about tonight: when we prep food for the dogs, we do it in the garage, so we can just hose out all the blood. Our orders are usually 900lbs, so it can create quite a mess. My husband left the garage door open about 3 feet, which is typical. What I did not know, is he opened the door from the garage to the back yard as well. This door has been opened maybe 3 times since we moved in, to bring the trash can to the back yard during renovations, but otherwise has always remained dead bolted, and we pretty much pretend it doesn't even exist. It's a small 1 car garage, and we have a shed in the back yard with all our yard tools, so it's not really needed.
Rewind a couple days, I forgot to tell Jon that I was taking Braxton with me to the park. When he came home he called me frantic that he was missing. We take the dogs places a lot, but we ALWAYS tell eachother when we have one. He was pretty mad that he came home and thought our boy was missing. 

So, that brings me to tonight. Annie hadn't pottied yet. SO, hubby and I went to shower. As I was drying off, he came into the bedroom and asked if Annie was in there. No, she wasn't. He said she wasn't in the backyard. I immediately got annoyed "Don't f*** with me Jon, that's not funny!" thinking he wanted to even the panic score. When I turned around and saw the look on his face I knew.... he was not joking. Not even a little bit. Annie was gone. 

I searched the whole house, calling for her, growing more and more frantic all the while. She was nowhere. I went to the front yard, in all my towel-wearing glory, calling for her. Nothing. That's when I saw the open garage door, and the clear shot to the backyard. I ran in, shaking, threw clothes on, got in my car, and drove around looking for her. Seconds became minutes. Minutes became hours. We drove the neighborhood. No Annie. We went to the park. No Annie. The Church parking lot. No Annie. At some point my husband made me switch driving, because I was all over the place. My bad. Less than a mile away, there were some drunks tailgating in the parking lot of a movie theater. They said they had seen her 15 minutes prior. At that point, we ditched the car, and went on foot. Barefoot. I ran the entire Scera area calling for her, willing her to be OK. Still. No Annie. At some point, I literally fell to my knees in Zurchers parking lot, just pain struck at the thought of something happening to her, or the thought of her terrified and unable to find her way home. My husband was wonderful. There I am, a grown freaking woman, on my knees in a damn parking lot at 1:30am. He helped me pull myself back together, and the hunt continued. 

I wanted to go home. If Annie went home, I'd need to be there. I felt an overwhelming urge to just go home, like that's where I NEEDED to be. To Hell with driving around. To hell with the tailgaters telling me which way she went now an hour ago. To Hell with the park. If Annie isn't hurt, or seized, she's trying to get home and by golly she might be smart enough to make it. 
Annie was in my neighbor's yard. Right next door. She was walking all crouched down, terrified. When I jumped out of the car and called for her, she was scared initially, and then ran straight to me, and literally climbed up me, and clung to me. She was trembling, terrified, and wet. I carried her inside, cried some more, looked her over, cried some more. She has a bunch of scratches on her chest and neck, probably from some bushes, and she is favoring one of her back legs just a tiny, tiny bit. But she is fine. I gave her a bath, cried some more, and now she is sprawled out, right smack dab in the middle of my bed. I did not notice, until I had her in the house, that my feet are all cut up from running the parking lots. Oops. 

I learned a few things tonight.
1. Communication. just like I should have given him a heads up about Braxton being with me the other night, letting me know the always shut and locked door was in fact open would have been great. 
2. I now support drunken tailgating in places that make no sense. 
3. Annie is smart enough to find her way home. 
4. I knew my hubby was amazing, but seriously, while I'm usually the calm and collected one during crisis, I LOST IT and couldn't have pulled myself back together without him.
5. My business partner is even more amazing than I thought she was. I called her sobbing at 2am, and she wasn't even mad!
6. Someday, when I really do have to let Annie go, I will have to be committed. 
7. Annie is grounded for life.


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

Oh Linsey-I am so,so, so glad that your little girl found her way home. I was terrified with you just reading your post & yes, my eyes filled with tears. I agree wholeheartedly, with #7 Annie is grounded for life, from the expression on her face she won't even mind being grounded! Thank God that she is safe with her mom & dad again. Sleep Tight.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

Bloody hell you poor thing. My eyes filled up with tears reading your account. So glad she and you are all ok.
They're so precious aren't they?
My boy has just come in to sit with me so I shall give him a big kiss.
Good night and sleep tight from downunder.


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## garry (Jul 22, 2011)

I am glad it all worked out in the end. I remember a similar night when my dog ran outside, and I couldn't find him. Luckily, he is also smarter than I gave him credit for, and he came back when he was hungry


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

You poor thing!! There is not much worse then having your baby dog missing! I had one missing for 24 hours once and I actually hiked thru the woods 9 months pregnant searching for her. You'll do anything to find them!

Sooooo glad she found her way home! Give her extra hugs from all of us! (my 2 boys are laying on my feet as I read you message!)


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## Eswmom (Jul 24, 2011)

My heart wasracing this as I read it. How frightening, so happy for this ending the way it dd.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yikes!!! I'm so glad she found her way home, and I know how scared you were. I know how much you love Annie and how she's apart of your soul. So glad to hear she's alright and at home safe


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Wow. Sounds like one of your worst dreams came true for a bit... that would have terrified me too. 

Thank bejeezus everything turned out alright!


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## Jynical (Jun 22, 2011)

So incredibly glad that she's home safe and sound. I'm all teary-eyed too. I totally understand that all-encompassing fear and focus to find your dog.

...and #7 sounds perfect.

Many deep breaths and hugs for you. Annie's home.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Happy for Annie's return, dogs are amazing survivor's and mostly they will find their way home unless there is food involved....

Glad all turned out and she is fine, husband is still alive, right?


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Oh no! That's gotta be so scary! I'm happy that it ended well.

Don't ground her too long! Give her a nice big breakfast!


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

So sorry you had such a terrible scare; but glad all is OK now.


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## danecolor (Nov 22, 2010)

how terrifying! 

i am so glad you got her back safe and sound.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Oh my Goodness! So sorry to hear this and I am so HAPPY she was right next store! You poor thing! Poor Annie! I am just after tearing up reading this so happy she is home safe and sound where she belongs! Give her hugs and kisses from me! I have had dogs as you say run down the street run down a very busy street but never really have I experienced having one really so lost.My chocolate lab my hear dog when she was a puppy ran down a busy road and my god panic that was so horrible. I can though in a way imagine what you went though a bit ummm when my daughter old enough at 16, went with my 6 year old son trick or treating way back ummm she came how without him said she just didn't see him. I had the police out looking for him where what happened is he ended up seeing one of his other siblings and nonchalantly just went with them! Ummm yes talk about panic! That's the only way I can relate to this one! Just so glad to hear alls well where you are!


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Terrifying........but so glad she's okay!!!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

I can't even imagine the panic that set in. How scary. I am so happy that she found her way back home.....

((Hugs))


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

Oh, wow, I'm so glad she's OK! How scary . I pretty much broke down when Rocky got out (he ran out the door chasing a cat and disappeared into some woods behind a neighbor's house) and he was only gone for like 45 minutes. It's a horrible feeling.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm so happy she made it home alright! How's the adventurer doing today? This is why I always try to help catch dogs that I see running loose, you never know who's frantically searching for them! 

My dogs used to get out at my old house because my backyard backed up to a street and some jerk liked to open the gate so my dogs could run free. I'd always come home and find them waiting for me at my front door like "Hey mom, we ran away, look at us!" Even baby Peyton never went very far, so I'm extremely grateful for that! *knocks on wood*

Now in my new house, both of my yards are FULLY fenced (yes, that was a determining factor for me when I bought the place) so the chances of escape are very slim. Geez I sound like a prison guard now!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Thanks, everyone. 
Annie is going great today, she's a little bit timid, which is unlike her, but she seems to be getting back to her normal self throughout the day. 
She's so special to me. It took hours to wind back down last night and finally just fall asleep, maybe it was all the adrenaline, maybe it was the boxer snorts and snores in my ear. LOL


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## Boxers&Pom's Mom (Jan 17, 2011)

I know that is terrifying! I really feel your pain. Nothing is worst that not knowing where they are, if they are suffering. I am so happy that Annie found her way back home.


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

That is the worst feeling in the world, feeling helpless and not knowing where your best friend is. I'm glad she's back home, safe and sound.


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