An Amazing Dog Story!!

The last Week and a half has been a K-9 roller coaster ride.

We new Sadie the dalmatian didn't have much time left. Dawn was on a mission to find her parents the perfect dog. On December 17th Dawn, Buddy and I interviewed two dogs. One was an 85lb labradoodle the the other was a pure bred poodle. The lab mix was to big, but Dawn thought the poodle was perfect. I had reservations about the poodle because he was very frightened when we held him.

Tuesday the 18th was the sad day that we put Sadie down(union bulletin obit/story with my name in it is "HERE" ).
After we got through with that trauma I was hoping we would put the dog search off utill after Christmas.

Wednesday Dawn called me at work. She bought the poodle and one of the vets at the clinic offered to neuter it for free. Dawn left the poodle "Zoro" at the clinic Wednesday night.

Thursday Dawn called me and told me that when she opened the dogs cage it bolted out and then ran into the break room and hid under the couch. We decided it would be best to take the dog over to our house and let it adjust for a few days. But, Dawn parents begged her to bring the poodle over right away(they couldn't stand not having a dog in the house). Against Dawns better judgment she took the poodle over to her parents house on Thursday the 20th.

Early Friday morning Dawn called to inform me that the poodle had escaped from her parents back yard. The 12 pound poodle found a hole in the fence and it was no where to be found.

We went door to door we combed the neighborhood and we put an add in the paper.
We had no luck. Monday we got a report of a found poodle, but it wasn't the right one.

Christmas came and went and still no Zoro. I had lost all hope. It had been five days and it had been below freezing in Walla Walla.

This morning I went back to work after Christmas thinking sadly that the poodle was probably dead by now.

This afternoon Dawn called me at work and told me that the poodle Zoro was in the Mill creek channel. When I arrived Dawn was already their by the corp of engineers bldg looking down at zoro. Dawn wanted to go down at get him but, the firemen would not let her go down. Zoro was near fourth street and started sprinting up the channel
towards ninth I sprinted five blocks as well. When I got to ninth street Zoro was still in the channel and a couple of fire engines and a ambulance arrived on the scene. I watched as the firemen slowly closed the distance on Zoro. It looked like our six days of stress were over. Then Zoro jumped in the creek. One of the firemen
fished him out with a net, but once Zoro was clear of the water he jumped out of the net, then another firemen had him for a moment but he wiggled away. Zoro the did some Walter payton like moves and was off to the races.

Then the firemen were unable to find Zoro. They gave up, packed up their equipment and went home.

I had to go back to work. I pleaded with Dawn not to go down in the channel and look for the dog(it's dangerous and it's a $1,ooo fine). I also new that Dawn would go looking no matter what I said.

Two hours latter I got off work worried about Dawn and hoping against hope that she had found the poodle.


When I first got home no Dawn. I was concerned. I started to drive around and look for her car. Then I decide I would go back home and catch my breath. When I got home Dawn's car was parked out front, I was relieved. then I walk in the house and saw Zoro. I celebrated like a Red Sox fan after they had broke the curse of the Bambino.

I first met Zoro nine days ago. I saw a little gray poodle that seem to love it's family (which consisted of several kids from toddlers to elementary school age). The kids as well as the parents seemed to love Zoro, but for some reason the parents had decided they needed to sell off all their pets. The image of the happy little poodle
playing with his family has been stuck in my head along with an image of the same poodle hiding under a porch in freezing temperatures and dying of exposure.

Right now Zoro is sleeping in our bed with Dawn and Buddy. We are all very relieved

P.S. Amongst all the commotion today Dawn said to me "If we find this dog were keeping it". I said "you're darn right". Well in the future will have a decision to make. For now were just happy Zoro is safe and sound.