The New Year is often a time of making resolutions and reflecting back on what you are grateful for. The end of 2015 could have turned out differently for us. When our small, white dog, Maggie, got out of our fence this fall, I knew it was a bad sign when I didn’t find her sniffing the neighbor’s yard, where she loves to go when we walk together. I ran around our immediate neighborhood, calling her name, and she was nowhere to be found. I called my husband, and I also called the police. Time was of the essence for a dog who is only 12” tall but who loves to chase squirrels and who wasn’t fazed by running a 5K race with me a couple of years ago.
David Barberich, the communications officer who took my call, asked me to E-mail him a picture of Maggie. I was surprised and relieved when he reassured me that the department often reunites owners with lost pets. As my husband Jonathan circled the neighborhood on his bike, I drove around, stopping pedestrians with instructions to call the police if they found her. Often, they answered that they already got the police alert on their phone. They had her picture.
I E-mailed neighbors to keep a look out, and then it occurred to me to text Barry Lane, who owns Princeton Grooming. I wrote that I needed to cancel our grooming appointment that morning, as Maggie was lost. A few minutes later, I got a text back asking if we needed help looking. I replied, “yes!” I asked him to go to the house because if she returned home, no one would be there. An hour had passed since I’d noticed her missing. Surely, she would want breakfast by now! Some time later, I arrived back at the house, and my husband arrived a few minutes after me. I was still yelling her name, hoping she’d hear. But this time, I heard Barry’s voice from the back yard: “I got her!”
I ran to the back. Barry had a hat over her face so she wouldn’t bite, and he had just gotten her up to the gate. I cried with relief when I saw her in his arms. He had found her in another neighbor’s yard, panicked, as she couldn’t figure out how to get back through the gate. He said she snarled at him when he tried to pick her up, even though he’s been picking her up just about monthly for over three years as her groomer. I’m so glad he knew what to do.
I learned two big things that morning. One, to always check the back gate — mistakes happen. The other was that when someone goes out of their way for you, it’s a very special gift. It warms your heart. It was reassuring to talk to Officer Barberich when I was ready to panic. It was great to hear back from neighbors, who were helping spread the word. And Barry Lane found Maggie and brought her safely home.
Cynthia Yoder
West Windsor
