Friday morning, as Dale and I were pulling out of the alley to head to work, we noticed a black lab running loose in the mouth of the alley across the street. It was so reminiscent of finding Sophie in our driveway all those years ago. I always worry when I see a dog off leash outside of a yard with no people in sight. My first thought when I saw this dog was check to see if she had a collar. She did. My next thought was to jump out of the car and check to see if she had a license. I did and she did. Dale was sure she belonged in the yard on that corner of the alley since he had seen her there yesterday. The backyard gate was open so I let her back in. She went in willingly and headed straight for the sandbox and occupied herself with something there. Relieved, I hopped back in the car but have to admit that I was a little misty-eyed. When I had called her to me she fell into my shins so naturally - just like Sophie always did. When I reached toward her collar to check for her license she licked the part of my hand between my thumb and forfinger - again just like Sophie would when she fell against my legs to greet me when I came home from a long day. When she looked up at me after her friendly lick I noticed her eyes were the same root-beer-colored brown as Sophie's. It was like a very brief and other-worldly reunion. Very beautiful but yet incredibly sad. The above photo is one I took of her a few days later while on a walk.
