Close Call

One day in late fall, Loki didn't greet me when I came home from work. He normally waits at the washroom door when he hears me come in. If he's outside, he normally watches me park and runs up when I open the door.

I found Carrie and Shane in the kitchen and after they welcomed me home I asked, "Where's Loki?"

"What do you mean, 'Where's Loki?'" Carrie replied.

That's when they realized Loki wasn't in the house. He wasn't outside either. 

He was in the truck.

Everyone ran outside to get him. He'd been there since Shane had come home from school. Thank God, it was fall, it wasn't too hot (60's or low 70's), and the sun was hidden behind clouds. The truck was parked in the shadow of the hay barn, too. Loki hopped out healthy and excited to see his people.

Shane cried. I'd yelled out something in shock about how dangerous it was to leave animals in cars when we'd realized where Loki was. It wasn't directed at him, but I don't think Shane sees me that worried and surprised that often. On a hotter day Loki could've been dead. 

Once we got back inside, we made sure the water bowl was full and I did a Google search and read out how dangerous leaving a dog in a car could be. Everyone knew we'd dodged a disaster, so there was no need to focus on it afterward.

This is not a recent tale, but it is a vivid memory. I'm trying to backdate and fill in blog posts and I think Shane will probably remember leaving dogs in cars is a bad thing for the rest of his life. He was incredibly upset when he realized something could have happened to hurt Loki. It wasn't his fault in that both he and Carrie had time to realize Loki wasn't in the house, but I think the realization he hadn't a clue Loki was in a dangerous spot frightened him. 

So here's to hoping the lesson was learned for all of us!