What a week

Last week was quite the week! It started on Tuesday morning when I decided to walk Riley out in front of the High School while I was waiting for Jason to get out of Seminary at church....I should have known better....Riley isn't use to walk on such a busy street especially at 7:30 in the morning with all the traffic going to the High School. We were almost back to the church parking lot when he wiggled out of his collar....ran out into traffic....ran back into the church parking lot.....of course this whole time I am FREAKING out! I hollered at some kid on a skateboard to see if he could catch him....in retrospect it was the wrong thing to do, it just scared Riley more. He got away from the boy on the skateboard and he last saw him going over the freeway over pass towards another busy street.....my heart sank........it was all my fault.......I was sobbing there was nothing I could do......we spent the next two hours wandering the streets calling his name and feeling so helpless! Finally we went home.....my heart was broken....Jason's was broken....we didn't know what to do next.

I found a photo on my computer and we made some flyers......I posted on facebook and my favorite scrappy sites about what had happened.....hoping someone would say they had seen him....that night when Cliff got home he even posted on Craigs list that we had lost him. Life went on but the three of us were truly in mourning......we had only had Riley such a short time...only 8 months but none of us could figure out how we were going to get along with out our sweet little puppy.

Wednesday, it rained.......I prayed that someone had taken him in so he wouldn't be hanging out in the rain.....we called the pound.....we knew he was microchipped and licensed but without his collar no one would know. We put up flyers....and we continued to pray. We got a very sweet email from Jeremy that helped sustain me through the day.....Thursday dawned to beautiful blue sky....we were again hopeful that we would find him....Jason and I went over to the animal shelter that day...that was hard...no Riley and all of these sweet dogs with the saddest eyes looking up at me....it was really hard. That night it was windy and cold and I continued to pray that Riley was safe and warm some place....if only someone would call us.

Friday morning Jason and I decided that we would stop in at some local Animal Hospital's. We also stopped in at a couple dog groomers. We got home early afternoon and I checked the messages on the answering machine....someone had called and said they had seen him just down the street from the High School.....we got all excited....I was in the process of trying to find a phone number to call this person back when my cell phone rang....my good friend Angie Meyers and her son Christopher had seen Riley on their way home from school....Jason and I jumped in the car and raced over to where they were....we called and called and finally I saw his sweet little face in the bushes. I couldn't believe it! No one had taken him in and here he was right in front of my eyes! We pulled him out of brush and he was so happy, crying, kissing my face..then he had to go and see Jason and do the same thing.......it was an amazing reunion.

Long story short..........We took Riley to the Vet and he seems to be none the worse for wear....he's a bit skittish but is slowly getting back into his old routine. I am so grateful for all of the prayers and the help and support we had in looking for Riley. It has been a testimony builder for our family that God does hear and answer our prayers. Welcome home Riley!

I snapped this photo of Riley after he was home and bathed and just chillin' on the back of the couch.