Drid

Midnight came around and the breeze spoke to me and told me it was finally cool enough to go for a walk. I grabbed the leash and the best dog in the world, put my sneakers on and set off. An hour in, and about 6 blocks from home, this little dog started following us. He had a brown head and an all white body except for a few little spots of brown and black. He bad back leg, that caused him to walk with a limp. He had a really sweet disposition that Emma took to immediately.

"Stay," I'd say, as I walked him back to the house he started at. If it wasn't so late, and the house wasn't totally dark, I might have knocked. Despite my best efforts in shaking the little guy, he followed us all the way home. No tags, no sign of a microchip, no nothing... indicating who he belonged to.

Not knowing what to do, I put him in the backyard, with some food and water and towels made into a little bed, and decided to figure it out in the morning. By then, he was long gone. Must have gotten out through the crawl space underneath the house. All I could do then was hope and pray that he'd found his way back home safely.

Two days later, I went to the commune for the first time. As I was shooting, this dog came and laid down across my feet. Monica, mother of some of the most beautiful kids ever, and matriarch of the household, commented how unusual this is because Drid (short for Madrid) doesn't like just anyone. I look down, saw some familiar markings, and thought that this dog looks awfully similar to the one that followed me home.

I ask Monica if she'd mind going across the room and calling the dog. When Drid got up, I noticed his gimpy walk immediately. "Strange question," I said. And I asked Monica if this dog always wore a red collar. No, we just gave him a bath this morning, and put it on him afterwards, she said. Then I asked if, by some strange chance, this dog had been missing on Monday. Her eyes lit up. "Yeah, how'd you know? He went missing on Sunday and this woman saw our Lost Dog signs up and called this morning. We just got him back today, and he was filthy, that's why we gave him a bath."

I told her, I know this is going to sound strange, but two days ago, this dog was two miles away and spent the night in my backyard. How's that for a strange coincidence? Or maybe it was a sign that I was meant to work on this story, meet this family that I now had a unique bond with, and know that Drid made it home safe and sound.