i bet you're hard to get over

This afternoon Little Puppy scared me.  When I got home from work, I let all three pups into the yard for an afternoon romp.  I supervise these romps because the boys are rougher and bigger and I feel like I need to protect Little Puppy a bit.  Anyway, one of the boy-pups ran inside and I followed him to close the screen behind him to stop flies from getting in.  And when I looked back into the yard, Little Puppy was gone.  I looked all over the yard for her, calling her name, looking under the shrubs and all the way to the back fence where there is a part of the yard totally hidden by trees.  I looked everywhere.  It's a big yard, but she shouldn't have been able to disappear in it.

I ran back in and grabbed shoes and ran around the outside of the house calling her, feeling my heard starting pound.  I was picturing horrible things... cars... coyotes... how could she have disappeared like that?  I left the back door open so she (and the flies) could get in if she returned while I was outside.

When I couldn't find her outside, I ran around inside the house to make sure she hadn't slipped past me when I let the other pup inside.  I checked all the rooms and all her favourite napping spots.  She wasn't there.

I called Shawn at work, nearly in tears.  He said he was going to take a cab home immediately.  He phoned his father who said he would be over in two minutes to help me search.  (And lo, again, I experience what it's like to have family nearby who love and want to help us - amen!)  I sat on the front step tying my shoes and trying to stop myself from bursting into tears, when suddenly Little Puppy wandered up behind me and sniffed my elbow.  Hello.  Whatcha doin' Mum?

I still don't know where she was.  

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