My boxer was discovered missing from my yard yesterday morning. I have been frantic. I searched the Humane Society. I put out an ad on Craigslist and in my local paper. I searched my neighborhood and the local parks. I cried. And then I cried some more.

I kept imagining him hungry and thirsty and going to the river to get a drink, missing his footing and falling in, to be swept along to who-knows-where.

I had a friend come over on Friday to get some extra no-good-to-me-but-someone-else-might-like-it items out of my back yard. I have a fence that opens like a french door. Apparently the people (Bob had farmed the work out) who came over on Friday failed to latch the gate securely. And I failed to make sure that it was latched when I returned home.

So, long story short, Simon went to bed with me at the normal time Sunday evening and when I got up at 6 on Monday morning, he had decided he needed to go for a little stroll. He was just neutered two and a half weeks ago, so the testosterone is not completely out of his system yet, so I think he prolly could smell a female in heat and went to investigate.

Yeah, I have been frantic. My English Gentleman has bent over backward trying to help the situation. He even went to the Humane Society this morning and looked through the kennels for me. Bless his heart.

Simon was found underneath a yard office this morning by the yard office's pup. The owners coaxed him out of hiding and after feeding him and giving him some cool water to drink, they read his tags and called me.

The reunion was poignant. Simon is very well-behaved, but he is, after all, still sometimes a puppy. He's only 15 months old. I told him to sit, which he did...but then he was so very happy to see me that his whole body started shaking and he couldn't help but put out one little paw like, "Mom! I'm here! Can we go home now?"

It was the sweetest thing I've seen for a *very* long time...I love my boxer...I'm pretty sure he's getting steak tonight for dinner!