When Abbie took herself out to eat at Pok Pok

This is Abbie. She now lives with a fabulous retired couple and two other golden retrievers in Oregon. Giving her up when we immigrated was excruciating. We would have been happy (meh...okay fine) to pay the $6000.00+ in fees to bring her, but at her age, putting her in quarantine for several months and making her take a 20 hour flight, then making her live in a rented apartment didn't seem fair.

Sometimes we picture her talking to her new family. "What?! I get walked EVERY day?! You don't just put me in the car and drive me around like my old mom?"

One time I thought Tom fed her breakfast and he thought I did. Oopsie doodles. She was adorable, simple, loyal and we could never ask for a sweeter girl.

She loves to:

• wear a jester collar
• jump in mud
• roll in bird poo
• cuddle (never in that order)
• give high fives
• eat pot roast
• escape the house and take herself to Pok Pok, the open air Thai restaurant a block from our old house

That last one was a nightmare. We were doing yard work and accidentally left the garage door open. Abbie was like "Do de do...oh look. An open door. I love the great outdoors! What's that smell? Roasting meats? The sound of chattering people who will no doubt find me irresistible to pet and tickle?! Let's do this thing. Ima bounce, baby.".

All Tom and I knew was that she was just GONE. I was hysterical. We got on our bikes, split up going different directions and started riding around the neighborhood calling for her. Tears and snot are streaming down my face. I just knew she was going to be mowed down by a speeding car.

Tom's cell phone rings and it's Pok Pok, the Thai restaurant down the street. One of those places that's so good they have a line on Tuesdays at 5 pm. They had outdoor seating in the summer...you could sit and bask in the smoky bbq chicken essence all afternoon. His phone number was on her tag. They tell him she's in their courtyard, happily mingling with their customers. Well of course that's where she'd go. If we weren't doing yard work, we might have gone there too.

As he approaches, he sees that she's already attained outdoor restaurant superhero status. All the diners have learned her name (from her tag) and there's a flurry of competition to get her to come to each table and get petted. "Abbie!"... "Here Abbie!"... "HI ABBIE!" ... "AbbieAbbieAbbieAbbie"... Her tail (that we used to have styled to make her look like either a donkey or a lion) is on full tilt wag action.

I don't know if anyone has ever been through this, where your pet (or worse, child?) has wandered off, but what a roller coaster of emotions when you find them. Tom does this great reenactment of how he felt when he finally got her back, where he raises his fist and (angry voice) says, "Why you...you....I could just..... (happy voice) HUG YOU."

And that, Tom says, that is the exact feeling of what it's like to be married to me.

Hmmm.