Moose on the Loose!

Go Westward, young Moose...

There comes a time in every young Moose's life when adulthood calls, independence beckons, and the need to fly the coop simply cannot be contained. The parents aren't cool anymore. The dog walker is just lame. And the walls of the park are nothing but extension of The Man, suppressing the free thoughts of the Moose.

Today was Moose's day. The day to break free. Today, the Moose was loose.

And scared his parents half to death, I might add.

Today was my first day back at work after more than two weeks stuck in bed with bronchitis. I had only been at work for three hours when I received the call that every dog mommy dreads: the call from the dog walker. Now, as every dog mommy knows, the dog walker is not like your kid's teacher. He doesn't call just to check in. He doesn't call to give you a doggy report card. He calls for one reason and one reason only: your dog is missing.

I knew this when I picked up the phone, and yet I still expected other news. In fact, I expected him to be calling to ask whether or not I would be at home, as during my illness I scared him out of his wits on more than one occasion, since he never expected me to be sitting on the sofa when he came in to pick up Moose. Poor guy.

Unfortunately, this really was the dreaded call. He told me, rather calmly if you ask me, that he had been putting Moose in his car after a long walk in Richmond Park when suddenly Moose bolted. Apparently Moose just decided to do something a little different today and ran as fast as his furry little legs could carry him, which is damn fast if you ask me. The dog walker quickly lost track of him and called in reinforcements to help find the escapee. He also called me, which of course caused me to call Matthew, and within minutes the two of us were speeding toward Waterloo Station and then on to Richmond to join the search for our fuzzy little renegade.

Now, before I get too caught up in the ridiculousness of the situation, I just want to pause and say that I have never been so worried. My poor puppy was lost in (I thought) the wilds of Richmond Park and I was terrified that he might chase after some runners (one of his favorite activities), get dognapped, or (worst!) get hit by a car. Moose can be a real pain sometimes, but I would be absolutely devastated if something happened to him.

In any case, as Matthew works closer to Waterloo Station, he was able to get a train before I got to the station. He was about ten minutes ahead of me but promised to get home, pick up the car (ahem, our new BMW), and retrieve me from the station so we could look for the Moose together. Bless him, he is so cool under pressure.

And then I got a totally unexpected phone call. From Matthew. Who had run home from Richmond Station, gone into our house through the back door, gathered keys and kennels and leashes, and then gone out the front door to get the car.

...and who should be sitting right by our front door but Moose? Yes, that's right. Moose LEFT a walled and gated park. Navigated several busy roads (and possibly a roundabout). Chose one of about four different, winding, possible routes. And made it home, cool as a cucumber, without getting hit by a car.

He was so pleased with himself.

Matthew and I both have been entertaining ourselves thinking about Moose's little adventure today. Did he go straight home, do you suppose? Did he walk out of Richmond Park (surely through Richmond Gate, at the top of the hill) and follow the sidewalk right, down Queen's Road, until he reached Park Road? Did he then cross the street (at the pedestrian crosswalk, do you think?), walk up Park Road, cross another street, and then turn right again down King's Road until he reached our street? Or did he leave the park and go across the busy roundabout? Did he walk down the promenade that overlooks the Thames? Did he, perhaps, stop for a pint at the Roebuck, as Matthew and I did just last Thursday? Or did he meet some doggie friends, have a wrestle, and sneak a cheeky cigarette before meeting Matthew at home?

Only Moose will know the details of his journey. What I do know is that this morning I was the proud mommy of a Moose. Tonight I go to bed the (extremely thankful) mommy of a man. Well, a Moose-man. A manly Moose? A...well, you get the point.

For a map of Richmond: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=richmond+london&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Richmond,+Surrey&gl=uk&ei=8_DES7v2CJTw0gTHhpTRDg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ8gEwAA