6 years later, a dog's life changes once again
A surprise development raises a question about expenses.
DEAR HARRY: Yesterday we got a huge surprise. But let me start about six years ago. We came home from a Phillies game to find a beautiful golden retriever sitting on our front step. The dog was very friendly, but had no identification. Markings in her fur indicated that she probably had a collar at one time. We put up signs on the telephone poles within a mile of our home hoping to find her owners. No dice. We named her Smiley because of the way she smiled. Yes, she smiled. We had her checked out by a vet who said she appeared to have been taken care of well. We had her trained as a therapy dog. The trainer said that she was pretty sure Smiley had been trained before. Yesterday, as we were walking in the park, a youngster in her early teens yelled at us. "Goldy!" she shouted. Our dog snapped to attention and pulled hard against the lead. The tail was going a mile a minute as she was grabbed by the child. It seemed quite clear that they belonged to each other. Her family had stopped for gas at a nearby station and the dog had disappeared. They tried a search, as we did, but we never connected. We returned her with tears in our eyes. My wife wants to send the owners a bill for our expenses. I do not. What's Harry think?
WHAT HARRY SAYS: During those six years you got back much more than you ever could imagine. Forget it.
write to him at Daily News, 801 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Harry urges all his readers to give blood. Contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-Red Cross.