This is the first year I didn’t run dogs in the Funale. I was sick all week and just didn’t feel well enough to run dogs. Greg was Race Manager again, so he didn’t have the opportunity to run. Unfortunately I drove up to the Funale in the afternoon to partake in the community event– I had been cooped up in the house all week and really needed to get out. Here’s what happened:
I brought Red, Storm, and Decker as backup dogs for the kiddie run. I brought Chester, well because I always bring Chester in the the when there’s an opportunity to. I was walking around Pleasant Valley Center with Chester saying hi to folks. Chester was getting his usual remarks of what a beautiful dog he is. One of Chester’s admirers was checking him out and said to me, “Nice dog. I used to have a dog like that.” For some reason I asked, “Where do you live?” The guy responded, “13 mile.” I said, “This is your dog.”
Turns out it was Chester’s original owner. We shared stories of what happened, of how I came to be his owner (see Mysterious Dog in our Yard & Shit Happens), and of how he and his family were away for 10 months and his housesitter’s robbed him and told him that Chester was dead*. It was a really awkward situation, especially when he mentioned that he wouldn’t mind having Chester back. I told him he could visit and that I’d think about it, that I wanted to introduce him to Greg. We parted and said we’d see each other later.
I found Greg and told him the news. I told him that it was a messed up situation, that Chester remembered the guy, that the guy’s kids were sad, and that I didn’t think I could give Chester up.
Later on, I saw the guy again and introduced him to Greg. Greg stood there and basically told the guy that we would give him back. I stood in utter shock and didn’t understand why Greg would say such a thing when 10 minutes before I told him how I didn’t want to give Chester up and when he knows how a feel about Chester. Greg gave the guy our phone number. The guy already found out where we lived because he is friends with a mutual acquaintance of ours– and the acquaintance told him where we lived.
I left the Funale. I brought Storm, Red, Decker, and Chester home (they didn’t get to run with the kiddies).
Later that night I needed to go for a mush– even if I was sick. I had left with the “B” team (and Chester), and Greg was saddling up the “A” team when the dude stopped by. I don’t really know what happened, but Greg said he told the guy that I wasn’t interested in parting with Chester.
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*Note: The guy’s wife said they were told that Chester was hit by a car, adopted, taken to the pound, etc.