I had one of those heart stopping days which I haven't had in twelve years when I lost my dog. Twelve years ago, Cooper aged six months walked out the front door behind my back while I was getting a package. I found him within five minutes when I saw a pair of posted ears in my neighbors yard. Whew!
Yesterday was different. I came home to no dog in the house. I came home and he wasn't there to greet me at the door as he always is. I was hoping he wasn't sick so went to see why he didn't greet me.
I didn't see him sleeping under my desk, his favorite spot. He didn't come when I called. I went around the house and couldn't find him. I thought he must have sneaked outside when I got home and didn't notice. I spent what seemed like forever calling him and looking in every hiding spot I could think of inside and outside. There's a five foot fence around the yard and all the gates were closed.
How do you lose an eighty six pound, twenty seven inch tall, extremely exuberant Doberman?
Complete silence and no sign of AJ. Complete panic and no sign of relief.
I was positive I counted noses before I left and all the dogs were inside. I searched outside again calling him.
Did I have a Senior Moment, leave him outside and he was stolen?
As I was standing in the hallway thinking about calling Animal Control to report him missing, I hear a tiny whimper. He somehow got into the spare room and closed the door behind him. I didn't think to check the spare room because the door is always closed, it's used for storage and has little walking room, and there's a pile of stuff in front of the door. So I try to open the door and he knocked over the plastic storage bins and jammed the door shut! I managed to push the door open enough to free him.
His day wasn't over. I look out the back window and he's proudly prancing around the back yard with one of Jeri's bras in his mouth which he's waving like a flag.
AJ has a new name - The Usual Suspect. He's now an honorary redhead, as he gets in more trouble than both my redheads combined!
Here he is with my bath towel which he snatched and ran outside with as soon as I put it down.
We keep finding his baby teeth in the rug lol 
