Happy to be alive

This weekend I had a little scare, well it was not an immediate scare, it became more of a scare the longer I thought about it.

The house that is behind us (I found a negative house) has this little wiener dog.  The thing barks and barks at the slightest movement both inside and outside the house.  On the rare occasion that the dog is able to escape, the owners have a difficult time capturing him.  On more than one occasion I have seen the dog bite at his owners.

On Sunday I was sitting in my chair and I kept hearing a dog bark.  It was much closer than normal and since our complex does not allow dogs I got up to go check the situation.  Outside, I noticed a couple trying to capture a little wiener dog.  I let them know that the dog belonged to the end unit out back and pointed.  Then I warned them that I was pretty sure the dog bites because I have seen on more than one occasion the dog bite his owners when the pick him up.  They decided to discontinue their quest.

I came back in the house and told Dante what was happening outside.  After a few minutes of watching the mutt run around the neighborhood like a chicken with its head cut off, I told Dante that I felt I should go knock on their door and let them know their dog was loose.

I headed toward the house and the dog spotted me.  Of course, he comes closer and starts growling and yipping.  I get about twenty feet from the front door and the dog jumps on their stoop and continues barking.  There was no way I was going to knock on that door. 

A few seconds passed and the lady opens the door with a "YEAH?"  reminiscent of my hillbilly days.  I told her that I just wanted her to know that her dog was out because I was pretty sure they normally keep him inside.  She then told me that he was loose and she was home alone and couldn't catch him with her broken arm (the same arm that has been broken for two years and I am not exaggerating that one day).  I gave her a few seconds figure out that if she just opened the door she could scoop him up.  Finally I suggested just that.  "If you open your door you can just scoop him up"  I think the dog totally understood me because he suddenly moved away from the door. 

I think he was starting to warm up to me because he became a little more friendly and moved around me to my back.  She asked me if I would walk toward the house because she was sure the dog would follow.  I did, and he did.  Thinking back it was almost like he was herding me into the house, which totally creeps me out, in case you were wondering.   I walked up to the front door with the dog right on my heels.  I stopped.  She asked if I would please come into the house because she was sure he would follow.  I did as she asked.

It was like stepping into an episode of Hoarders.  I kept my eyes down and kicked aside trash in order to get through the front door.  While I desperately wanted to look around, I was starting to panic a little and didn't dare.  With my luck she will kill me because I saw too much. 

I noticed that the walls were a deep red and it was dark, very dark.  It was early afternoon and the sun was shining but, not in that cave.  Off to the left where one would expect a living room complete with a TV and sofa, there appeared to be a bed.  I could not even bring my self to notice if there was a person in the bed.  Actually it was a mattress and box springs on the floor, there technically was not a bed.  All of this took a matter of seconds and then I heard the door slam.  I turned around to find she had closed the door with gusto.  I panicked.  I said something like "OK Thank you, have a nice day and pushed the lady aside to get out the door.  I hope that I didn't hurt her but frankly I was not stopping to find out. 

I come back to the house to find Dante playing the piano and Cal was doing something on his computer.  I asked them why in the world they were not watching to make sure I came out alive.  They knew I was going to the house.  I then told Dante the story, of course, he just responded with he didn't think I was stupid enough to go into the house. 

I feel so badly for that family.  It appears to be a mother, father, and a few teenage kids.  To live like that is just sad and depressing.  The police are always at this house and I don't know why they are allowing the kids to live in those conditions. 

Now I understand why the dog barks constantly, he is afraid.  What a sad life for the dog too!