"Happy birthday, Swanna!" Mom shouted, as she brought out a box, decorated with a bright green bow. Instead of putting it on the table, she carefully slid it to the floor.
Swanna squealed with joy when the box barked, then the lid fell off, to reveal a beautiful, fluffy white poodle puppy.
She scooped up the little bundle of fur, and giggled when it licked her nose.
"What are you going to name her, Dear?" Dad asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"Snowball!" Swanna exclaimed, as she shared a lick of frosting with the puppy.
One month later:
"Can Snowball go to school with me? Please, just this once?" Swanna pleaded. A single tear ran down her cheek, and she brushed it away.
"Not today, it's your first day. You will make lots of new friends! Little girls and boys your own age. You can play with Snowball when you get home," promised Mom.
Reluctantly Swanna nodded her head, then walked over to the puppy. "You be good, and listen to Mom. We're both big now. I have to go to school, and you have to help out around here," she said solemnly, as she kissed the top of the puppy's head.
An hour later, Snowball whined at the door.
"Alright, don't go too far," Mom said, as she opened the door. Going back to her computer, she hummed softly.
Several minutes later, she looked out of the window, just in time to see a car stop. Inside were two young men, perhaps in their early twenties.
Snowball was halfway between the house and the road. Seeing visitors, she sprinted towards them.
The driver opened his door, and bent over, palm up.
Mom went to the door, curious about what was going on in her quiet suburban neighborhood. By the time she stepped on the porch, both the vehicle and Snowball were nowhere in sight.
"The police will find her. But probably not before Swanna gets home," she thought frantically.
Swiftly she dialed the number for the authorities, and an older man picked up. "FAPD, how may we help you?" he asked, in a gruff yet professional tone.
Briefly she described the incident and the puppy in as much detail as possible.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Unless you saw the license plate number, or they left some evidence, it's extremely unlikely that we will be able to find your daughter's dog. However, it might be worth checking the animal shelter every so often. Also, I'll pass on the dog's ID chip to all of the veterinary clinics in this county and those adjoining it. If they take it in for vaccinations or anything else, we will be alerted," he said sympathetically.
"Thank you, Sir. You have been very kind," she replied before hanging up.
"How am I going to tell Swanna? She was so brave to leave her puppy here this morning, and now this..." thought Mom, now in tears.
Two years later:
"Swanna, are you sure you don't want another puppy? We have a fenced in yard now, there won't be a repeat of what happened. You can't mourn her forever," Mom said in a kind but practical voice.
"I know... It's just every time I think of it, I wonder what will happen if I do find Snowball one day. Will I have to choose between the two? And even if you do let me keep both, will they like each other?" Swanna replied thoughtfully.
"You can't worry about that forever. And no, Dad and I would never force you to choose. Both dogs would always have a home here," Mom said, encouraged by her daughter's sudden openness. In previous discussions the child had simply said no thank you, then changed the subject or excused herself.
"Maybe... can I think about it for a while?" Swanna asked, obviously needing time to process the new information her mother had given her.
"You don't have to give your answer now, just think about what I said. And remember, you aren't replacing her, she'll always be part of this family," Mom said in an encouraging voice.
"I will. I'm curious though, why do you want me to have another dog so badly?" the child asked, frowning.
"I guess because of the way things happened. I still feel guilty," Mom admitted, becoming choked up with emotion.
"It wasn't your fault. You did the same thing you always did, she was always fine before," Swanna replied while giving Mom a tender hug.
A couple of weeks later:
"I still can't get over that Mom and Dad are letting me come home by myself," marveled Swanna. She had been doing just that ever since she started second grade, on every single day it didn't rain, but it still felt like a grand adventure into adulthood.
A shrill whimpering sound interrupted her thoughts, and she stopped. "It's coming from the bushes, between the park and that house," she thought, and quickly crossed the road after looking for traffic.
Following the noise, she soon located its source, and gasped. "A bulldog puppy!" Swanna exclaimed, scooping up the tiny animal in her arms.
She looked around, but didn't see anyone. "I'm sure someone is looking for you, but I can't leave you here alone. And I can't stay, I have to get home. Mom and Dad will know what to do," she told the puppy, who was snuggling in for a nap.
A couple of minutes later, she presented the puppy to Mom, who tried to hide her discomfort. "This is not going to end well if she's thinking of keeping that puppy. It looks like a purebred, and is obviously well fed. It belongs to someone," she thought sadly.
"- I think the owners must be in the park, or maybe one of those houses I pass every day. What do you think?" Swanna asked, oblivious to her mother's distracted state of mind.
"Uh, sorry Honey, I didn't quite hear everything you said, but that sounds like a good place to start looking. I'll leave a note on the fridge for Dad, then we can see if we can help this sweet little lady find her way home," Mom replied with relief.
After several hours of knocking on doors, and hanging out in the park, they were no closer to finding out where the puppy had come from. But Swanna had learned quite a few things about the tiny bulldog puppy.
She loved water, and played happily in the duck pond, chasing sticks then chewing them up. She also didn't seem to be used to being allowed to play outdoors. It was as if everything was new to her.
"Well it's going to be dark soon, we really need to get home," Mom said, looking around at the still empty park.
"What about the puppy?" asked Swanna.
"She will have to come with us. Tomorrow I'll take her to the vet, and see if she has a chip. I know she belongs to someone, we just need to find out who," replied Mom, determined to remind her daughter that this puppy was not a stray.
The next day:
"Well, she's certainly healthy. But there's no chip. I do agree that the dog couldn't be a stray though. Maybe put out some flyers, ads, etc? I know you said you would like to keep her, but it's always best to make every effort to find the legal owners. It'll give you more peace of mind in the long run," assured the older lady, as she looked into the dog's eyes.
"Yes, and then there's the way we lost Swanna's first dog," Mom replied, then briefly explained what happened, and her daughter's reaction.
"Then you'll definitely want to go slowly with this. It's a recipe for heartbreak," the vet agreed sadly.
One month later:
"Look at the way Fawn has her nose to the ground, Mom. She's really trying to pull me," giggled Swanna.
"Maybe she wants to go get an ice cream from the store," laughed Mom, grabbing the puppy's leash to see where she would take them.
Fawn passed right by the tiny family owned store (which she had visited many times) and then turned right, heading straight towards a car parked in the shade of a large Oak. Nearby was a convenience store.
As they approached, Fawn let out several loud, excited barks, and a small but full grown bulldog stood, and wagged its tail. It was tied to the tree, and had been resting under the car.
When they approached, Mom gasped, then quickly picked up the puppy, and hid her under her jacket.
"I think that's Fawn's mom," said Swanna, who still hadn't realized the importance of the discovery.
"I think so too Honey, but what's more important, I'm almost sure I recognize the car," whispered Mom. Juggling the puppy and her purse, she managed to pull out a pen and paper, then wrote down the license plate number.
"Let's get out of here. I have some phone calls to make," whispered Mom.
"So he does have a record of theft, Officer? Can you please check to see if any adult female bulldogs were stolen?" asked Mom, as she sat on her plush couch, breathless from her jog home.
"One was stolen about six months ago... tan, with some black," he replied.
"That sounds like her. Which would mean she was bred after she was stolen," Mom said thoughtfully.
"We're going to investigate, thank you for your help, ma'am," replied the officer before he hung up.
"Is Fawn going to have to go live with her mom?" Swanna asked, realizing by now that the situation was serious.
"I'm really not sure, Honey. But I don't think so. I'll tell you more after the nice policeman calls back," she said, still shaking from the experience.
A few days later:
"That's right ma'am, we found ten adult dogs, and two litters of puppies. All looked like purebred dogs," the officer replied.
"Was one of the adults a white female poodle?" she asked, daring herself to hope.
"Yes. They're all being held at the moment, but there was a dog of that description. Incredibly, each and every one of them has an ID chip," the policeman said in amazement.
One week later:
"Mom, Fawn, I'm home!" Swanna announced, as she hung up her backpack and jacket.
"Hi, Honey. Fawn's in the back yard, and there's someone else out there who would like to see you too," Mom said smiling.
"Who?" she asked curiously.
"Go find out," replied Mom mysteriously.
The second she entered the yard, Swanna fell to her knees in shock. Playing by the far fence, were Snowball and Fawn! After the most joyful reunion of her life, the little girl went inside with her two pets.
"How?"
That was literally the only thing Swanna could think to say, when she found her mother in the kitchen, setting out cookies and milk.
"I recognized the car, Dear. It's been etched into my memory this whole time. When I saw it and Fawn's mom together, and realized that her owner must have seen one of our found dog posters. But nobody ever tried to claim her. I was sure that something wasn't right. Fawn is a valuable puppy. Even if he didn't want to keep her, he easily could have sold her," explained Mom.
"Does that mean Fawn is really mine? Or does she belong to someone else?" Swanna asked, confused.
"We're not really sure how that would work legally. But her mom was stolen from a very nice man named Dan. He's just happy to have her back home, and said that we are welcome to keep her puppy," Mom replied, a smile on her face, and tears in her eyes.
Describe what you see:
I see a little bulldog in the water, playing with a stick. The dog's tail is wagging, and there is a stick in his or her mouth.
Describe what you feel:
I feel like this dog is happy. Perhaps playing with a human friend.