Chance update

left for Mahajonga and a weekend of relaxing and letting go f some of the stresses of integration I found my dog, by chance. A student of mine, who had known he had been taken two weeks before, saw him near her house. A student in a few grades higher than ours had stolen him and had him in his yard. So, I scheduled with her to go to the students house and she relented, although somewhat reluctant to be drawn that far into the process. Our first stop was the mother of the student who is a corn and rice vendor in the market place. Lost in my thoughts I didn’t catch the conversation that occurred until I heard my student say that the dog was mine and I wanted him back. I caught the woman in the eye and nodded my head. She looked unnerved but not too apologetic and gave us permission to go to her house and get him back. 5 min later I found myself circumnavigating grazing cows in a small offshoot community and tucking into a small metal house with a metal sheeting and wood post fence. My student talked to the boy sitting on the floor ( I don’t know if he was the one who stole him or I may have jumped him) and the boy gestured to a small woodpile in the corner of the fenced yard. There, sleeping in the mud, was my puppy. Chase looked at me and cocked his head as if to say, “Is that you?” I called his name and he bolted for me, cowering down on the floor in apologetic joy. I was so happy to bring him home I renamed him Chance for obvious reasons. He was a little worse for wear and tear, a few new scars and scratches but he is now an incredibly affectionate and attentive companion, never letting me out of his sight, following me on walks around the community, coming when he’s called and sleeping with me at night; although we still have a little bit of flea business to take care of. He has picked up a fear that tells me he was beaten a few times in those short weeks but his happiness and confidence has returned and he has discovered the joy to be found in harassing and completely upsetting flocks of chickens, chasing the lone turkey that lives next door around our yard, or striking fear into the hearts sleeping ducks. Geese, he discovered simultaneously, fight back.