It is those little unexpected happenings that keep life interesting. I have had a string of these lately mostly due to my much-loved chocolate lab, Bo.

It all started a couple of Sundays ago when I got an early morning call on my cell phone. I was still in bed and scrambled from my slumber to the kitchen where my phone lay on the table, all the while thinking a call this early could mean something dreadful. As I picked it up, I noticed that the screen said the incoming call was from my husband.

That was strange since Earl was also still snoozing. I said, “Hello,” but all I heard was scuffling sounds and a series of tones as though someone was dialing. My first thought was that one of Earl’s students had gotten hold of his cell phone again, but after a bit I discovered that Bo was the prankster this time.

I wondered then if it was time to add Bo to our wireless plan so he could have his own phone. If I had followed through, maybe he would have called me again when he and Miller, our younger, full-time outdoor dog, decided to run away from home the next day. Bo, who is getting older, balked that morning at being put out the front door when I was ready to leave for work. I nearly fell for his “Ferris Bueller needs a day off” imitation and actually contemplated leaving him in the house where he could rest more comfortably. Little did I know that, once he was out the door, he and Miller made what had to be a quick beeline for the open yard gate and were gone in the brief minute it took me to gather my things and get to my car. Leaving the driveway, I closed the yard gate as usual, not realizing the dogs were already on the loose.

I returned home that evening to an empty yard and spent the next two days trying to find the runaway pets. I made several phone calls, drove the neighborhood multiple times, knocked on doors and left a note for the mail carrier. I got a few leads but still couldn’t locate my dogs. After their second night away, I was getting really worried. Then, my cell phone rang. It wasn’t from Bo this time, but it was good news. My dogs had been spotted at the “See You at the Pole” rally at one of the local schools.

By the time I got into town, they had been apprehended by an animal control officer who had hauled them to the police station. I bailed them out and brought them home.

Miller appeared unaffected by the whole ordeal, but Bo was totally exhausted and even a bit traumatized. This seemed to get worse later in the evening, which led to an after-hours trip to the vet clinic that night. After two injections, two bottles of medication and some days to rest, Bo is back to his normal routine of sleeping at my feet when I am seated and following me from room to room when I am not. And, my finances are recovering, too. Bo could have had an iPhone for what that day cost me. Do they make one yet that translates a dog’s bark to English?

(In honor of the late Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple, I am including a quote from his Stanford commencement address. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”)

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer from rural Gentry and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by email at awalkinthepark50 @ yahoo.com.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 10/12/2011