Our Day With "Fernando"

I was making a list of errands to do before my date to pick up my 4-year-old grandson, Joseph from preschool. Then, my very pregnant daughter called me. I heard urgency in her voice. Honestly, I thought this was THE CALL to let me know IT WAS TIME to have her baby. Instead, I heard her pressing account of how she’d just rescued a lost dog in her neighborhood who was now in her car along with her two crying toddlers on their way to a pediatrician appointment.

“Mom, I don’t know what to do,” she said somewhat desperate. The dog was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the same breed we had when our kids were young. My daughter also owns a Cavalier. For us, Cavalier means irresistible.

The dog had no visible identification. Concerned she would miss her sons’ appointment, I instructed my daughter to meet me at our local veterinarian’s office to determine if the dog had an embedded identification chip. Needless to say, my day took a turn. I called the City of Kettering Police Department to report a found dog. They couldn’t have been more helpful; informing me of social media sites where I could post photos of the dog in hopes someone would recognize him. There was no implanted identification, but the dog was friendly and obviously well cared for. I knew his owner was missing him.

There’s a children’s book, Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson. It’s about a witch who makes room on her broomstick for those she meets along the way. She and her cat meet a bird, a frog and a dog who join her on a now very crowded broomstick. They become fast friends who learn the value of teamwork and friendship.

My afternoon became sort of a take on Room on the Broom; only my broomstick was my car, and my friends were my very helpful grandchildren.

I left the vet’s office with dog in tow, I went to my daughter’s house to pick up my puppy-loving granddaughter, Eileen, who I knew would help me. She immediately fell in love and named him Fernando. I have to say, he really did look like a Fernando. Then, we scooped up two other granddaughters, Amelia and Marie who I’d previously promised a lunch date. Everyone was ready to adopt Fernando on the spot. Then, we picked up Joseph who upon entering my car, burst into giggles with the exuberant canine welcome. Within moments, everyone was gushing over our unexpected guest who leapt from lap to lap in my very crowded car. I knew Fernando’s visit with us would be short lived. It was just a matter of time his loving family would find their way back to him.

So, whatever happened to my daughter after the proverbial “toss” of the problem of the lost dog from her car to mine? Well, after collecting as many dog loving grandchildren as I could, we all landed back at my daughter’s house for some mac and cheese, apple slices, and chaos with Fernando smack in the middle of it all. Then we received the much-awaited call. As it turns out, Fernando was really named Hank, and his family was relieved beyond measure to have found him. Through the benefits of social media, he was returned to his rightful home.

The moral of the story is this. Unless your daughter is days away from delivering a baby, don’t answer the phone. However, if you do answer the phone and somehow find yourself with a lost dog in your car, call my grandchildren. They will then call me because apparently, there’s always room in my car for one more, especially if it’s a lost dog.