Thundershowers predicted and sure enough – tons of them. I was upstairs, FINALLY FINALLY shampooing the upstairs and feeling pretty good about getting something done that had been on my list and knowing that the cleaner part of the house was occurring.

Wow, that is super super koud outside, almost shaking the house – HEY!

Dane, the amazing Dane, was standing at the top of the stairs having struggled to jump over the baby gate to keep him in the entertainment room downstairs – “DANE! – hey now, come on!” as I took him back to his area with his mournful eyes looking at me with “Why?!”

Back to the room, emptying the rug shampooer, boom!! – thunder, rain and…DANE! AGAIN!

Taking Dane back to the area and placing a ladder in front of the baby gate to prevent a third and sure enough after 20 minutes, there was Dane AGAIN – “How did you…” – come on DANE! Back again and solidifying the gate like a barracks.

Looking back, I realized he truly was trying to tell me something, and probably not understanding the house shaking thunder he was feeling – he was desperate- I wish I would have thought about this more in the moment.

About half an hour later, I go downstairs to check on the brood, and there is a HUGE pee stain on one of the sheets in the dog area, and NO DANE. AND the front door is open- and I knew I had not left it open and you got it – NO DANE. Wriggley and Amaya were still there looking around like, “Where’s DANE?”

I panicked.

I grabbed my keys, jumped into the Mountaineer and started driving our familiar walk paths over and over and over – nothing. Anxiety taking over, I was probably driving faster than I would be able to see or spot Dane, especially in the dark and during the rain, I was a full panic and misery inside.

As I came around the second side of our housing development – a neighbor is outside and asks as I drive by, “Looking for a dog?” YES! YES! “Red collar?” YES!

Sure enough They found Dane as they were taking their golf cart around the plan and he jumped RIGHT IN and they took him with them to their house and here they come with DANE! I was perplexed and still in shock how close he might have been to being in the front road and just did not let myself thing more of the could-have-beens. In a full panic himself, Dane knows to push the front door to loosen if not really latched tightly, and to open and to exit – and he was, the first time I can ever remember, scared beyond belief to not try something extreme.

You know that sick feeling you get in your stomach when you wish you could go back and do something different and it would have avoided a close call you can never take back it it goes wrong?

Also realizing what you have and hating the fact you were not taking enough time to realize the details that matter to another ( in this case, Dane?)

All I could think about was the pain, heartache, fear, that Dane has experienced and how we have had to try and heal him and have Dane recover from those experiences and this –

Sunday morning, despite hating to roll out of bed at 5:30 AM, up, grabbed the canines and into the vehicle and at Dewey Beach (allows dogs in the summer before 9:30 AM) by 6:20AM- record time with no one on the road – and we roamed the water, the beach, saved at least 5 horseshoe crabs turned over, met other canines and their families, came within 20 feet of a dolphin pod facing us in thew water (how lucky ate the canines to experience that?!) heck, even me! – and we did it again in neighboring Rehoboth, (free parking until 10 AM) and never had to pay a dime for parking – the dogs glorified in the air to, from, during the beach and the smells of everything, they were puppies again in an instant easily – petted and loved by 100 others- they ate it up –

and you could tell they wanted every day to be like this.

And why not? Life is going to be the BIGGEST REGRET when you can;t remember the hours you put in and from which week but when you could have remembers the moments of time that you felt exhilarated with your family, friends, loved ones, that will linger more than any specific weeks pay or list of to do’s -in a thunderstorm or on a sunny day,

Every time I see my canines eyes look at me, and hear them call at me, I remember the voyage they were willing to make with me here, and I, at the very least can give more of my time to give back to them, we each need to consider what we have not versus thinking we will always have it later. Especially after what we hold dear to our hearts after this past year –

I thought all this as I watched Marshmello ft. Bastille – Happier and realized I need not a video to remind me of the sacrifices made by others, and my dear dear canines, and felines, to just be with someone that love to be with.

Lesson learned, even after the thunder.

(The neighbors have no idea NO IDEA how much what they did was life-saving) – my mission will be to let them know!