Timon,The Random Chihuahua

We always make a lot of plans for our visits to Grammy and Grampy. But when the cousins are involved, it seems the unexpected moments are often the most memorable. The arrival, and departure, of Timon the chihuahua is a perfect example.

We first noticed the little guy romping around the yard early in the afternoon. He had a collar, and we figured he was on the loose but would find his way home soon. By evening he was still lingering, and the threat of coyotes was a concern. It took a while, but he eventually worked his way into the house - and the kids' (and Sara's) hearts.

Between bites of turkey and some fresh water, Timon (so named due to his resemblance to the meerkcat from "The Lion King") explored the house and then made the rounds between Katy's, Nicki's and Sara's laps, much to their delight. Clare and Danny were also fascinated, and would pet him, but they definitely kept more of a distance than their dog-crazy cousins. (Plus, we were watching "The Return of the Jedi," so Danny had more pressing interests.) We discovered that despite his collar, he did not have a tag, so Grammy made calls around the neighborhood, to no avail. By bedtime we decided the garage was the best place for him to spend the night, safe from coyotes as well as Grammy's carpet.

The next morning a plan was in place: Animal control would pick the dog up, ideally while the rest of us were at the zoo. The kids had a fun morning of playing with Timon, gave him a fond farewell, and headed out. Well, the best laid plans, right? We arrived home from the zoo around 4 p.m. to find that Timon was still with us. This made for a bittersweet reunion between the kids and the dog, who spent the next hour with him and their vivid imaginations of what horrors could become him if no one claimed him. In fact, when animal control did arrive, Danny asked him point blank, "Are you going to kill him?"

As Timon left, the kids spent the next hour loudly grieving their sweet puppy. When Danny wandered in to tell me the dog had left and that he was sad about it, I suggested that maybe they could all watch a show to take their minds off of it. Danny declined and ran off, saying, "I"m going to go cry with the girls."

We have assured them all that a dog as beloved in less than 24 hours is surely treausred by a family that is looking for him and will be joyfully reunited with him very soon. (Animal control mentioned that the Fourth of July tends to spook a lot of dogs away from home.) One day hopefully Katy will agree...