Unsolved Mystery: Doggie Edition

“Do you hear that?” I asked my sister who was lying on the couch. “Yeah, girl. That dog been barking all morning.” “YEESSSSS! It’s been barking ALL week. EVERY morning. NONSTOP. I don’t know if it’s a dog under me or above me. But I’m going to find out.”

I slipped on my flip-flops and headed out the door to do some investigation. I needed to solve this mystery in hopes of bringing an end to the madness.

I stomped around the back of my building that faced the woods prepared to solve the case. I had my phone in one hand ready to call for back up and my keys in my other hand, just in case I had to run to my car real quick to escape a wild deer or a fox.

Once I reached my balcony, I froze—waiting to hear the dog. Nothing. I could only hear my neighbor gossiping from her balcony about her drunk night, which made it difficult to focus. But I tried, anyway.

“Arf! Arf! Arf!”

There it was! It was coming from the apartment below mine. It sounded like a smaller dog since it wasn’t a deep WOOF!

I ran back inside and Bang! Bang! Bang on the door like a detective from the Humane Society. No one came. So I knocked again and stepped closer to the door to see if I could hear any footsteps or noise from the dog. Nothing.

I walked upstairs to my apartment and flopped down on the couch. “Did you find out where the dog lived?” My sister asked. “Yeah! I think he’s under me.”

Less than five minutes later, “ARG! ARG! ARG! ARG! ARG! Rung from the hallway. Now, the dog was screaming as if it was being attacked or hurt .

I jumped up. Slipped on my shoes and jetted out the door faster than a speeding bullet. I was on my way to try to solve this case, yet again.

When I opened my door, the front door to the building slammed shut. That must be the owner! I thought and jogged downstairs in an attempt to catch up.

It was a young lady that appeared to be in her mid thirties getting into her car.

“Excuse me!! Excuse me!! Excuse me!!” I shouted waving my hands in the air from side to side.

The lady appeared puzzled and concerned. I mean I was chasing behind her like a lunatic. “Yes?” she said. “Umm. Do you have a dog? I mean I’ve never seen you with one in the past but there’s this dog that constantly barks whenever the owner leaves and it’s hard for me to sleep.” I explained in the least confrontational way.

She shared that she did have a dog. In fact, she was doggie sitting for a week. She went on to say that the dog was very clingy and barked whenever separated or left alone. But she had no idea that the dog was constantly barking for hours.

I lied and told her it wasn’t a big deal; and I was just hoping she could relocate her dog to another room so it wouldn’t disturb my rest. She nodded her head to agree.

Since the lady seem to have no idea on how to care for a dog, I started offering some tips and suggestions.

“Instead of crating her, you can use my portable gate if you like. Your dog would be able to roam freely in a confined space and play with toys while you’re away. Or…”

I hesitated before continuing. I wasn’t sure how crazy I would sound making my next suggestion but I went on to say,

“I don’t mind doggie sitting for you while you are out today. Dogs tend to become very stressed when separated from their owner for long periods of time and when placed in a new environment. Your dog could benefit from some playtime. How about you leave your dog with me to play with my little Pomeranian, Skye? It may release some of his stress.”

I was nervous to hear her response because I knew I sounded and looked like a complete weirdo. So I held my breath and wished I had kept my big mouth closed.

She smiled and replied, “Well, let me go get him; and let’s see how the dogs interact with one another.” We both walked back inside to get our dogs and met each other in the hallway.

“This is Oliver. He’s a Cockapoo.” “Is that a combination of Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle?” I questioned. “Yes. He’s only 8 months.” She shared caressing his sandy brown curly hair. Oliver was hiding behind her legs afraid of me and Skye.

“Come here boy! It’s ok.” Oliver obliged to my order and crawled towards Skye, instead. It wasn’t long before they were playing like reunited friends. That made the lady comfortable and she allowed me to watch him for the day.

“Girl, yeah!! You won’t believe this? I found the dog. Look. This is Oliver. I had to chase the lady down though. Anyway, I’ll be watching him for the day.” I told my sister as I entered my apartment. “What? You’re crazy. And she’s crazy. You got someone else’s dog in your home that you don’t even know. Not to mention, you chased this lady?!” She replied in disbelief. Chereeka made good point and I couldn’t argue with. If the table was turned, I wouldn’t have left Skye with a stranger. But. Whatever. This lady recognized my genuine love for dogs and allowed me to care for her pet.

As me and my sister went back and forth discussing the situation, we both stopped chatting and stared at each other while listening to the noise that interrupted our conversation and distracted our attention.

“Arf! Arf! Arf!”

The barking had started again and it wasn’t Oliver. My face frowned in confusion trying to understand how this could be.

“Arf! Arf! Arf”

“Oh My Gosh!… Chereeka! Whose dog is this?” I asked looking down at Oliver.

“Not that one!” she nonchalantly teased while pointing to the window. “You got the wrong dog, girl.” she laughed.

“Oh My Gosshhhh! Whose dog is this?! I still have to solve this mystery.”