Chip

After a couple of days of no results finding the pup's owners I had just about given up.

Then, last night, a little blond pixie walked into the store, and looked up at me with tear filled eyes, saying "I heard you might have found my puppy. We thought he was dead..."

Her mother followed and explained that they had been on their way to Slightly Bigger Town on Tuesday, with the pup in the back of the pickup in a kennel. When they arrived in SBT, they discovered that the kennel door had come open, and the pup was gone.

The little guy apparently took a header out of a pickup going highway speed, and not only survived but did so with only a little scratch. Then he survived two days in the ditch without getting hit or eaten.

The mother was hesitant, saying she supposed he was fairly banged up and probably not moving well. I could tell she was worried he was seriously injured and might have to be put down, but didn't want to mention it in front of her daughter.

She stared at me slack jawed when I told her he was fine, just a small scrape on his belly that was already mostly healed.

They waited around for ten minutes or so until I got off work, then followed me to the house. I went in and snagged the pup and took him outside, and the little girl came running up the driveway to take him from me.

As soon as he saw her, his whole body started wagging, even being held.

She shoved a wadded up something at me as she hugged him and he kissed her face like she was covered in puppy food, and I took it, thinking she wanted both hands for the pup.

Her mother called and as she turned away I asked, "What's his name?"

"Chip," she said, "But maybe it ought to be Lucky."

When I looked at what she'd handed me, it was a much crumpled and folded twenty dollar bill.

Frankly, seeing her and the pup reunited was all the reward I really needed....

I am kind of sad, I'd sort of gotten attached to the little bugger, but he's back with his people now, and I don't think they're going to leave the kennel door even slightly unlatched anymore, if the little girl even lets him ride in the back.

Good deeds: 1 World Sucking: 0