Cookie

Meet Cookie.

Cookie belongs to one of Lucas' friends. 

Exactly the dog you expect a 6'2, 230lb bodybuilding police officer named Tony to have right?

My girls were fascinated with Cookie.

Unfortunately, later in the evening while hanging out with these guys

Cookie bolted out the back door.  We have a pact with the Hambrights to make a point to get our families together at least once a month. Between us we have 6 kids so we let them run wild until they cant stand themselves any longer, then we put them all to bed so we can have adult time.  Luckily we had them all to sleep with the exception of Miley when Cookie made a run for it.  We all split up and searched the neighborhood and the walk put Miley to sleep so I returned to lay her down and Brook and I stayed on the back porch in case Cookie returned or we heard a bark.  The guys returned and rode around in the car, then returned and walked around again.  It was the most TERRIBLE feeling.  Lucas eventually had to make the dreaded call to tell Tony..."I know you trusted us to watch your dog, BUUUUT, we lost him (yes Cookie is a boy)."  Tony was out of town for his anniversary and had called earlier in the day to tell us Charlotte was flooding and they had a car accident and his wife was OK but was being treated in the ER.  So lets re-cap, anniversary trip, hotel is flooding, totalled car, wife in ER, beloved dog lost.  My heart literally hurt. At some point we realized we were not going to find this tiny little dog in the dark and around 3am gave up the hunt and said a prayer that God would protect Cookie and find a way to bring him back.

The girls stayed the night so the next morning Lucas got up and brought us breakfast from Micky D's and then set out to look for Cookie again.  The girls enjoyed their breakfast and then wanted to paint.  Meanwhile Lucas called and said a lady found Cookie and called Tony.  So Lucas went to meet her and brought Cookie home.  God answered our prayers! I can not describe the relief.  Cookie was near Eastern Guilford HS.  So that tiny dog traveled about 10 miles.  Pitiful.  We gave Cookie a bath and told him we loved him and how sorry we were.  Later that day Lucas showed me a text message he had received from Tony.  Basically saying I know you did all you could to find him, its terrible but its going to be OK ect.  It made me cry.  I almost wish he would have been mad at us or mean.  But he didn't, he gave mercy instead. And I think he is awesome.

The Hambrights are the only other people we have ever dogsat for.  They said they would still ask us to do it again.  I'm not sure what that says about their feelings for Cocoa.  But we are traumatized and will probably never agree to dogsit again.