Our Valentine's Day (and Running Log!)

We actually made somewhat of a plan for Valentine's Day. That plan was for me to run in the morning, come home and veg out, go to Alivia's for PoP's fundraiser then either hit Sitar for Indian food or pick up some pizza, pull out the foldaway bed on the couch and watch a movie in sleepover style. The day started well (here's the running log part) - I met Meredith and Lauren at 9am to do our 5 mile run. We got going and the run went really well. I didn't time it, but we finished in under an hour. I am totally happy with that! No significant stop or walk breaks - just for one small calf lock up and the stoplight at Fayetteville - but those stops altogether were no more than a couple of minutes. We did it! We ran 5 miles! WOO HOO!!!!

Anyway, after a quick stop at Bull City Running to get fuel belts, I went back home. Mike was beyond sweet and surprised me with Dunkin Donuts, a box of chocolates, a freshly brewed pot of coffee and a beautiful Valentine's Day card. Still on a high from completing the five miles, it was an awesome morning! We then spent the rest of the day lounging. Love it. Mike eventually went to the gym himself, then it was time to get the evening started. We clean up and head to Alivia's. We have a couple glasses of wine there, hung out with some doggies, then finally decided it was time to go get some grub. We headed out towards Sitar.

As we were going down University in the Forest Hills area, Mike says, "Oh my gosh - that dog is going to get hit!" There was a large black and white dog running up University against traffic in the dark on a busy Saturday night. Mike pulls over and we both jump out and haul butt down the brush alongside University. A small break in traffic allowed us to jump in the road and corral the dog to the side. Thanks to some friendly drivers, we were able to safely catch the dog. I picked him up - and oh goodness. This was a big dog - but he only weighed 40-50 pounds. He should have been 90. He went limp in my arms when I held him. We got him back to the car and knew our Valentine's plans had changed.


We got him home and brought him up to the guest bedroom. We put down a comforter and Mike took off for Harris Teeter to get some dog food. I made the doggie comfy and searched him for any sign of identification. Nothing. No collar. He was wearing a handkerchief, but that was it. When Mike got back, doggie got a big bowl of food. He inhaled it. The poor guy was so thin. He was so sweet and docile we thought he was someone's pet, but his thin frame made us think he had been out and about for some time.

Doggie hanging out in the guest room

With our plans now derailed, Mike made a run to Little Cesars and picked us up come cheapie pizza and breadsticks. Once he was home, we left doggie to rest and proceeded with our sleepover/movie plan. We popped in Hellboy 2 and collapsed onto the bed. After pizza time, we decided that doggie may like some TV time. While the kitties were none too happy to have a huge dog in the room with them, we kept the peace and the doggie curled up at the end of the bed and slept.

Sunday was a good day. I posted a photo and ad on craigslist hoping we could find the dog's owner. We knew we would have to take the dog to the pound Monday morning (we couldn't keep a huge dog like that with no yard and three kitties in the house), and neither Mike or myself was looking forward to that possibility. After a lunch date with the girls, I swung by Five Guys to get a burger and fries for Mike. I got a dry hamburger for doggie, too. But after being home for only a short time, Mike got a call. Mike had alerted Brendan, a friend who lives in Forest Hills, to send out a memo on their neighborhood listserv. Mike got a call from a woman in the neighborhood who had just talked to someone that morning who said they had lost a dog.

We made our way over and were thrilled to reunite the dog with its owner. The thin dog was actually over 10 years old and was battling cancer. The previous year, it had a parasitic infection that took the doctors a long time to get under control. Between those two things, the weight of the dog dramatically decreased. While he was still happy, he was old and thin. When we found him, he was on his way to the park. Evidently this wasn't the first time the dog had made his escape. The lady tried to give us a reward, but we told her no thanks - it was a big enough reward to have the dog at home where he belonged.

Mike and I were both happy that this doggie ended up having a lovely Valentine's Day at our house. It wasn't in our plan for the day, but hey, we had pizza, a sleepover and a special guest who was spoiled rotten for an evening in Casa de Brady.