Kids today.

I've got another little story to tell, involving dogs and a couple of teenagers, and I'll try to keep it brief. (One name has been changed to protect the identity of the dog I do not own.)

I was out walking Izzy when I saw the FedEx truck. The driver had just dropped off a package at the house of a family I know. Behind was an SUV, engine running. I wondered if this could be a setup for porch piracy. As the FedEx truck pulled away, the SUV did not move, and I was glad to see that the lady of the house came out for the package. I figured that if these had been wannabe pirates, their chance was lost. Izzy and I proceeded. 

As we got closer, I noted that the SUV was driven by a male teenager, which did not alleviate my suspicions. He rolled down his window. Then he asked, "Do you know anyone else around here who has a dog like yours?" 

Curious, I said, "Yes, there's a family with a very white colored one around the corner."

"No, more like a brown one. Because we just found one running loose." He started to roll down his rear window. And I already knew what dog I would find. 

"Gonzo, is that you?" I said, and sure enough, there was Gonzo's smilin' face, happy as can be, held from jumping out the window by a very worried teenage girl. 

Oh, I knew Gonzo. His owner doesn't live nearby, but when he travels he leaves the dog with his parents, and they do. Gonzo has a knack for running into the woods behind their house and getting lost, which is how I met him a couple of years ago. The family lives just around the corner and three doors down from where we were, so since I didn't have an extra leash, I had the kids follow Izzy and me in the SUV. 

Sure enough, when we got there Grandma was hollering in the backyard, looking for Gonzo. I said hi and told her these nice people had found her boy. She was grateful and told me her husband was in trouble—he’d been watching the dog while doing yard work, and I guess got distracted. And Gonzo had gotten lost again.

So I just want to give a shout-out to the kids, kids whom I mistakenly thought were up to no good, kids who had corralled a loose dog with no ID and astutely asked someone with a similar dog if he knew the pooch, realizing that all the dog owners in a neighborhood eventually run into one another. That was nice work and quick thinking, and I tip my hat to them. Not all teens are awful, and some are smart and decent. 

Thanks, teens! You give me some hope for the next generation!