The Craziest Thing I've Ever Done

Dear Vocal Readers,

Oh, how I love reminiscing. Just thinking back on those moments that make me think, "Oh yeah, I really did that didn't I"? One of my favorite moments that comes to mind is when I basically broke into someone's car and took their dog.

Okay, okay I know you may be wondering what the hell is wrong with me but I have my reasons. And let it be known that this story is not made-up or embellished at all, and I have many people who won't let me forget about it. So, wanna hear about how I stole someone's dog?

It all started on a random summer day with that famous humidity my town is known for. My father had planned to meetup with my two older sisters and I at a local restaurant. Once we arrived, we took particular notice of a certain car. Inside was the most adorable white poodle, wagging its tail but looking a bit tired.

I've seen all the horror stories with dogs and babies dying in cars due to overheating, so this worried me the second I saw it. Not only was it extremely hot, but the window was only rolled down a good three inches or so. My family pulled me away and told me not to worry, promising to keep an eye on the car from inside the restaurant. I walked away with them but couldn't help feel like that dog really needed help.

When we sat down we made sure to sit in a booth with a front row seat to that car. Every minute or so I would look at it, wondering what to do and if the dog would be okay. My stomach continued to drop with each passing second.

My love for animals is a common thing people know me for, so this situation was killing me. How much longer would it be until that dog got too hot? How much longer could I sit there and seal its fate? Being bombarded with these awful thoughts I knew I had to do something. I told my family that I was simply going to check on the dog and make sure it was okay, then I headed for the car.

In the parking spot next to the vehicle, a woman was getting out of her car. As I approached the window to check on the dog I realized I should say something in order to let the woman know I wasn't trying to do anything criminal. I expressed my worries to her about the dog's welfare and she agreed that the situation was very difficult. Then, I had an idea. A terrible, stupid idea, but one I could live with.

I reached my skinny arm into that small opening from the window and pet the dog. That thing had to be one of the sweetest dogs ever, and I could tell it was just happy to be getting some attention. I then proceeded to grab the dog and maneuver its tiny body out from the window. The woman next to me didn't seem to think much of it, and just left. Now, holding the dog in my arms, I realized that I didn't have any Plan B. My mind had told me to take the dog out but hadn't actually thought about what to do next.

So, I carried the dog to the restaurant and went to the window so my family could see me. I can't begin to describe the look of disappointment and shock on their faces when they saw me just standing there holding somebody else's dog in my arms. I saw my oldest sister stand up and it appeared she was coming outside to talk to me. But that was not what happened next.

You see, what happened next was the owner of the car and dog coming outside to talk to me. The thing was, the plaza wasn't that small and the owner could have been in any of the stores. The fact that this woman had been in the same restaurant and had actually seen me in the window was actually a pretty crazy coincidence. So there she was, looking panicked and confused as I held her dog. My mind was overflowing with so many thoughts and I can't even tell you what exactly I was thinking, but for some reason I wasn't nervous. I knew that I did what I deemed to be right, so there was no way she could convince me otherwise.

Now of course she was curious as to why I had her dog, so I told her that I had seen it in her car looking tired and that her windows were hardly rolled down. She grabbed the dog back as we spoke, and held it close to her chest. She was getting angry which I could understand, but I kept telling her I was just worried for the dog's well being. She insisted she had only been inside for fifteen minutes and then rushed back in with her dog, and I followed shortly after.

I sat back down with my family as my sisters hung their heads low, trying to escape the glares of the woman who of course was sitting extremely close to us. I wasn't very bothered, but my sisters were not handling things well at all. My father tried his best to calm everyone down, and in the meantime I would catch the woman's glances over at us as she spoke to her friend.

When our waitress came over and asked us what had happened, I told her how everything went down. When I told her about how the woman claimed to be gone for only fifteen minutes, the waitress was quick to let me in on the truth. She said if anything it was closer to thirty minutes, and hearing that made everything worth it to me. Not even the woman and her friend coming over to my family and confronting me again could ruin that. She let me know that I broke into her car, which I plainly responded to her that I had actually just gone through the crack in the window. I repeated my same answers over and over again but she kept coming up with more things to say. My dad shut the situation down calmly, and the two women left.

My sisters hated me for making such a scene, and remind me even years later now about how crazy that day was. I know full well that I technically did break into that woman's car, with a witness right there to see everything I did. And yes, I did kind of steal a dog. But, I did it knowing the horror stories from the news. Knowing full well that if I didn't do anything that dog might just die. So, I did what I had to do and I would do it ten times over.

I guess the moral of this story is to follow your gut. If you know something is a wee bit unorthodox but needs to be done to help others, just go for it! Maybe go about it in a more thought out way than I did, but still do what you feel is the right thing to do. I can rest easy at night knowing that I may have saved that dog, and that is worth all the craziness.

Sincerely from my strange mind,

Kacie