Lost and Found: A NYC Holiday Story
Eilis Cahill, who grew up next door to us, is a young actress now living in Brooklyn. A couple of weeks ago, she took her dog, Tenaby, on a walk in Manhattan's Central Park. He managed to free himself from his collar and bolted. She created a flyer that family and friends plastered all over the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where Tenaby had last been spotted. I've spent a fair amount of time looking for lost pets over the years, and know how devastating it can be. Here's Eilis' beautifully written tale of her reunion with Tenaby (if you're at all like me, I knew you'd want to know that that there's a happy ending before reading further).
THE DAY I FOUND MY DOG
Tuesday, December 11th
I was at the post-office when I received a voice message from Bea, a woman who said she had information on a 'possible Tenaby sighting' at the waterfront park near Trump Towers. What made my heart jump at the message was that the sighting had been that morning. Many people had called to say they'd seen him the previous week or the day he ran away.
I ran out of the building, jumped into a cab, and headed west. That ride seemed to take hours. I ended up cutting it short and jumping out because I was sure I could run there faster.
When I reached the area I called Bea, who told me to go to 68th St, and to walk down the stairway going to the promenade on the river. She said there was an area with large dirt piles and weeds near the steps, and this was where she'd seen him. I followed her directions. I reached the park, walked past the playground, down the steps, along the path, toward the water.
I still can't believe what happened next.
It is as simple as this. I called his name, and he came to me. It looked like he materialized from the tall grass. He ran to me, crying. I dropped to the ground, beside myself, and tried to hug him as he kept jumping on me and licking my face. We were both whimpering. I was stunned, and terrified that it was another dream and I would soon wake up and find that he was still lost.
The only thing that assured me it was real was how thin and dirty he was. My heart broke again when I put the leash on and saw how small his neck had become. Since I lost him it had snowed twice and rained even more. It was very painful to imagine where he had been during the harsh weather. We made it up the steps before we had to stop and pet and hug each other all over again.
It took ages to get home. We stopped by a pet store for two tons of food and a bath. Tenaby drank two bowls of water, one after the other, and then most of a third. I was thrilled to find that he still loves other dogs, without exception. I'd been afraid he would suffer traumatizing experiences and be different when we found him. He may have suffered, but he is still himself! His all-loving, happy self.
If I read this in a storybook or saw it in a movie, I would find it all too sugary sweet to believe, but here I am, at home with my beautiful, sweet, resilient, grateful and happy dog, I believe in miracles, I'm charged to the brim with respect and love for New York, where perfect strangers saved my dog's life. And by proxy, mine!
Thank you, New York City.
And a special thanks to Bea, whose incredible intuition, generosity and compassion for dogs orchestrated this miracle. Bea is a dog-walker, and I'm bringing Tenaby to meet her on Saturday. She said she saw him, knew she had seen a flyer and could maybe find his owner, and looked up at the sky saying "Please, give me this." She is thrilled, ecstatic and relieved, saying this great luck made her week. She seems to think she's the lucky one!
Happy Holidays!