Neighborhood Watch

 My sister and I made a trip to my old house to pack more boxes.  We parked our cars side-by-side with the trunks open to make it easier to carry the bulky packages from the house.  As we stood in the driveway, I noticed the fluffy, white Bichon Frise from three doors down sniffing the grass near my mailbox.  I pointed the dog out to my sister.  It was then that I noticed two bare legs from behind the privacy row of cedar trees on the property border…near the mailbox.  There was also four furry legs visible from the green branches.  

Suddenly a Labradoodle was tossed from the tree line and into the corner of my yard.  The dog landed with all four legs stretched widely on the grass and a surprised look on his face.  I pointed out the Labradoodle from three doors down as the legs, attached to the neighbor, raced into my yard to catch the dog.  He was holding a leash and yelled “Don’t worry!  He’s friendly!”  I called back that I knew he was friendly because he had made many trips to my yard.  The Labradoodle looked confused as the man clipped the leash to the dog he had just tossed and pretended to struggle and pull him back to his yard.

It’s great to have an effective neighborhood watch where we all look out for each other.  I made a mental note to keep an eye on this particular neighbor from three doors down.  We can have an official “Watch Party” and I can work on Keeping up with the Neighbor.