As I was watching them play, Maggie said, “What a beautiful day. Let’s just leave the back door open, hon. The house could use some fresh air.”

So with Layla happily engaged with Strider, Maggie went into the kitchen to make some tea and I retired to the bathroom.

It couldn’t have been ten minutes. As I returned to the living room I could hear Maggie quietly singing in the kitchen. Wanting to join her and Layla, and presumably Strider, I turned the corner from the living room into the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, I asked, “Where’s Layla?”

“What? Not again! Did you look under the dining room table?”

Both of us now calling out to Layla and realizing she wasn’t in the living room, we instantaneously looked at the open back door and ran onto the back porch.

“I can’t believe she’s done it again!” Maggie said.

“Where in the hell are they?” I asked.

Just as we stepped off the porch, we heard Strider barking and yelping. It was coming from the direction of Sam’s truck and the vineyard.

Maggie and I sprinted towards the direction of now Strider’s yelps of pain!