Thank You For Visiting

Texas Bob's World

 

Listen with Windows Media Player Plug-in

 

 

 

 

"FAMOUS DOG KIDNAPPED"

 

 

 

BY LOREN MOORE AND PAMELA JENKINS

 

LOREN WRITES;

 

MY NAME IS LOREN MOORE AND I’M A REPORTER FOR THE “OKMULGEE DAILY TIMES” NEWS PAPER IN OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA.  ONE OF OUR COLUMNIST BY THE NAME OF NANCY MILLER GAVE ME A TIP ABOUT A DOG THAT WAS A WALKING BLOOD BANK FOR A VETERINARIAN BY THE NAME OF STANLEY JENKINS.

 

IT BEING A SLOW DAY NEWS WISE I THOUGHT I WOULD GO INTERVIEW THIS VETERINARIAN JENKINS.  WE HADN’T HAD A SHOOTING OR A FATALITY CAR WRECK OR A BANK ROBBERY ALL DAY AND I NEEDED SOMETHING FOR A STORY FOR THE EVENING PAPER.

 

I DROVE OUT TO THIS VET’S CLINIC AND WENT IN THE FRONT DOOR.  THERE WAS THIS PRETTY YOUNG LADY SITTING BEHIND A COUNTER, SO I ASKED HER IF I COULD SEE THE DOCTOR.  “I’M SORRY BUT HE IS OUT ON A CALL RIGHT NOW.  CAN I HELP YOU?”

 

A DOCTOR THAT MAKES HOUSE CALLS!  MAYBE I SHOULD USE HIM FOR MY DOCTOR, I THOUGHT.  “WELL ACTUALLY I’M HERE TO DO A STORY ABOUT THIS DOG THE CLINIC HAS THAT IS A BLOOD DONOR FOR OTHER DOGS THAT NEED A TRANSFUSION.  MY NAME IS MOORE AND I’M A REPORTER FOR THE OKMULGEE DAILY TIMES.  IS THERE SOMEONE ELSE THAT COULD HELP ME?”

 

“WHY I THINK THE DOCTORS WIFE COULD TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT JOE.”

 

“THAT WOULD BE FINE, WHERE COULD I FIND MRS. JENKINS?”

 

“YOU’RE TALKING TO HER.”

“OH, WELL I GUESS THAT’S NICE, BUT ARE YOU SURE YOUR NOT HIS DAUGHTER?”

 

“PALEEESE MR. MOORE I TOLD YOU I WOULD HELP YOU WITH YOU STORY.  LET’S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY.”

 

I TOOK MY LITTLE NOTE BOOK OUT OF MY HIP POCKET AND THE STUB OF PENCIL I HAD IN MY SHIRT POCKET AND WAS READY TO TAKE NOTES.  MRS. JENKINS TOLD ME ABOUT THIS DOG NAMED “JOE” THEY KEPT FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING BLOOD FOR DOGS THAT NEEDED TRANSFUSIONS.  I LICKED THE POINT OF MY PENCIL AND WITH MY TONGUE STICKING OUT THE CORNER OF MY MOUTH, TOOK NOTES ABOUT WHAT SHE WAS TELLING ME.

 

AFTER SHE FINISHED WITH HER STORY I ASKED IF I COULD SEE THIS DOG AND TAKE HIS PICTURE.  “SURE YOU CAN.” MRS. JENKINS SAID.  “JUST FOLLOW ME.”

 

WE WHEN OUT BACK OF THE CLINIC AND THERE WERE A BUNCH OF PENS WITH DOGS IN THEM.  WE WALKED UP TO THIS ONE THAT HAD THE GATE OPEN AND MRS. JENKINS LOOKED INSIDE.

 

“JOE’S GONE” SHE SCREAMED.

 

PAMELA WRITES;

 

Pamela frantically turned and ran back and forth between the other enclosures.  She peered into each one and scanned all the happy faces, looking for Joe's familiar black and white one.  "I can't believe he's gone!" she cried.

 

Loren, always uncomfortable when a woman cries, shifted his feet awkwardly.  Finally, he said, "Well, I'm sure sorry you lost your dog..."

 

Pamela said, "Joe's not just any dog, he's part of our family!  We raised him from a puppy.  He rides to work with me in the mornings.  We take walks together during my lunch break.  He's my best buddy.  Where could he have gone?"

 

Pamela studied the latch on Joe's pen.  "Somebody has tampered with the latch.  We always secure it in case one of our patients is an escape artist.  His lock on the door is missing."  Pamela's eyes narrowed in suspicion.  "I think someone TOOK Joe out of here!"

 

Ah, now we're getting somewhere, Loren thought to himself.  I can smell a great story here...

 

Loren writes: 

 

“WHY WOULD ANYONE STEAL YOUR DOG, MRS. JENKINS.  MAY I CALL YOU PAM?”

 

“I’M NOT SURE MR. MOORE, BUT THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT, THE SURER I AM THAT HE HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED.  MAYBE I SHOULD SAY DOGNAPPED.  WILL YOU STOP TAKING MY PICTURE.”

 

“LOOK I’M JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU.  I’LL RUN A STORY IN THE PAPER, SAYING YOUR DOG IS MISSING AND YOU ARE HEART BROKEN.  THE PHOTOS WILL HELP CALL ATTENTION TO THE STORY.  AND STOP CALLING ME MR. MOORE.  THAT WAS MY DAD, I’M JUST LOREN.

 

WE WENT BACK INSIDE AND PAM CALLED HER HUSBAND ON HIS CELL PHONE.  I DIDN’T HEAR THE CONVERSATION, BUT SHE WAS CRYING AGAIN WHEN SHE CAME BACK OVER TO ME.

 

“PAM ARE YOU GOING TO CALL THE POLICE?”

 

“NOT RIGHT NOW, STANLEY TOLD ME NOT TO DO ANYTHING UNTIL HE GETS BACK.”

 

“WELL I’VE GOT TO GET BACK TO THE PAPER AND FILE WHAT I HAVE IF I’M GOING TO GET THE STORY IN THE EVENING PAPER.”

 

I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AND DROVE BACK TO THE OKMULGEE DAILY TIMES BUILDING.  I WENT UP TO MY DESK AND SAT DOWN AT MY TYPEWRITER AND STARTED TYPING THE STORY.  ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH MY STORY, I STOPPED TYPING AND TOOK A BOX OF CRACKER JACKS OUT OF THE BOTTOM DRAWER OF MY DESK AND OPENED IT.  THE TOY IN THIS BOX HAPPENED TO BE A LITTLE PLASTIC DOG.

 

I WONDERED IF THAT WAS A MYSTERIOUS SIGN THAT I WOULD FIND THIS KIDNAPPED DOG.

 

PAM WRITES;

 

The phone on Loren's desk suddenly rang out, causing him to jump and spill his Crackerjacks on his lap.  Brushing off the crumbs, he muttered to himself as he reached for the receiver.

 

"Hello!" he barked.

 

"Mr. Moore, I mean, Loren?  This is Pam.  I'm calling about our missing dog, Joe."

 

"Yes, Pam.  Have you found him yet?" Loren asked.

 

"No.  When Stanley got back from his farm call, he gathered all our staff members together for a meeting.  They were surprised to find out that Joe was missing, too.  I mean, a thief would have to walk right past some of them to get to Joe's run.  It had to be someone pretty sneaky to get him out of here right under our noses."

 

"When was the last time someone there saw Joe?" Loren asked, scrambling on his desk for paper to write on and a pencil with a sharp enough point.  He made a mental note to himself to ask Johnnie, his secretary, to get him a new box of pencils for his desk drawer. 

 

Pam said, "Our groomer gave Joe a treat only a few minutes before you showed up asking about him.  She said she was sure that she locked the gate back behind her.  Then she stepped out to the barn to gather up some supplies.  That's when she saw them.  Oh, hold on a moment..."  Loren heard the muffled sound of voices over the receiver, like Pam had covered it with her hand.

 

"Hey, saw who?" Loren asked loudly.

 

"Sorry about that," Pam said.  "This place is in an uproar right now.  We all want Joe back and the staff is in tears.  They're afraid of losing their jobs, now that they've lost their Boss' favorite dog.  They feel so responsible."

 

"Yeah, yeah, but WHO did the groomer lady see when she went out to the barn?" Loren asked impatiently.

 

"Two little boys, hiding behind the mimosa tree."

 

LOREN WRITES:

 

AFTER I HUNG UP THE PHONE, I FINISHED TYPING THE STORY FOR THE EVENING EDITION OF THE DAILY TIMES.  I DIDN’T MENTION THE TWO BOYS IN TONIGHT’S STORY.  I HOLLERED FOR THE COPY BOY, GAVE HIM MY STORY AND LEFT THE BUILDING.

 

ON THE WAY OUT I PASTED NANCY AND TOLD HER ABOUT JOE BEING MISSING.  “OH MY GOODNESS, STANLEY AND PAMELA MUST BE HEART BROKEN.  I’M GOING RIGHT OVER THERE.”

 

I WAS HUNGRY, SO I WENT TO “WHAT-A-BURGER” AND GOT A BURGER, FRIES AND A ROOT BEER FLOAT.  WHEN I FINISHED THEM I GOT ME A DOUBLE DIP OF CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM ON A CONE AND WENT BACK TO MY CAR.

 

I WAS SITTING THERE TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO NOW, WHEN I THOUGHT I WOULD DRIVE BACK TO DR. JENKINS CLINIC.  MY ICE CREAM WAS MELTING FASTER THAN I COULD EAT IT AND IT WAS RUNNING DOWN MY ARM AND DRIPPING OFF MY ELBOW ONTO MY PANTS.

 

AS I PULLED UP IN FRONT OF THE CLINIC, IT WAS WELL PAST FIVE O’CLOCK.  KNOWING FIVE O’CLOCK WAS THEIR CLOSING TIME, I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE SEVERAL CARS STILL THERE.  NANCY’S CAR WAS ONE OF THEM.

 

I THREW WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY ICE CREAM CONE DOWN AND TOOK OUT MY HANDKERCHIEF AND WIPED OFF MY HAND AND ARM AS BEST AS I COULD.  I DIDN’T NOTICE THE BROWN DROPS ON MY PANTS.

 

I WENT UP TO THE DOOR AND TRIED THE KNOB.  IT WAS LOCKED, SO I BANGED ON THE DOOR WITH MY FIST.  A VOICE FROM INSIDE SHOUTED, “WE’RE CLOSED, IF IT’S NOT AN EMERGENCY COME BACK TOMORROW.”

 

I BANGED ON THE DOOR AGAIN.  THIS TIME PAM OPENED THE DOOR.  “PAM WHAT’S GOING ON?”

 

PAMELA WRITES;

 

"Oh, hello again, Loren.  Come right in.  We're organizing a search party and would sure be glad of your help."

 

"I'll do what I can," Loren replied.  It was late and he was tired, but he couldn't turn away from the opportunity to help find Joe.

 

Loren walked into the reception room of the clinic and around the corner to Doc's office.  The room was full of the clinic's staff and one or two other people Loren didn't know.

 

"One of the first things we should do is search the surrounding neighborhood," said Doc.  "Since there were no cars noticed nearby, I'm assuming someone walked away from here with Joe.  Maybe they took him somewhere close by.  I want each of you to especially try to talk to any kids you see.  There aren't too many things that a little kid won't notice when they're out playing.  Who knows, maybe they saw someone walking away with a spotted bird dog."

 

Doc started handing a stack of papers around, and everyone took several sheets.  On it was a picture of Joe and the words Lost Dog and Reward.  "Right now we're going to let people think that Joe is simply a lost dog.  And hopefully a reward will make someone give us a call.  Everyone take a handful of tacks and pin these posters up or hand them out door-to-door."  As the group started to leave, he added, "And be careful.  Maybe it's just a couple of kids who liked the dog and wanted to take him home, but we're not sure right now."  One by one, the searchers left the office and began walking through the neighborhood.

 

Loren writes:

 

THE SEARCHERS HAD PAIRED UP SO NO ONE WOULD BE BY THEMSELVES.  LOREN AND NANCY DECIDED TO GO TOGETHER.  THEY HUNG BACK UNTIL ALL THE OTHERS HAD LEFT AND NANCY TOLD PAM THAT SHE AND LOREN WOULD KEEP A STORY GOING IN THE PAPER.  MAYBE THAT WOULD HELP FIND JOE.

 

JUST AS NANCY AND LOREN WERE GOING OUT THE FRONT DOOR, THERE WAS A “WOOF, WOOF, WOOF” AT THE BACK DOOR AND THEN A TIMED KNOCK.  STANLEY OPENED THE DOOR AND JOE RAN INTO THE ROOM.  THEN TWO SMALL BOYS CAME IN AND THE LARGEST ONE SAID, “I’M SORRY DAD.”

 

DAD, DAD!  LOREN THOUGHT, AND THAT’S ALL HE HEARD BECAUSE STANLEY AND PAM WERE HUGGING THE DOG AND THE TWO BOYS.  NANCY GRABBED LOREN BY THE ARM AND DRAGGED HIM OUT THE FRONT DOOR.

 

“IT LOOKS LIKE WE WON’T HAVE TO GO SEARCH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AFTER ALL.” NANCY SAID.

 

“WELL THERE GOES MY STORY ABOUT THE FAMOUS DOG BEING KIDNAPPED.” LOREN CRIED.  “I WOULD HAVE BET A DOLLAR TO A HOLE IN A DONUT THAT JOE HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED FOR A RANSOM.”

 

“COME ON NANCY, LET’S STOP AT THE WHAT-A-BURGER AND I’LL BUY YOU A DOUBLE DIP OF ICE CREAM.”

 

“THANK YOU LOREN, BUT I’LL PASS ON THE ICE CREAM.  I’VE GOT TO WATCH MY GIRLISH FIGURE.”

 

THE END

 

  BY LOREN MOORE & PAMELA JENKINS

COPYRIGHT 2004

LOREN

 GOTTA GO - SEE YA

LIKE TO JOIN OUR FREE MAILING LIST?, CLICK ON THE HEART BELOW

 

.

I would love to hear your comments on the pages we prepare  and recommend, we enjoy doing it for your pleasure, our pleasure is receiving your comments.

Page design By: Texas Bob

Visitors to the site since 7-12-03

free web counter