If something falls out of the sky into my yard and lands at my feet, is it wrong to keep it? That is the argument Doc and I had the other day. I will tell you what happened and you can decide for yourself.
It was one of those beautiful spring days and I was lying in the lush green grass minding my own business. Plop! Out of nowhere a neon green orb falls out of the sky and lands right at my feet. After I recovered from being startled, I realized it was one of my most favorite things in the world, a tennis ball. As I was picking it up to play, I saw the neighbor dog and his owner coming toward the fence. The man called me over to try to get the ball. He said it was his and had thrown it so hard it had landed in my yard. “No way” I thought. “It’s mine now”. So every time they came near me I ran away until they finally gave up and left. What I didn’t realize is that Doc had been watching out the window the whole time.
As it got close to supper time, Doc came out where I was lying in the yard to call me inside. She spotted the tennis ball in my mouth, looked at it and said, “Grover, that is not your tennis ball.” My goodness that woman missed her calling, she should have worked for the CIA. I didn’t move a muscle as she grabbed that ball out of my mouth before I could react. ” You kept that ball from the neighbors when it fell in the yard, didn’t you?” I stayed silent, went inside, ate my supper and thought the discussion was over until I noticed that she was hovering over me. ” Come on Grover, get that tennis ball, we are taking it back.”
And with that, we walked through the back yard, down the street to the front door of the neighbors. Doc knocked on the door and when the man and his dog answered she looked at me and said “drop it.” I will tell you that those neighbors were a bit surprised and somewhat apologetic saying that we didn’t need to bring the ball back, that it was no big deal, but Doc didn’t agree. ” Grover is not allowed to keep what isn’t his, I am sorry that he kept it from you.”
It was a long, silent walk back to the house. I have learned it’s best not to argue with Doc when she is upset with me, but I guess she is right. I wouldn’t like it if someone came across my stuff and just kept it. Chalk it up to another lesson learned in this dog’s short life.