Must Love Dogs: Cricket

I’ve been an unabashed dog lover since I was a kid. Maybe it was the puppy breath or the butt wiggles that drew me in, I’m not sure. But I’ve always loved the snuggles and kisses and unconditional love that dogs offer. 

When I was five, my mom and dad brought home a black Labrador retriever puppy. He was our first family dog and I named him Cricket. Before school and after school we would play outside and take short walks when the weather was nice. We’d play fetch, which he somehow just…knew how to play. Cricket was my best friend. 

Because he was a puppy, Cricket would bark sometimes when he was tied up outside. We tried to minimize that as best we could by bringing him inside right away. But one day, we left Cricket tied up outside while my mom and I made a very quick run to the grocery store. 

When we returned home fifteen minutes later, he was gone. The cable was there, still tied to a treed by the garage. Cricket was nowhere to be found. 

We made Missing posters and hung them up everywhere. We called everyone we knew in our small town to ask them to watch out for Cricket. I cried for hours every day.

A week went by. Then two. Before I knew it, my puppy had been gone for months without so much as a tip or a sighting. 

He simply disappeared. 

More time went by, and my parents noticed how upset I still was. They brought home a kitten. I named her Tigger. Eventually, she became my new best friend and the feelings of loss that surrounded Crickets’ disappearance slowly faded away. 

Many, many years later, my mom learned through the town grapevine that the neighbors we had way back when were responsible for Cricket’s disappearance. 

The father, who was known throughout our town as an abusive, short-tempered asshole, noticed that Cricket was barking and that my mom and I weren’t home. He walked out his back door, sauntered over to our garage, and let Cricket off his cable. 

Then his son, who was in junior high at the time, came over and scooped up my puppy. We learned that this kid, who took after his father, gave Cricket to his girlfriend for her birthday. 

My parents and I learned of this 20-some years after it happened. It stung when it happened. It stung when we found out what had really happened. It still stings today whenever Cricket pops into my mind. 

I hope he was well taken care of. I’ll never know the answer to that of course, but I can hope. All I ever wanted for him was loads of love and cuddles, and I choose to believe he found those, even if it wasn’t with me.