I had a dream last night.

I was in the army, believe it or not, and taking a test somewhere on 8 Mile Rd. I needed gas in my car (although it wasn't my car; it was a mini-van, but not one we own at the moment) and I knew there was a little gas station on 52 that had cheap gas. So I left the test early and drove down to that gas station to fill up. (Evidently I was allowed to do this because I had the time. Or something. Or maybe it was my lunch hour, which makes more sense.)

When I got to the gas station, I noticed that there were quite a few dogs milling about. And there were people at the gas station with their dogs, etc. One in particular caught my eye. It almost looked like a long-haired greyhound, but not as exotic as a saluki, and kind of a dusty grayish brown. It wore a collar but no tags, and had a length of a thin silver chain hanging from its collar.

When I went in the gas station to pay, I heard the attendant talking about how the dog had been there for a couple of days, and that it would probably get hit on the road.

So of course, I decided right then to take it home. :)

Now, this must not have been very far into the future, because I was still living here, and I knew Mom and Dad wouldn't exactly be pleased if I showed up with a dog. But it felt like something I had to do, and I couldn't just leave him there.

Did I mention he was very well trained, too? I told him to sit to wait for me as I paid for my gas, and then I got him to lie down on the backseat of the van.

And then I overheard something strange. Someone at another gas pump said something about the dog I'd decided to rescue--to the effect that he was one of sixteen, and had last been seen in the same vicinity of a particularly horrible puppy farm owner somewhere in Cambridge, MA.

I didn't speak to these people, but ducked my head and hoped the dog's real owner (if there was one) never showed up. Because I had bonded with this dog, big-time. :)

So I decided to call my supervisor (who was the same supervisor I have now, and I'm sure she'd be surprised to find herself in the army) and tell her that I was taking a hour or two off. Except my cell phone was about to die, and I didn't want it to die in the middle of my explanation. So I decided to wait until I got home before calling her.

On my way down the road (and it wasn't 52 anymore; it might have been Bethel-New Richmond) I came across a pack of dogs hounding a smaller dog that looked exactly like the one I had in the backseat. He became very excited when he saw her, and I just suddenly understood that she was his mate and friend-for-life.

So what could I do? I chased away the other dogs and let her join him. I mean, it was the human thing to do, no?

This was about when I woke up, but I drifted in and out of the journey home for the next thirty minutes. I never did call my supervisor. :)

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