Sneaking Under the Radar
What to Do When Your Dog Belongs to Someone Else?
FOUR HOUSES UP THE STREET was a yard with a tall wooden fence. I walked past it every day on my way to third grade. I could hear a dog barking on the other side, and one day, I looked between the slats. All I could see was teeth.
I wanted the dog to like me, so I saved half of the sandwich from my lunches to throw over the fence. Then I started taking the sandwich apart to feed him through the slats. One day I gave a whistle. A large German shepherd sailed over the fence, knocking me down. He licked my face and I hugged his neck, then I stood up and said, “Come!” He followed me home.
My new best friend and I sat on the steps until his owner, Mr. Wilson, came to the edge of my yard and yelled, “Radar, heel!” Radar broke away and went home with Mr. Wilson.
I came up with a plan to play with Radar and return him to his yard without his owner knowing. The next day when I whistled,
Radar jumped out easily, but when I pointed to the fence and said, “Jump back over the fence!” Radar just looked at me. I tried to reach the latch to open the gate, but it was too high. I told Radar to lie down next to the fence and stay. I went home.
The following day, Mr. Wilson came to talk to me. I had a sick feeling in my stomach, but to my surprise, Mr. Wilson said I could play with Radar if I had him back in his yard before dinner. He promised to fix the latch so I could open the gate.
After that, I spent a lot of time with Radar, running bases and riding my bike with him alongside me. Then one day, Mr. Wilson sadly told us that he had to move into an apartment. He said, “John, I’m giving Radar to you.”
Radar and I had a thousand adventures together until he got too old to run. I wish I could give him one more hug.