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Halfway through the hike, a dog suddenly appeared from out of the woods and excitedly jumped on me. The young sandy-colored Lab looked to be about a year old, and was hungry for attention. We were concerned about her following us, but the friendly dog would not be dissuaded, and stayed with us to the end of the trail. Sandy didn't have a collar, but the discoloration on her neck suggested that she had been wearing one. We surmised that a visitor to the park had tied her up and she slipped her collar and got lost.
We went by the nature center on our way back to the cabin. I was hoping that if we went inside, Sandy would perhaps follow someone else.
"I hate to be hard-nosed," the park ranger on duty said when he saw the dog, "but we have a leash law. You can't have your dog running loose here in the park."
Chris explained the situation. The ranger was sympathetic to Sandy's dilemma, and made a call while we were there to see if anyone had reported a missing dog. A chain link dog kennel was in back of the building, and the man said he would keep the dog there for the time being. Perhaps someone would come looking for her yet. She remained in the kennel during the rest of our visit at Greenleaf, but we heard from another park employee that the ranger was thinking seriously about keeping her if the owners were not found. We felt certain there would be a happy ending for sweet Sandy. Next Page