I was hunting wasps again. The dogs had just been swimming in the pool, and I noticed the wasps from there. So I went on the porch to hit them with wasp killer. I climbed the rail and hung over the porch at about two stories up. I shot one group, but noticed a smaller one in the eaves. I couldn't spray it or I would have gotten hit with the pesticide in the face. So I used the bottom of the can and knocked it down.

Bad move! One took after me and bit me on the arm. Things got crazy then, as I yelled and got excited. I jumped down off of the handrail and started running. Thinking that wasps were chasing me. The wet dogs were back there with me, and I told them to "Go, go, go!” not wanting them to get bit either. I ran around the other side of the house, to the front then went inside to tend to my bite.

Not ten minutes later, I came back out, as the pain had subsided, and I wanted to play with the wet dogs in the grass. Kate and Tam, the adult border collies, were laying in the shade. Tam came to greet me, and I called Kate over, then Chris. No Chris.

She was nowhere to be found. I looked almost everywhere for her, under the house, twice, under bushes, around the back of the house several times. Finally I called Matt, my husband, to let him know what was going on. He quizzed me on where to look, some places I had already been and some she could not have gotten into, as the doors were never opened at all today.

He called me several times, asking if I had found her, and my answer was always no. I called my Dad and let him know, and told me to call him when I found her. I started walking down the road looking for her, which all I found was a covey of quail.

The UPS man came to deliver a package, he had met Chris and I asked if he saw her on his way over. No, he hadn't, but said that he would keep special notice as he drove around the area. I continued to recheck places that I had checked before, even crawling on my hands and knees around some redwoods. Finally, I took off in the pickup to check down the road.

I saw the UPS man again and he told me that he looked all over the area and didn't see her at all. I continued to drive around some, and then headed back home. Back at the house, I continued calling for her, and using the shepherds whistle to aid in her recall. But being such a young puppy, 13 weeks, she really does not have a recall by whistle yet. Never the less, I continued whistling in the pickup and on foot.

I started calling some of my neighbors and asked if she was over there or had see her. Nope! But one of them suggested I put her on Craig's List, which I did. My Stepmother additionally suggested that I announce her being lost on Facebook, that I should not leave any stone unturned. I complied.

As I drove down the road a second time, I saw another neighbor and told her about Chris' disappearance. She said that she would come right over and help look for her. I went over to another neighbor's house to see if she was over there, he was swimming with his dog, too cool. He joined the hunt for Chris.

My other neighbor next door went to the back of the property by the vineyards, up and down the dirt road looking for her, even by his barn.

As the swimming neighbor walked down the road with his dog, trying to lure her out of possible hiding, other neighbors came out and helped to try to find Christian. Meanwhile, Matt had come home early from work, just sick about not being able to find her. He jumped on his bike and rode all over the place looking for her.

Time was ticking. Like with a lost child, time is the most important aspect in finding a lost animal or child. So with all of my neighbors joining in the hung for Chris, made the likelihood of her being found greater odds. No one could find her though. I sent home a couple of my neighbors, thanking them, who searched under every bush on our property, even using a squeaky toy to lure her.

I had called my Stepmother and asked if she would please call a prayer chain for us. She said yes and did so. I wanted as much influence that could be, to ask God for Christian's return.

I was balling as I sat on the front porch, talking with Matt. I was asking him why would God just take her like that? He had just given her to us, not much more than a month ago. I just didn't understand it at all. Both of us had also been praying very hard for God to bring her back to us.

Then I heard some dog cry. I glanced at Matt and heard it again. That was not the voice of my neighbor's Corgi. It cried again and again! I was positive that was Chris, and I hope she was all right! Tam and I took off running through the ally of our property that runs to the very back. Matt took off on his bike through the pastures to the back of the property.

Matt beat me, and as I was running, I couldn't see as the sun was setting right in my eyes. I did see my neighbor's cows in the very corner of their property, next to ours. And her Great Pyrenees were with the cows. I think Chris was crying at the cows.

Matt saw her first, as I could hardly see anything, and she came running to him. He reached over the fence and lifted her over. Oh my God! And we both thanked God for returning her to us.

I thought this little dog was gone. I really thought someone had seen her on the road and taken her. We even contemplated a bird grabbing her, but normally only have hawks here and they are too small for a 15lb. or so puppy.

Man, we were blessed when we first got Chris, and now we have been blessed by her miraculous return. She was gone for four hours, all of which was frantic searching for her. About a half an hour later, it would have been dark. Dark means coyotes. We have lots of them out back in the vineyards, we here them all of the time. Chris would have been coyote food. Thank you again, Lord.