have the 3am phone calls stopped?
So last Tuesday, I was wakened up around quarter to 3 in the morning with the realization that my phone was ringing. I keep my phone downstairs by my purse, so it took a little while before it woke me up. I got up, checked it, and saw it was a 615 area code.
I pause my story briefly to explain that 615 is the area code for Nashville. Also, we had been getting a lot of calls from people in Nashville saying they found our dog. I’m not sure if I mentioned this here, but there was a stray beagle running around the same area where Jera was lost, who looked a lot like Jera but was obviously not Jera (we personally saw the dog during one of our trips up to find Jera). After returning to Atlanta from Nashville, we had a lot of concerned neighbors trying to help us out by saying they saw the beagle. Since we were unable to go and check it out, and since no one had actually CAUGHT the dog, we just continued to call the Animal Control in the area and ask them to go pick up the dog. Since Jera has a microchip, I know if it was Jera then we would be contacted.
So back to last Tuesday at 3am. We didn’t answer the phone, but we were so mad because someone had called us at an unearthly hour! This anger woke me up to the point I couldn’t go back to sleep. I went downstairs to read.
The phone rang again. I didn’t answer. And again. I didn’t answer. In total, the phone rang EIGHT times. On the 8th time, I decided to pick it up. The following conversation:
GIRL ON THE OTHER END OF THE LINE: Hi, I see your dog.
ME: You do? Oh! Um, where are you?
GIRL: Do you know where Liberty Pike is? (Gives directions to her house.) I’m standing outside.
ME: I can’t come right now!
GIRL: You can’t? Do you know someone else who could?
ME: I can’t call anyone at this hour!
GIRL: Oh.
ME: Do you actually have the dog?
GIRL: No I just saw it. I think it’s living in the trees by the water tower. (That’s where we saw the other beagle.)
ME: Look, I’m in Atlanta right now so I can’t come. Why don’t you call Animal Control and have them come pick up the dog? Then, if it’s mine, I will get back to you and make sure that you get the reward.
I gave her Animal Control’s phone number, and got her contact info, thanked her and hung up. I think it’s funny that she didn’t mention at all that it was the middle of the night. I’m glad she was trying to help, but really…
That was the last of the phone calls. If she was as persistent with Animal Control as she was with me, then perhaps they came and picked up the other dog!