Dexter Gets Lost

It was January 2, 2002. I and Steve were sitting together on the school bus ride from home. We were having a conversation. The conversation we were having was about what two things we'd rather go without.

"Would you rather go without food or sleep?", said Steve. "Food.", I said. "Would you rather go without PlayStation or Nintendo?", I said. "Nintendo.", Steve said.

"Would you rather go without television or radio?", Steve said. "Radio of course. That was an easy one.", I said. "I'd rather go without television.", said Nathan who was sitting near us next to Brad.

"Why television?", said Steve. "Because I wouldn't have to rely on a CD player to play music.", said Nathan. "Alright you guys, you can join in as well.", I said.

"Sweet.", said Brad. "Let's do this.", said Nathan. "Would you rather go without sugar or protein?", said Steve. "Sugar.", said Brad. "I'm with Brad on this one. You need that muscle mass. Especially for guys.", said Nathan.

"Would you rather go without Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network?", I said. "Wow, this is a tough one.", said Brad. "It's okay. Everybody can take all the tie they need on this question.", I said.

"Hey, it looks like time's up. This is our stop.", said Steve. "You can all take as much time as you need sometime tomorrow. Let's go Steve.", I said. Then I, Steve, and Kevin got off the bus.

"I would've chosen to go without Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network is only known for cartoons and nothing live action.", said Nathan after the three of us got off the bus. "It doesn't matter to me whether a show is a cartoon or live-action. To me, it's just a difference between two dimensional and three dimensional. I would've chosen to go without Nickelodeon.", said Brad. Then the school bus drove off.

I, Steve, and Kevin stood on the porch. Steve rang the doorbell to him and his brother's place. I rang the doorbell to mines.

Kevin Sr. went to go unlock the door for his two sons. Then Dexter came out like a bolt of lightning to greet all three of us at the door. "Come on! Calm down, buddy! Let me open the door first!", said Kevin Sr. as he was struggling to open the door for all three of us.

Then he unlocked the door. Then a squirrel suddenly appeared near the apartment complex. Once Dexter saw it, he got triggered. He thought it was an intruder.

Then Dexter growled as we were all walking into the apartment complex. Then just before Kevin Sr. closed the door, Dexter ran out to chase the squirrel. "Hey guys, look at this!", said Kevin.

Then all three of us saw Steve's dad chase after the dog who was chasing after the squirrel. Then the three ran all over the street before proceeding to run straight down the sidewalk to the nearby Fast Track gas station. It was a stressful chase for Kevin Sr. and this was public.

"What did that squirrel ever do to Dexter?", I said. "Guys, the dog was just born last year, I don't think he's ever seen a squirrel before.", said Steve. Meanwhile, the chase continued near the gas station.

All three of them in the chase were dodging cars that were trying to fill up on gas. Then the chase continued down to the nearby White Castle. Then Kevin Sr. was out of breath and stopped chasing Dexter after the chase went on for too long.

"I wonder where they all went off to.", said Kevin. "Can't tell at this point. I'm going to head to my place. See you guys.", I said as I went back to my place. Then Steve and Kevin went to their place in the apartment complex.

When they both went in, their mother was on the phone with 911. "911, what is your emergency?", said the 911 dispatcher. "Yes, I'd like to report a lost dog.", said Anna thinking that her husband couldn't possibly chase Dexter who was known to be an extremely fast dog.

"Alright, I just need some information from you, ma'am. Where are you located?", said the 911 dispatcher. "14930 Longacre St., Detroit, MI, 48227. 9 is our apartment number.", said Anna. "Alright. And what's the name and breed of your dog?", said the 911 dispatcher.

"His name is Dexter, and he is a Shih Tzu.", said Anna with a worried look on her face. And as Anna continued to talk with the 911 dispatcher, we were discussing the situation as well. "This is bad. This is bad.", said Kevin. "You think dad caught the little fella yet?", said Steve.

"Dude, a 36-year-old man trying to chase a fast dog like that? I wonder where is your thought processing on that one buddy.", said Kevin. "Hey, 36 is still pretty young.", said Steve. "I pray to God Dexter doesn't go out into the street and get ran over or something.", said Kevin.

"Okay, the police should be on their way shortly.", said the 911 dispatcher. "Okay, thank you very much, sir.", said Anna. "No problem. Have a nice day.", said the 911 dispatcher. "Okay, you too.", said Anna. And then the phone call ended.

"Boys, the cops are on the way to help me and your father out with Dexter getting lost.", said Anna. "Looks like that squirrel came out at the worst possible time.", said Kevin. "How are the authorities gonna help us out with this when he's already lost?", said Steve.

"The police are gonna tell us what we need to do to hopefully find Dexter again.", said Anna. "But mom, this is Detroit. I bet Dexter wouldn't last one second out in these streets.", said Kevin. Then Kevin Sr. came back to our place.

"Dad, is Dexter lost?", said Steve. "I'm afraid so son.", said Kevin Sr. "And you thought you could chase him knowing how fast he is.", said Anna. "I tried to run as fast as I could sweetie.", said Kevin Sr.

"I've already contacted the authorities. They should be here any minute now.", said Anna. "Do we have any pictures of Dexter?", said Kevin. "We sure do.", said Anna.

"Guys, don't worry. The police are gonna arrive here to tell us what needs to be done to search for our dog.", said Kevin Sr. "Or get a cat.", said Steve. "How could we possibly search for him and be successful? He could be anywhere out there. And Detroit is no small city.", said Kevin.

"Hey, I heard fish are not known for chasing squirrels.", said Steve. Then a knock was heard on the door. Steve's parents saw the police car outside and Kevin Sr. opened the door.

"Good afternoon. May we come in?", said the cop. "Yes, of course.", said Anna. Then both of the male cops came in.

"We just heard about a 911 call dealing with a missing dog from this address.", said one of the cops. "Yes, I made that call.", said Anna. "See, here's the thing. I and my wife over here were both enjoying our day off from work. Then I open the door for both of my boys who came home from school. Before you know it, my dog is chasing this random squirrel and the dog gets lost.", said Kevin Sr.

"I see.", the cop said as he got his notepad to write all this stuff down. "And how old is the dog?", said the cop writing stuff down. "He was just born last year.", said Anna.

"And the breed of the dog?", said the cop with the notepad. "He's a young Shih Tzu.", said Kevin Sr. "And do you have any pictures of the dog?", said the cop with the notepad.

"We sure do.", said Anna. Then the cop continued to write down everything. "Alright, now what we'll do is make a copy of at least several photos of the dog. Then we'll put those photos on any "missing" posters. And we'll offer a cash reward to anybody who finds the dog.", said the cop.

"I'll get the photos right now.", said Anna. "Alright, lady. You go do that.", said the cop. Then Anna went to do exactly that.

"In the meantime, feel free to conduct your safe search on the missing dog.", said the cop. "Great, and if he's not found?", said Kevin Sr. "If he's not found within a couple of weeks, the search will be called off by us. And you should consider getting a new pet.", said the cop.

"So, that's all we can do right now to find the little guy?", said Kevin Sr. "I'm afraid so.", said the cop. Then Anna arrived.

"Here are all the pictures you need.", said Anna as she got Dexter's photo album. "Okay, we'll take this to the DPD to make some 'missing' posters of the dog. Then we will return the photo album to you.", said the cop. "Hey, thanks for all your help today officer.", said Kevin Sr.

"No problem at all. I'm glad we were able to help you out today.", said the cop. Then the cops proceeded to leave the apartment complex. "Now you all enjoy the rest of your day.", said one of the cops as both cops were leaving. "Ok, we will", said Kevin Sr.

Then both of the cops left. "We still might never see him again.", said Kevin. "We could do our safe search around the neighborhood.", said Steve.

"That is such a stupid idea, Steve. What are the odds of us finding him?", said Kevin. "Well, we'll never know unless we try honey", said Anna.

"Yeah, she's is right. We gotta do our absolute best to find Dexter and return him to safety before anything bad happens to him.", said Kevin Sr. "He's homeless out there Kev.", said Steve. "Alright, count me in this search. But how is this search gonna be conducted?", said Kevin.

"We spend tomorrow evening searching around the entire neighborhood for Dexter.", said Kevin Sr. "Your mother and I will look around for him right after we both get off of work.", said Kevin Sr. "You boys can come too if you wish. We'll send Cody and Matthew over to your grandma's house.", said Anna.

"Count me in.", said Steve. "Count me in as well.", said Kevin. "Can we get a few of our friends to help us with this dog search?", said Steve.

"Well, we've only got the room in the backseat for Jamal.", said Anna. "Or any other friend you guys pick. You both can only pick one this time.", said Kevin Sr. "And it better be a smart friend.", said Anna.

"Can Jamal come with us Kev?", said Steve. "I don't care.", said Kevin. "We've decided to bring Jamal with us.", said Steve.

"Alright, deal. And he better be ready on time.", said Kevin Sr. "We'll talk to him the first chance we get at school tomorrow.", said Kevin. "Great, now let's just all enjoy the rest of our day and hope and pray that Dexter searched for some food out there just to survive.", said Anna.

"Whatever food is out there might give him food poisoning. Therefore, I'm not hoping and praying for that to happen unless the food is clean.", said Kevin. "And not chocolate.", said Steve. "That too.", said Kevin.

***

"Sure I'll do it.", I said after they asked for my help the next day at recess. "Great, but I must warn you that it might get a little tight in the back.", said Kevin. "Alright, I'll try and cope with the tight space the best I can.", I said.

"You think Dexter could be anywhere around the school?", said Steve. "What school? You mean this school?", said Kevin. "Duh.", said Steve.

"He could be around any school in the city.", said Kevin. "I agree with him there dude. He could even be around Cooley High School. And my mom graduated from that school back in '79.", I said. "He could be somewhere around this playground.", said Steve.

"The dog's location isn't what's important right now. What's important is that Jamal agreed to help assist us in the dog search barring anything his mom says.", said Kevin. "Yeah, we need all the help we can get right now.", said Steve. "Hey, I'm glad to offer my assistance.", I said.

"Yeah, it's just unfortunate that the New Year had to start with a lost dog.", said Steve. "He must be freezing out there. January is not a good time for a dog to get lost. It's gonna start snowing again pretty soon.", said Kevin. "And we'll possibly have to watch playoff football without our furry little friend roaming our household.", said Steve.

"I'll see what my mom says, guys. And if I can't help, you've still got plenty of other friends that I'm sure that would be willing to help out in the search for Dexter.", I said. "Yeah, but I don't want to talk about anymore. If I do, I might have nightmares about Dexter's well-being tonight.", said Steve. Then we all continued with our day.

***

Later that evening, Steve's parents came home from work. They were both in the living room along with their two eldest sons. Steve's grandmother already picked up Cody and Matthew.

Everybody was getting ready to do this dog search. "Steve, where's your friend? He should've been here by now.", said Anna. "He said it was okay with his mom. I don't know what's taking him so long.", said Steve.

"Well, if he doesn't come on time, we're gonna start the search without him.", said Kevin Sr. Then a knock was heard on the door. "It's me, Steve!", I said.

Then Kevin Sr. opened the door. "It's about time. You were taking so long that we were about to start the search without you.", said Kevin Sr. "Well, I'm here now, so you can start the search with me.", I said.

"Alright, is everybody ready to do this?", said Kevin Sr. "I am. I'll meet everybody in the car.", said Anna as she proceeded to leave the apartment complex. "All three of us are a ready dad. So, let's head on out.", said Steve.

"Sounds good. Let's go fellas.", said Kevin Sr. Then the rest of us proceeded to head on out of the apartment complex and into Steve's dad's car. Then we all got in the car.

"Alright, everybody buckled up?!", said Anna while sitting in the passenger seat and buckling up herself. "And there's a middle belt buckle for you Jamal.", said Kevin Sr. while sitting in the driver's seat and buckling up himself. Then the rest of us got buckled up in the car and was ready to do this dog search.

The car pulled out of the driveway from the apartment complex and proceeded to go out into other parts of our neighborhood. "Alright, everybody will have to keep their eyes and ears out for anything. We're gonna start searching the entire Grandmont-Rosedale area while using our eyes and ears at the same time.", said Kevin Sr. "We want everybody to look for any pets roaming around on the street and/or sidewalk as we're slowly driving around.", said Anna.

"Got it.", said Steve. "Understood.", said Kevin. "Question. Are any of us gonna be leaving the vehicle?", I said.

"I don't know about that one. The days are still pretty short, so it'll get dark real fast.", said Kevin Sr. as he was slowly driving the car around. "Yeah, I guess you're right.", I said. "Anybody wanna listen to the radio while we're all slowly roaming the neighborhood.", said Anna.

"Sounds good to me", said Kevin. "Sure. What about you Jamal?", said Steve. "I don't mind.", I said.

Then Anna turned on the radio. She changed the dial on the FM radio for about fifteen seconds before turning it to Magic 105.1. Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion was playing on that station.

And it stayed on that station as we were continuing our slow drive around the neighborhood. We were keeping our eyes and ears focused on everything we could catch. About an hour passed, and we still didn't see any sign of Dexter.

"Mom, I'm getting tired of this station. Can you change it?", said Kevin. "Of course Kevin. I'll change it right now.", said Anna. Then Anna proceeded to change the radio to something else.

Then Anna flipped stations for about another fifteen seconds before ending up on FM 98 WJLB. Ms. Jackson by Outkast was playing. Then we all continued with the search.

We drove for another half-hour, and we still had no luck. "Hey, I think I found Dexter!", said Kevin. Then Kevin Sr. stopped the car.

Kevin Sr. looked outside to see Dexter. "That's a homeless cat, Kevin.", said Kevin Sr. "That looks nothing close to a dog.", said Steve.

"What if it's Dexter in a shadow? It might not be a black cat.", said Kevin. Then we all continued with the search. "I'm gonna change the radio to something else.", said Anna.

Then Anna was flipping FM stations for about another fifteen seconds before landing on 100.3 WNIC. The song was Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry. "Hey, this was my jam back in college!", said Anna as she was jamming along to the song in the car.

Then we continued our slow drive with that song playing in the background. We continued for another half-hour. Then after that, we still had no luck.

"Well, you wanna choose the next station?", said Steve. "No thanks. I don't usually listen to the radio unless it's the holiday season or I got nothing else to do in my free time.", I said. "Well, I think that's enough music for one night. Let's listen to the news instead. Be aware of what's going on in the world. You know what I mean?", said Kevin Sr.

Then Kevin Sr. changed the band to AM and tuned in to WWJ Newsradio 950. "Detroit Police are offering a $1,000 cash reward on the whereabouts of a missing Shih Tzu that was last seen yesterday afternoon at an apartment complex on Detroit's west side. The dog is less than a year old, male, and completely harmless. If you have any information, please contact the Detroit Police. We have several pictures of the dog up on our website.", said the WWJ news anchor. "Dexter made the news?! I can't believe this! This is unreal!", said Steve.

"We need to tell everybody at school about this.", said Kevin. Now you're talking.", said Steve. "Wow! He made the news. I don't know how, but he did it.", said Anna.

"This just gives us more faith that our dog will eventually be found whether it's by us, people we know, or the public.", said Kevin Sr. "And I can tell everybody at school that I was part of a news story.", I said. And the drive continued.

After about another hour, I, Steve, and Kevin started getting tired. Kevin yawned. "Mom, Dad, I'm getting exhausted from all this searching. Can we just call it a night, and get right back at it tomorrow?", said Kevin.

"Count me in for that decision.", said Steve. "Me too.", I said. Then Steve's mom became convinced.

"It is getting kind of late honey.", Anna said to her husband. Then Kevin Sr. just sighed. "Alright, let's head back home, and be on our A-game tomorrow night.", said Kevin Sr.

***

We then arrived home. All of us got out of the car and went into the apartment building. Steve's parents went upstairs to their place while leaving the door cracked for their two boys.

I, Steve, and Kevin were downstairs. "Well, I'm sorry I couldn't be able to help you guys find your dog. If you need any of my assistance again in the future, I'll be right here.", I said. "Hey, thanks, man. And who knows? Maybe Dexter's homeless life isn't so bad as we think it might be.", said Kevin.

"You think he might've met a girl dog or something? Or hit the motherload of Salisbury steaks at a random knocked down trash can?", said Steve. "Maybe. You never know.", said Kevin. "Well, I'm gonna head back to my crib and hit the sack. Even though we didn't find Dexter, I enjoyed the time we've spent together,", I said.

"Yeah, I did too.", said Steve. "And we listened to some pretty good music along the way.", said Kevin. Then my mom suddenly opened the door from inside of my place.

"Jamal, you'll have plenty of time to talk to your friends at school tomorrow. You need to get to bed. It's almost Midnight.", said, my mom. Then I just sighed. "Alright, mom! See, I'm going inside right now as we speak.", I said while I was going inside while speaking.

"Goodnight you guys.", I said. "Goodnight.", said Steve, and Kevin said at the same time. Then my mom closed the door.

"Now let's head upstairs to our place, and get some well-deserved rest.", said Kevin. Then Steve nodded in agreement with Kevin. Then both brothers headed upstairs to do exactly that.

***

Just after midnight on January 4, 2002, Dexter was at another nearby gas station other than the Fast Track gas station that was mentioned earlier. It turns out that Dexter's homeless life wasn't an easy one at all. It was quite difficult.

The dog struggled just to make ends meet. He barely did. He didn't have the same dog food as he got at home.

He had to settle for just dumpster food which he barely got enough nourishment from. And the chances of the dog getting sick were way higher than when he wasn't homeless. And he had to get his water from unclean snow.

As I said before, Dexter was located at another nearby gas station. He was sad, lonely, and felt completely helpless. After that squirrel escaped, he couldn't find the way back to the people who originally took care of him.

He went to a spot to go get some rest. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep. After he fell asleep, he started to have this doggy dream (nightmare).

In this dream, Dexter is still homeless. He roams around in the daytime in the streets of Detroit's west side. He's automatically in survival mode and tries to look for any food if possible.

And then he finds a gold mine. A bright golden light is shown from this so-called gold mine while angels are heard in the background. The gold mine I'm talking about was a knocked over garbage can full of an endless supply of food.

It had everything from White Castles to Big Macs to Whoppers to Hot Dogs to Salisbury steaks. And the list goes on and on. To Dexter, it was a doggy miracle.

He had to cash in on this major opportunity. He'd never have to go hungry for quite a while. Then Dexter walked over to the trash.

Dexter had a big smile on his face once he got closer to it. And his tongue hanging was out. He made his move and started digging in.

Then while Dexter was satisfying his hunger, trouble suddenly appears. And that trouble appeared in the form of three Pit Bulls who triple-teamed Dexter. It was three Pit Bulls against one Shih Tzu. Dexter had just about no chance in that matchup.

The three Pit Bulls started growling at Dexter. Dexter was stealing from their food stash. And the three Pit Bulls were ready to attack the thief.

Then Dexter was afraid for his life. When Dexter started backing up a bit, the Pit Bulls started barking at Dexter in anger. Then Dexter stopped moving.

Dexter had this look of fear on his face. Then the Pit Bulls were getting ready to attack Dexter. After that, Dexter started barking in fear and it meant that he didn't mean any harm at the same time.

Then as the three Pit Bulls charged towards Dexter, he woke up from that terrifying nightmare. He realized that he was still safe and sound around the nearby gas station at a good spot where no human or animal would be able to find him at that time of day. It was still in the wee hours, and there was no sign of daylight whatsoever.

After that, he then proceeded to go back to sleep. It was only a matter of time before his basic needs weren't gonna be met just by himself alone on the streets of Detroit, Michigan. He then fell asleep again, and everything was pretty peaceful from that moment on until around sunrise.

***

Now two weeks have elapsed. It was now the evening of January 18, 2002. Steve and Kevin were sitting on the living room couch and watching TV together.

"Hey guys, you mind if I talk to you for just a quick second, or is this a bad time? If it is, we can talk later if you want.", said Kevin Sr. "No, it's not a bad time dad.", said Kevin. "Yeah, not at all dad.", said Steve.

Then Kevin Sr. turned off the TV and sat down in a nearby chair to talk to the two boys. "Guys, I'm afraid I and your mom have decided to stop searching for Dexter and get a new pet.", said Kevin Sr. "You decided to do what?!", said Kevin.

"But what about not giving up?! Dexter could be in some danger any second now!", said Steve. "I know this might be a hard pill for you both to swallow, but I and your mom can't keep wasting our time searching for a dog. We've got human lives that are way more important than a dog's life. We didn't quit on finding Dexter, we just tried our best and failed miserably. I hope both of you guys don't take this the wrong way.", said Kevin Sr. "Whatever. I'm going to bed early tonight.", said Kevin as he stormed angrily out of the living room to his room.

Then, Steve, had tears come down his face, but it wasn't like an outburst of tears. Then Kevin Sr. handed his son some Kleenex. Steve used them to wipe the tears that were coming down his face.

"So, I guess he's gone.", said Steve. "I'm afraid so son.", said Kevin Sr. "But don't forget that even though he's not physically here, he still holds a special place in all of our hearts.", said Kevin Sr.

"But it's so unfair. We haven't even had him for one year, and he's already gone.", said Steve as more tears were coming down his face. Then the father and son both hugged in the living room. "Everything's gonna be just fine son. I promise.", said Kevin Sr. as he was hugging Steve.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye.", said Steve as tears were still rolling down his face. "I'm sorry about Dexter Steve. Now I'll let you finish watching whatever you were watching.", said Kevin Sr. "Thanks dad.", said Steve as the tears rolling down his face slowly started to stop. Then Kevin Sr. left the living room just before Steve turned the TV back on.

Meanwhile, Dexter was still alive and in no harm or danger whatsoever after he got lost. He was roaming the west side streets of the Motor City until he started to find his way back home. Then once he saw the apartment complex down the street, he started walking down towards the spot where Steve lived.

"Looks like Steve and Kevin took it pretty hard.", said Anna. "Unfortunately so. But they'll eventually get over it. And I'm telling you, Steve almost made me wanna cry.", said Kevin Sr. "I believe they'll get over it. I'll see you later on in the bedroom honey.", said Anna. "Okay, sweetie.", said Kevin Sr. Then Kevin Sr. went to the master bedroom to look at some TV while Anna was finishing up washing the dishes.

Outside of the apartment complex, Dexter was nearby Steve's place. And when Dexter realized he had no other options to get inside his home he resorted to continuous barking. He barked and barked like there was no tomorrow.

"Geez, will that dog shut up! I'm trying to look at some TV over here!", Kevin Sr. said to himself. Then Kevin Sr. realized something. "Dexter!", said Kevin Sr. to himself.

Then Kevin Sr. ran outside to get Dexter. When he got the dog, Anna came outside along with Steve and Kevin. Then I and my mom saw what was going outside, so we came outside as well.

"Dexter! It's him! Dude, don't ever do anything like that to us again!", said Steve. "Ugh, he stinks!", said Kevin. "Dexter found his way back to us. What a smart young dog!", said, Anna.

"Congratulations on getting your dog back.", my mom said to Steve's parents. "Your welcome.", said Anna. "Yeah, I knew I recognized that bark from somewhere.", said Kevin Sr.

Then I walked up to Steve. "Congratulations on getting your dog back Steve.", I said. "You are so welcome Jamal! I don't know what I'd do without this little fella!", said Steve.

"And from now on, I'm leaving you in your cage mister anytime the apartment complex door has to be opened by us.", said Kevin Sr. "Well said, dad! Now let's go get you some bacon treats. You must be starving after what you just went through,", said Steve. Then Dexter barked happily, and he was finally back home.