The Lost Dog Who Found Her Way Home

Our dog, Penny, slipped her collar during a thunderstorm in April and ran off into the woods behind our house. We searched for three days. The whole neighborhood helped. Kids made posters. A man I'd never met drove around with his windows down calling her name.

On the fourth morning, I opened the back door, and there she was, sitting on the steps, muddy and tired, wagging her tail like nothing had happened.

I sat down on the steps and held her and cried into her fur. My kids came running out in their pajamas. My husband made her a scrambled egg.

Then I texted the neighborhood group chat. Within an hour, there were fifty messages full of hearts and dog emojis. The man who'd driven around calling her name came over with a box of dog treats. Penny licked his face. She's never been so popular.