Rocky Watch '07

A family who lost their golden retriever has posters up all over my community. The picture shows a beautiful dog named Rocky whose owners are offering two thousand dollars for his return.

Immediately my heart went out to them. My dog is a golden retreiver mix, and I know what adorable personalities those dogs can have.

Then I thought, "Two grand? For real?"

After seeing the poster at a stop sign I caught myself sub-consciously scanning the cornfields for this dog. The longer I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed to take a drive around the area. Just to see. I mean, they're offering two large for this dog. Who couldn't use that kind of money? Maybe I'll put a bowl of dog food in the back seat of my car...or carry some treats in my purse. At what point does one become a lost dog stalker?

Here, Rocky! Come here, boy!

Then I wondered, is this family just loaded, or is their kid suicidal over the loss of this dog? Or both? Is this a show dog? Can he bring you a beer from the fridge? As I began to fantasize about finding Rocky and returning him for a fat wad of cash, I hit a disappointing ethical wall. Should you take that kind of money for doing something you're supposed to do anyway? I mean, a decent person would return a lost pet for free. But I have anal glaucoma about turning down two grand. (In other words, I don't see my ass doing it.)

Tell me what you think:

1. Would you go out of your way (even a little) to find this dog?
2. If you found it, would you accept the reward?
3. If you lost your dog, what's your reward offer ceiling?

My dog loves to chase geese, and there are a lot of geese around the lake. I'm just going to, umm, well, I had to go by the lake anyway because I have this thing...

Hell with it. I'm gonna look for that dog.