I live next door to a couple, “Mina” and “Bill,” both of who have been at odds with one another over Mina’s Pomeranian, “Sparky.” Mina received Sparky as a gift from her mother three years ago and absolutely adores her. To say that Bob is not a dog person is putting it mildly. In the time since Sparky joined their household, I have heard him frequently curse the dog out when she barks (which is no more than the other dogs in the vicinity and not at length). If Mina is around to hear it, this results in a lengthy shouting match, that they then take back inside their house. Bob will also complain to anyone who will listen about how irritating Sparky is and half-jokingly will say his wife is more devoted to the dog than she is to him.
Within the last year, there were also more than a dozen instances when I would be driving to or from work or returning from an errand and come across Sparky wandering in the neighborhood. Each time, I picked up the dog and brought her home. Other neighbors have also found her loose and returned her as well.
Last week, I was getting the mail when Bob came over to put up a “lost dog” flyer on the mailbox with Sparky’s picture on it. I asked how long she had been gone and he told me she had been missing for three days. Then the amount of the reward for her safe return caught my attention: $10,000. I remarked to Bob that was an incredibly kind thing to do for Mina to try and get Sparky back. Bob smirked and said he didn’t expect to have to pay it out and left. Bob’s comment left me deeply troubled.
As soon as I got home, I called all of the local animal shelters in my surrounding area. The staff at each of them said no one had brought in a Pomeranian matching Sparky’s description within the last three days. I checked local websites for lost and found animals and also came up with nothing other than a “lost” post for Sparky put up by my neighbors. I always suspected Bob of playing a role in Sparky’s “escapes” from my neighbor’s yard. The trouble is I have nothing to go on other than his comment. Should I speak to Mina about what he said, or is this something that isn’t my place to become involved in?
