My run-in with the law

Had an odd experience last night. About 10:00, I had a craving for my favorite Sonic Drive-In drink, a diet coke with lime. There's a Sonic just down the street, so I hopped in the Element and took off.

For the few of you out there who have not figured out that the Element is the ultimate dog car, let me explain how perfectly my 36 inch crate, on a platform, fits in the back of the car. There are even tie downs in the ceiling to secure crates. Here's a shot my setup when we were headed home from the 2008 Specialty.



OK - back to my story - I went to Sonic, got my drink at the drive thru, then headed back to the house. I had just settled down to watch a movie when I saw a police car pull up slowly in front the house. He shines a spotlight down my driveway, then backs up and pulls in my driveway.

I jumped up and turned on the porch light and opened the front door as the officer comes up on the porch. Of course, Spencer and Scout are going ballistic. I go out on the front porch and the officer says, "Maam, do you have a small child in this house?" I say no, and then he asks, "Were your dogs in that cage in your car when you went to Sonic?" Again, I said no and I'm sure I was looking at him with a very strange look on my face.

Then he asked, "Is there a doll in the cage?" I said no, but there is a frog and a tomato in there. Thinking back, that that must have sounded odd. (Those familiar with us know that Showfrog is our faithful travel companion. The stuffed tomato was a prize Scout won at an agility trial, and it stays in the crate as well.) He said that they had received a call that I had been driving with a child in the cage and he had to check it out.

By this time I am headed towards the car to open the hatch and show him what was in there. Of course, the car was locked and I didn't grab my key on the way out, but he shined his flashlight in and was satisfied that I was not some crazy lady hauling kids around in my "cage." Ok - he probably still thought I was crazy, but not criminal. He apologized and left.

For him, this was probably just another Saturday night. For me, it was a bit unsettling. For minute there I thought I might need to call Penni to my defense and hope that Laura would be writing my pre-sentencing report.