He really loved his dog.
The day Buster went missing, his world fell apart. He and the dog were a family. He started by checking with all of his neighbours. Nobody had seen the dog, but they would look out for it. On the following day he had posters printed with a large picture of Buster’s most recent photo displayed. It gave all of the relevant details including the offer of a generous reward for Buster’s return. He spent a great deal of time, pinning or blue tacking posters wherever he could. Some shopkeepers didn’t want a poster on their window and he had a few comments about sticking them on traffic light poles. Generally, he felt that many people didn’t appreciate how important it was to find him.
It was on the third day of finding places for the notices that he may have missed before, that he met and got chatting to the woman who worked in the post office. She had come out briefly to take a closer look at what he was posting on the side of the bus shelter. When she saw the photo she commiserated with him, saying that she completely understood how close people could get to their animals. He appreciated her support. The dog was never found, but they got on really well and were married a year later.
He never got over the loss of his dog and would often tell her how he felt. As time passed she felt less inclined to listen to him going on and on about his missing dog. It was on such an occasion, a few months into their marriage that he once more launched off into a lengthy gibbering about how he couldn’t understand how the dog could go missing, when she flew off the handle. After a ferocious argument, she asked him the obvious question regarding the relative importance he placed on their marriage and his lost dog.
He thought hard and gave her the truth… but the wrong answer.
He now lives alone.