Missing GUS

It started out as a normal Saturday....Kids & I slept in a bit and Ryan decided to take Gus running out in the desert while riding his Rhino. Around 9am I get a call that Gus has ran off and Ryan can't find him. I take off driving up by the schools looking out into the desert, but nothing...no sign of him. So I run home grab the kids and take the quads out and join Ryan in the search for Gus. We searched, and searched and searched... but nothing...no sign at all.
     I had a lunch planned with my family, so I took the kids and went to lunch while Ryan continued searching. By this time, he had called a couple buddies and they too came to join the search for Gus. We drove every inch of the desert behind our house looking for any sign. but we saw nothing. I posted on Facebook to have friends keep an eye out for him around the neighborhood and someone suggested posting on craigslist. So I did.
     Saturday night was a loooong night! I kept looking out the window hoping,wishing, praying that he would be there. Then at 2am Ryan's cell phone rang...could it be...did someone find him? A man in broken English, said he had just hit our dog with a car and to come get the body. Groggy, Ryan grabbed his gun and took off in the direction he claimed he was. Nothing. No sign.. it was a cruel, prank call. I immediately took the posting off craigslist and cried myself to sleep.
     Sunday Morning came... Ryan searched again before going to his bishopric meetings. I also searched for about an hour before church. Then we both went out again after church until it was too dark to see anymore. Even Sophie was starting to miss Gus and kept looking outside for him.  Again...I cried myself to sleep.
     Monday came with a somber feeling in our home. We ventured out in the desert again with a sad but still hopeful attitude. Miranda made LOST posters and we put them around the neighborhood. Hoping someone would see him roaming around and call us. But nothing....no sign...no calls

Monday night, while I took Miranda to Broadway class, Ryan and Parker went around and was writing in red sharpie "REWARD" on all the posters we had hanging. Hoping a little incentive was all someone needed to call us if they saw him. When we arrived home, we walked inside and around the corner limped Gus!!! What!? It was the most beautiful sight! I started crying as Ryan shared the story of how he was found....
   He and Parker came home from putting up posters when there was a phone call.  Ryan didn't recognize the number, but answered it, hopeful.  It was a young kid telling him they found our dog and gave directions to his house. 
   Ryan drove to the  address and the kids were out front calling him to follow them on their bikes.  They led Ryan to a fence that surrounded a Storage Unit area.  and there was Gus, curled up, shivering, dirty and extremely dehydrated. 
    Ryan called him, but Gus didn't move.  Ryan had to shimmy through the fence and carry him out. 
He laid Gus on the back seat of the truck and turned to the kids.  They knew nothing about the reward, but Ryan felt they deserved it and gave them the money.  The kids were estatic and took off running for home. 
   Ryan decided to surprise Miranda and I with Gus' homecoming.  I couldn't believe he didn't call us to let us know. 
  But I have to say...it was the most wonderful surprise ever to see him coming around the corner.

He was tired, dirty, a bit shaken and extremely thirsty, but it was Gus...good old Gus...and he was HOME!