Little Dog Lost

Sometime around mid-morning Millie realized her little dog was not in the apartment with her.  Max, the Yorkshire terrier, who had been 
Millie's companion, comforter, and best friend for close to 12 years never went out of Millie's sight.  But Millie had been having some problems lately.  After a stroke which left her with speech problems and other weakness, she found she was having increasing problems remembering things.  She walked many times a day from her end of the senior community to the far end where her brother lived in a similar apartment in another building.  Most of the time Max went along, perfectly trained to heel, looking up into Millie's face when she stopped.  He never barked at people or other dogs, even if one of those dogs barked loudly as they strolled past.
Max never left the apartment without Millie unless he was taken for a walk by Millie's brother, Sid, who always kept Max on a leash.
When Millie could not find Max in the apartment she went outside and looked around the small yard.  No Max.  Sid came down the sidewalk bringing a mini casserole he had made for Millie's lunch.  When he heard about the missing dog, he began a walk through the community.
The community is Joseph's Dream.  (I have changed the names of the
people and the dog.  The rest is pretty much factual.) 
As Sid met other residents walking or sitting outside he told them about the missing dog.  Strange how a crisis pulls people together.
This is a divided community in many ways.  Often the gossip and
complaints  seem more like middle school than a gathering of 62 plus
(mostly much older) people.
While there were a few who stated that "someone in Millie's condition should not be allowed to have a pet" - and a few more who said "Max is an old dog.  He probably went off to die".-the majority who could get around on their own two feet or with a walker or cane headed out to walk the community and down the hill to the nursing home below.
Two ladies got into their cars and drove out of the community and down  through the roads beyond.  No one had seen the missing Yorkie.
Dusk found everyone heading back to their own apartments, with promises to search again the next day.  
After dark, Margaret, whose apartment was next to Millie's in the same building, thought she would take one more look around outside, though by now she felt that it was highly likely someone driving by had spotted the small dog out alone and picked him up. 
Margaret spotted two eyes close to the ground beneath a large bush in front of her porch.  Thinking it was probably a feral cat or possible even an opossum, she did not dare to reach in among the branches.
She went back into her house and picked up her flashlight.  Once outside she shined the light in among  the branches.  There, sitting up, stretching and yawning, was Max.  Margaret lifted him out.  He appeared to be fine.  She carried him to her neighbor's door where an
overjoyed Millie clasped the little dog to her chest.  
Millie has lost the ability to speak.  Her eyes spoke  all the thanks no words could have expressed.
And Max, totally unaware of the concern he had caused, strolled to his
special bowl and had a good drink.
For a few hours, (almost) everyone in residence in Joseph's Dream
forgot their own aches, complaints, disagreements, in empathy and concern for one of their own, and for her little dog, who was lost.