I had my electrician here yesterday doing a new outlet on my balcony. He move my door, my front door, into an open position so he can come and go as needed. When it was done I said to my aid could you lock the door. She said she was running out to take the garbage out and to get the mail. When she came back in she never lock the door.

It was hot yesterday so I have all my windows open. We left the condo to go downstairs to the pool. My aid never checked the door. I always exit first because I’m in my scooter. Not only was my door not locked, it wasn’t fully closed. The wind from the hallways and another door must’ve pushed the door open. Truthfully, it was probably the elevator that I took to go downstairs. My front door opened and my dogs got out. Then the wind closed the front door again so my dogs couldn’t even get back in.

Marshy and Zoey were running around through the halls, FREEDOM!!!! Then they looked for me. I’m downstairs swimming in a pool and for the first time ever didn’t even bring my cell phone. Not that I would’ve answered the phone from the pool but I didn’t even have it on me.

By the time I got back upstairs, I see a bowl of water outside my apartment. My neighbor happens to come out at the same time. He was writing me a note. Luckily, he did see the dogs first knowing they were mine. However he got concerned that something was wrong in my apartment, wrong with me knowing I have a handicap. He called security and they tried my numbers. When they couldn’t reach me they got even more concerned.

A neighbor down the hall is a cop. She happened to come home in the middle of all of this. They knocked on my door and then she tried the door and of course it was still open, since my aid never locked it. She open the door came in to make sure I wasn’t somewhere on the floor hurt. They let my little Rugrats in and he was leaving me a note when I came back up.

I walked in the door and my two dogs were panting like crazy. I could tell these dogs were running for quite some time. They couldn’t get back in the apartment. They couldn’t find me. Anything could’ve happened. The elevator could’ve opened and they could’ve gone into the elevator. Ended up on the first floor where the doors were open. They could’ve run right out the front door. They could’ve ended up on another floor. Marshmellow Isn’t good with other dogs he could’ve seen a dog and jump all over them. Anything could’ve happened.

You can imagine when I got upstairs hearing all this , my aid, whom I love dearly, I was not very happy with. She said it was an accident and brushed it off. I explained to her that anything that happens to my dogs is not just an accident to be brushed off. These dogs are like children to me and proper consideration and care should be used at all times regarding their safety as well. It really was inexcusable to never checked the door. Just because there are valuables in my house as well as my dogs. My daughter and I never leave the house without checking the door. Our dogs mean the world to us. I was so upset at the casual response I received, it’s still bothering me this morning. I’m grateful to my neighbor for looking after them, and me. I went over with a bottle of wine to express my deepest thanks.