Today's afternoon hike took us to old stomping grounds, to check out new trails. At the end of Armcrest Dr, they are continuing the Second Lake trail system. They've cut the trail and added rock and dirt from the Metropolitan Rd end. At our turn around point, we were down one dog. I called and waited for him to appear. Deciding that the car would be his most likely destination, we returned to find him not there. I asked a person coming to get their mail with their dog if they had seen him. I put the remaining dogs in the car, to discover that another dog, (who doesn't like the walk to end) had returned to the trail. He was the lucky one to accompany me back into the woods to continue searching for the MIA dog. We had hiked almost to Second Lake. I wondered if this water dog had sensed the nearness of the lake, and decided to go for a dip. The two men fishing there dashed my hopes of finding him there, saying they hadn't seen "hide nor hair". We returned to the car (putting the reluctant car canine on leash before the end of the trail). I then heard my name being called. An old neighbour of mine (when I lived in Armcrest) met me in the trails, to say that his partner had found the dog at the mail boxes and had called the number on the tag. The owner came by to pick him up. The neighbour had also been concerned enough about my welfare, to call the police, thinking something had happened to me! The kind policeman heard my hiking woes, and I apologized for causing concern and him having to come out. All was well. Did I mention I had also slipped coming down the hill the first time back to the car, and had a wet, muddy backside! After calling the owner and talking about the incident, we came to the conclusion, that he may not be suitable for the off lead hikes. I don't want the worry on my mind. Also, I need to carry my cell phone with me (get a new one that lasts with the battery not having to be charged after an hour or less). They had tried to call me on my cell to tell me that he had been found. I'm also going to get Happy Hound HIker tags made up for all my dog client collars. See, I'm still learning things to become a better Happy Hound Hiker. Things normally run smoothly, but you can't have every day be perfect!