About 4 p.m. Monday, I drove to Cedar Lanes Park in South Auburn to walk our miniature pinscher. Pulling into a parking spot, the only people there were a young man polishing his car and a young woman with small children using the playground equipment.

Running around freely was a white pit bull terrier. The dog wore a collar, and trotted up to the young fellow, then back toward the woman and kids, then romped onward, in an apparently lighthearted mood. But I wasn’t about to step out of the car with my little dog with that one loose.

Opening the door, I asked both the lady and the man if the pit bull belonged to either of them. “No,” they responded.

I returned home, called 911. The operator asked if the dog was menacing. “No, appeared friendly,” I responded. She connected me with the King County Animal Control line. I endured several minutes of voice mail hell, which got me nowhere.

Finally giving up, I called the Auburn Police Administration number, got on the line for a live person. For 10 minutes, I listened to the following recorded message: “We appreciate your patience. All of our customer service representatives are currently on other calls. Please remain on the line for the next representative.”

Figuring I’d put enough effort into the endeavor, I disgustedly hung up. I just hope that pit bull’s mood stayed jovial, and it either returned home on its own accord or its owner tracked it down and corralled it.

– John P. Brown