Gulp

Those tiny paw prints at the bottom of the photo belong to Gabby, our five-pound adventuress.

The other, much bigger prints likely belong to a full-grown coyote.

Even though I tell myself I need to stop worrying when one or more of them is late coming home for dinner, I still go out calling and looking for them until all the Kibble Kids are safely inside their ‘dorm building’ for the night. (Their little cardboard box beds lined with old sweaters and blankets look like the Seven Dwarves’ home in ‘Snow White.’)

Being a ‘pet parent’ actually is comparable to having teens around the house.

But at least the Kibble Kids won’t ask to borrow the car keys.