Nick had put signs about his lost dog all over the area, and that afternoon he had received two calls from Palisades telling him that a small white dog had been seen near the Palisades post office, heading for Route 9W.

Nick’s mother drove him to Washington Spring Road and dropped him off. He carried a machete, attached to his belt, in case he had to cut underbrush in the woods to reach Charlie. He also carried his saxophone because Charlie was an unusual dog. Nick had discovered that when he played a flute Charlie responded. When he played a trumpet, Charlie howled along with him. A friend had given Nick the saxophone, and he brought it along because he thought if Charlie heard it, he would answer.

Suddenly three police cars appeared. At first Nick thought that they had come to help him search for the dog. But then the three policemen, with guns drawn, ordered Nick to lie down on the road, which he immediately did, and took his machete away. They had responded to a report that a black male was threatening people with a machete.

After he told his story the cops laughed, let him up and gave back his machete. They gave him some tips on how to use it and warned him to inform the Police Department next time he went out carrying it. Nick continued to look for Charlie for several weeks more, but still hasn’t found him.