After dinner that night, Mark let Macca out into their back yard. "I wouldn't sell you for a million dollars," he told his dog -- and Macca barked once, wagging his tail happily. The weather was unpredictable, and an inch of snow had already piled up on the tall fence that ran around their yard, so Mark was glad that Macca had a warm doghouse to sleep in.

But that night, Mark had a nightmare. Macca was lost on their farm, and no matter how hard Mark looked, he couldn't find his beloved dog anywhere. Mark tried calling out for Macca in the night, but then he flopped down into a big drift of snow -- just like Orville their mailman had done that afternoon. In the dream, Mark's sister Taylor skipped up and stole all the mail out of Mark's hands. When Mark woke up that morning, he was in a frustrated mood. He leaped out of bed and went straight to the backyard to say hi to Macca.

But Macca was gone.