Cloudy with a chance of basset hound

Wednesday, Jan. 30 | By Mark Grandstaff

The new rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Warrenton introduced himself to The Times-Democrat Wednesday morning by way of a wayward dog.

The newspaper's staff at 39 Culpeper St. left the front door open to let in some of the warm, unseasonal weather.

A strong wave of cold air from the Ohio Valley pushed warm, southerly air into the region, said National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Larsorsa. A NWS release warned of possible thunderstorms and high winds as the cold front sweeps through Fauquier County.

The NWS made no such warning about unscheduled visits from dogs.

Yet Marty, a three-year-old basset hound, took the open door as an open invitation, wandering into the newspaper's front office.

The Times-Democrat's advertising staff called a number on Marty's collar, locating his owner: Ben Maas, the new rector of St. James Episcopal Church.

"We've been training with an invisible fence," Maas said, when he came to claim the basset hound. "We're not as far along in that training as we thought."

Marty, more accustomed to the kind of fencing visible to the canine eye, gave Maas the slip. Marty was happy to be reunited, gallumphing around the office in a victory lap before heading back to the church.

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