3 Dog Stories

Today was a day with two encounters with dogs and people I just don't understand, and some good news from a friend. As the deep voice on Law and Order would say, "These are their stories."

Dog Story #1: As I was puttering around the house today, Spencer started his special frantic barking which signals that there are dogs in HIS yard. I looked out, and there were two small poodle/terrier mix looking dogs. I had seen them in the yard once before a few weeks ago, and I thought then as I did again this morning that looked like someone's indoor dogs who had gotten out. The last time I saw them for some reason I couldn't go out and check on them, but this morning I could and I did.

One was obviously younger than the other, and he came running right up to me. I picked him up and saw that he had several tags hanging on his collar. I checked his teeth and ears and he looked like he had been well cared for. I went back in the house for glasses, paper and pencil. I was going to do the right and noble thing and help reunite these two guys with the owner who must be looking high and low for them.

Two of his tags were from dog finder websites, and the other two were rabies tags from vet offices on the other side of the county. I put out some water for the dogs and came back in to see if I could find their owner, who must be beside his/herself wondering where these two rascals were.

One of the websites had no way to look up the number on the tag - the site just said to take the dog to a vet or shelter and have them read the chip and contact the service. So I checked the other website, and found that the little fellow was owned by Jane Doe (name changed to protect me from this person), her address (also on the other side of the county), her phone number and email.

I called the number, and a recording said the number was disconnected. Made sense, I thought, she must have moved into this neighborhood. My next call was to the vet now that I had her name and the rabies tag number. The person at the vet's office was quite helpful. She confirmed that Jane Doe did in fact bring the two little poodle terrier mixes in for shots in 2007. She took my name and number and said she would call Miss Jane.

An hour later, Jane calls me. Here I am, thinking she is going to be all excited that I have found her babies, and I have given them water and secured them in my backyard. Not so. Jane tells me that she had adopted the dogs from the shelter because her little boy wanted them. However, once she got them home, the little boy was no longer interested in them. She also was not happy that the dogs were not house trained. She said that she worked and worked to train them, but after three whole weeks she decided they were untrainable and she took them back to the shelter and someone else had adopted them.

I told her that it was odd that the shelter would adopt them out wearing the same tags. I have a pretty good feeling that these little guys were dumped. I went back out to check on them, but the little guys were apparently small enough to slide out between the rails of my fence and were scampering away. It just made me sick - here I am pining away after Scout and Cosy and these two little guys are either out there fending for themselves or live with someone who just lets them roam at will.

Story #2: Laura and I stopped at Petco today so I could pick up some food for Spence. There was a group there doing pet adoptions. I usually don't even stop to look, because I'm just not looking for a dog to adopt. Today, however, I look over and see a gorgeous Great Pyrennees puppy. He looked really nice, and was as sweet as he could be. I walked over to talk to the folks manning the booth, and asked if they had contacted a breed rescue group about him.

I was pleased to hear that he is being fostered by someone involved in Pyr rescue. However, I was somewhat taken aback when the woman said that they were being really careful about who they allowed to adopt him. She said with great conviction, "We're not going to let him go to someone who wants him to guard their livestock" like this would be akin to sending him to Michael Vick's dog fighting ranch. My jaw dropped. She said, "I know this is what they are bred to do, but he would make a good pet and that's what we want for him." I just walked off shaking my head.

Dog Story #3: To end this post on a happy note - congratulations to my friend Jeri and her cardi Lizzie (AKA Lizzard) who finished her breed championship today in Houston in grand style - winning a 4 pt major and taking BOS over specials. Congratulations girls!