Monday, April 19, 2010

Encounters with lost dogs

On Saturday evening I was involved in my third Lost Dog Rescue Operation since we moved into this house a year ago (and in fact, today is the one-year anniversary of the day we moved in, so the timing of this post feels very apropos).

The first one was last fall, I think, during a huge snowstorm. A dog showed up on our lawn, if you can call it a lawn still when it's covered with a foot of snow. He was dirty and wet and covered with bits of ice and shivering. I saw him through the window in the morning. I was still wearing my pajamas so I just threw on my snow boots and down coat and ran outside to follow him up the street. I caught up with him a few houses away, and called the number on his tag, and spoke to the owner's sister. The owner wasn't home, but the sister gave me the code to open their garage, so I was able to put the dog in there where it was safe and warm and dry, and close the door behind him so he wouldn't get out again before his owner got home. The owner's sister thanked me profusely.

The second one was sometime this past winter, on a mild day. The dog was wandering from house to house when I came across her while walking Montana. She had a rabies tag but no ID tag, so I called the vet whose number was listed on the rabies tag and gave them the ID number. They told me that they couldn't give out the owner's information, but they could give my phone number to the owner, and that they could tell me the dog's name and that they would like me to please hang on to the dog until I heard from the owner, and if I didn't hear from the owner by that evening I should call them back and they would take care of the dog until they tracked down the owner. So we kept the dog in our yard all afternoon, until we heard from the owner. The dog desperately wanted to leave the house, and managed to chew half a board off our gate before we noticed, which meant that we had to tie her up in the yard so she wouldn't destroy our fence. When the owner came, she didn't seem particularly thankful or appreciative, and just said that they had a hole in their fence through which the dog escaped. I don't think it's a mystery how they got the hole in their fence to begin with.

This most recent time, this past weekend, was the scariest. I was driving home from the grocery store and saw the dog walking down the street. He then crossed the street right in front of my car, causing me to hit the brakes pretty hard. Then he walked onto our lawn and sniffed around for awhile before continuing up the street. I parked the car in our driveway and walked up the street after him. I caught up with him a few houses away. He wasn't wearing a collar, which is why this was scarier than the other times.

I knocked on the door of the house whose yard I caught him in, and they said it wasn't their dog and they'd never seen him before, but they were able to lend me a leash and collar, so we brought him home. We weren't sure if he'd been gone for awhile or what, but it was dinnertime, so we gave him a scoop of food and he scarfed it down right away. Then we gave him a treat and put him in the yard with a bowl of water. We tried to call the Dumb Friends League to see if they could scan him for a microchip, but they were already closed for the day. So, we figured we'd hang some signs in the neighborhood, see if anyone called, and if we hadn't heard from anyone by Monday, we'd call them and bring him in.

So we made a cute little sign. Really, it was cute! It said "Found, brown male dog, maybe lab mix, about 70-80 pounds, older, no collar. Call [our number]." And then Torsten took a picture of the dog and we pasted it into the Word doc and printed out a bunch of copies in black and white. Then we walked around the neighborhood to hang them up. We had only hung two of them and were walking down the street carrying the rest when a guy drove by, rolled down his window, and said, "Hey, have you guys seen a chocolate lab anywhere?"

It was so exciting! I had had visions of having to give him up to the shelter, and drive him there and everything, and in the meantime take care of him and have him sleep in our garage in case he was the destructive type, and having to worry about finding a no-kill shelter, and potentially removing him from his neighborhood instead of just letting him be to find his own way home. But we had never seen him before and had no idea if Home was anywhere nearby, or if he would have to cross busy streets and potentially get hit by a car to get there, you know? So it seemed safer to keep him in our yard and try to find the owner ourselves. And it worked out!

The story was, as it turned out, that the family had literally just moved into the house that day, and while they were hauling stuff the dog escaped, and they didn't notice right away, and when they did notice they panicked, and he wasn't wearing his collar because it was packed. (And no, I didn't ask why they would possibly have packed his collar instead of just letting him wear it... it did seem strange, like, their kids weren't naked, you know? They didn't pack all their clothes, so why would they packed their dog's collar? But I couldn't think of a polite way to ask this question, so I just let it go.)

Anyway, they were VERY thankful, and the guy had two little kids in the car who were very glad to see the dog, and the guy asked us if he could keep one of our signs so he could show his wife how nice the people were who found the dog, and he told us where he lives in case we ever find the dog roaming again. So all's well that ends well, I suppose.

But, my question is, am I the only person in the neighborhood who actually picks up stray dogs? Is this not the norm? The reason I do it is that Montana is absolutely the type of dog to run out the front door and down the street at the first opportunity, and when that happens we panic that she will get hit by a car, or never come back for whatever reason, and I would be THRILLED if a neighbor picked her up and called us to let her know they had her. So I try to extend the same courtesy to other dog owners in the neighborhood. And two out of the three times that I've done it, the owners have seemed very, very thankful that we picked up the dog.

So, is it weird that I do this? Would most people just notice a dog running around the neighborhood, shrug, and do nothing? Do people think it's better to let the dog run so that it can find its own way home? What would you do if you saw a strange dog on your lawn, clearly unattended?

30 comments:

  1. After being bit by a dog as a child, I don't approach ANY dog, least of all a dog that's roaming the streets.

    I wouldn't know if they were friendly, diseased, abandoned, ran away, or vicious. I'm not willing to take the risk, honestly. I'll alert someone to the dog's presence - someone comfortable with dogs, or the local animal control, but I will not approach the dog.

    The same goes for leashed dogs walking around the neighborhood, or even in people's homes. I won't approach a dog that I don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, I do not think it is weird. My office is located in an area where cars are the primary mode of transport; and we're very close to on- and off-ramps for a major highway. One day this summer I saw an unaccompanied dog crossing the street. He/she narrowly missed getting hit by a few cars. I pulled over, jumped out of my car, and tried to follow him, but by that time he'd gone into a stockyard across the street. We grew up with a family dog and I'd hate to think that no one would stop to help if the dog did get out. Weird that the owner of the 2nd dog you found didn't seem appreciative. I'm so happy to hear about the family you helped on the weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There was a strange dog in my yard just this weekend. I'm very wary of wandering dogs. I tried to get my husband's attention so he could help in case anything went wrong, but of course he couldn't hear me and I had my dog and the thought of trying to wrangle both was just out of grasp. So that's one that got away unfortunately. I hope someone else noticed him and was able to take care of him. I always feel like such a bad person when I can't take care of a stray.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've wondered the same thing. We've picked up 3 dogs since we moved to our house and 2 out of the three were very grateful (one was similar to your experience -she didn't seem very thankful about the fact that we had found her dog and returned it to her).
    I'd love to think that someone would step up if our dog went wandering because I know how badly I'd feel if she were missing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We pick up strays. I've delivered several home in the last couple years. Last year, 4th of July, there was a yellow lab just wandering outside. B went after it, but she got scared and ran, so I got in B's car and followed her about two blocks away. She came to me, jumped into B's car on her own, and I brought her home (collarless). We made signs, we posted on the neighborhood blog, finally we took her to the 24-7 animal hospital to be microchipped.

    The next day, the owners called to thank us and asked where we found her. I explained - turns out I picked her up out of front yard. Awesome.

    I am still justifying that if it were Casco, I'd still want someone to take him so he'd be safe instead of letting him wander our neighborhood, but the "Day Emily stole the dog" is B's favorite story to tell...

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've taken in cats and made signs before.

    I would take in a dog if it were friendly. My parents had an epileptic dachshund that just appeared on their lawn one day, for about a month or two. They looked for its owner and then turned it over to a doxie rescue so he could live out his days with other dogs. (Also my mom has allergies, and he was limited in where he could go.)

    If the dog were not friendly, I would probably call the pound.

    Also, at least in my city, you're supposed to report strays to the shelter/animal control, even if you're going to hold on to them, because that's where an owner is likely to check first.

    ReplyDelete
  7. i've also had some scary encounters with non-friendly dogs, so i would probably only approach / take in a dog if i was fairly certain they seemed benign. (also, i have no leashes / collars / anything to put on a dog, so i'd have to just sort of set it free in my apartment until i figured out another solution, which doesn't really seem ideal). i'd take in a cat, though, as i'm fully equipped to deal with those, and one of my cats is also a bolter.. so i'd want someone to take him in and call me :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sweets and I had an encounter with a lost dog a few months ago. It also didn't have a collar. And while I wasn't personally scared, it did present a problem trying to hold onto the wriggly little guy. We eventually found the owner ... but, the more I thought about it, the more pissed I got. It's so reckless and irresponsible not to keep a collar on your dog at all times. Period. And putting the onus on others to do the right thing should your dog get lost and run away is disrespectful of people who want to help. Y'know?

    ReplyDelete
  9. My husband is like the secret love child of Snow White and the Dog Whisperer. He can get just about any dog to come to him, so we have picked up several strays and taken them home. I imagine a lot of people are afraid of dogs, and a lot that aren't so scared just don't have the knack for catching them that it seems you do.

    I will say that I always pick them up because the one time I saw one and decided I was too tired (it was late, dark, I'd had a long day at work) to try to catch it, I got up the next morning to signs posted all over the neighborhood looking for that very dog. I still feel guilty for not grabbing him.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I do the same thing if I see a dog AND it lets me get close enough. Most don't though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm not a dog person but one time in high school I was driving around on a back road and came across a dog. It had a collar on so I wrestled it into the car and took it home. We put it in the gated front yard while I made some calls to try to find the owner. Then, the strangest thing happened. The dog started acting really weird and wouldn't let any of us leave the house. We couldn't even get from the front door to our cars! He'd bark and try to bite us. Finally we had to call animal control and have them come get him. It was so sad. So now, no, I don't try to wrangle stray dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think that it's great that you helped find the owners to the dogs that were missing. Lucky Fuzzy Britches knows that her food comes from us so she won't run away. We haven't come across any stray dogs in our area....there is a black lab that comes into our yard to sniff Fuzzy Britches' pee, but we know what house she belongs to (a neighbor three doors down) and she always finds her way back there. Although, we do think that the neighbor should pay more attn to their dog- some neighbors might not appreciate a dog in their backyard (especially our neighbors with gardens).

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am the magnet for lost/stray dogs, apparently. They wander onto my street or into my front yard. I have driven around with lost dogs in my car, hoping to find the owner. Sometimes, I politely admonish the owner for not having a collar or ID tag on the dog. Because really? Just a rabies tag does me no good...it's a lot of calling around and of COURSE, most of the time, these things occur after business hours. Murphy's Law!

    - Mon

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm the same way. We have even brought a stray dog into the condo, which was fun having the boy in his kennel whining because OMG, MOMMY BROUGHT ME A FRIEND!, and the other dog in the bathroom until we could reach the owner using the number on his tag. Now, we actually knew where that dog lived, but his owners weren't home. And if we had a fenced yard/garage it would have been a lot easier. My honey and a neighbor were walking with the boy one day when they saw a loose dog, and our neighbor recognized the dog enough to know where his yard was, so they coaxed the dog to them, and returned him to his yard. I think it is because we are dog lovers ourselves, and the boy totally will bolt if given the opportunity. He has never left our neighborhood, but it has still taken hours to catch up with him. People even SEE us looking for him, calling his name, etc. and most of them don't even bother to ask if we are looking for a dog or let us know if they can point us in the right direction or anything. I would *hope* if anyone ever found our dog they would check his collar for our cell phone numbers or check for his microchip, but with that track record I'm just not sure. Luckily it has been over a year since we've had a broken collar/bolting out the front door issue to contend with!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I wouldn't approach a strange dog. I live in a remote-ish area, very much "in the country," and I know all the neighborhood/nearby dogs. If I see a strange one it's a 50/50 shot that it's wild, and with a two year old that's a chance I won't take.

    I think it's really nice that you do this, and obviously you wouldn't put yourself in a dangerous situation. I think it's a really kind thing to do, and I'd definitely take in the neighbor's dogs if I found them wandering. (I've actually walked our neighbor's dog home before - she's a giant lab who is super sweet but a bit slow. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I pick up stray dogs ALL THE TIME. I have been late to work three times because I was wandering around with some wayward pups, trying to find their home.

    I just can't not try to help a lost dog. If the dog doesn't seem nice, then I keep an eye on it and call animal control. Otherwise, I try to find the owner myself.

    A. LOVES this, by the way. (*snort*)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Being an urban dweller this never comes up. I'd like to think though that I am type to take in a stray and try to find its home. But, I would be very careful about approaching a dog.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I always try to help pets who seem lost. I've taken many into my home, to the SPCA to be scanned for a chip, called a number on a tag. I would want someone to help me if my pet was lost so I put that back out into the world. I am a total sucker for animals though.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Since having kids, I pretty much steer clear of all stray animals. I just can't risk it biting one of the kids or having some disease or something. I think it's really admirable though, and GREAT for the doggies who found their owners again because of you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I've never done this, but probably would given the opportunity. However, I almost always have my two year old with me, so that adds a little wrinkle to the operation. A dog might be nervous letting both a stranger AND a small child approach him and I would be a little wary approaching a dog with my child in tow.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I do it too! I usually chase them down the streeet and help them get home. I have visions of them being hit by cars. If Blanca got out she would have no idea what to do- she's only been in our car, never walking next to one! I am sure she'd panic and be hit.

    You are very good to do what you do. I say keep it up. All those doggies are lucky to have you!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I hope you're not in the minority. If you are, then so am I. Growing up, we took in a stray cat whose owner we couldn't find. He ended up being the sweetest little guy and a great pet. We also took care of lost dogs and posted signs to find their owners. We also found a blind dog crossing a busy street in the pouring rain, so we took him to the animal shelter nearby. We would've adopted him but his owner was found and they were reunited.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Depends on the dog. If it looks like a vicious killer, then obviously no, but that has never happened. I have returned lost dogs to their house in our n'hood and if I could safely (meaning: traffic) get to a dog to help find its home, I certainly would. My only worry now is that I am not worried for myself, but if I have my kid in the car, I worry b/c I have to put the dog in the back of the car right behind her. Technically any dog in the back could crawl forward/out to get to her, so I try to be mindful of that.

    I live in fear my dogs will get out via a loose gate or something and no one will bring them home. I think it's good karma to rescue a lost one and it irritates the heck out of me when people are unappreciative.

    ReplyDelete
  24. After bad experiences with vicious dogs as a kid, if I saw a stray running around outside I would call the council rangers to come and take it to the pound. If it's chipped? It'll find its owner. If not? Those people shouldn't have had a pet if they can't be responsible enough to microchip it. That being said I have a stray kitten hanging in my back yard at the moment, and am taking him to the vet this afternoon to see if it is chipped. The only difference is that a tiny kitty won't bite me - and I've been bitten by dogs before so they scare me!
    It was a nice thing you did for those 3 dogs, just not for me.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I usually only rescue dogs that seem obviously lost and discombobulated--which is pretty rare. I don't think I've ever had a dog come into my yard before, oddly enough--I mean, that I've noticed. For the past 15 years we've lived in houses that have big fences, though.

    You know what I do seem to rescue all the time (meaning "two times that I can remember but you have to admit that's a lot considering")? Birds. Coincidentally, I've learned that people don't seem to respond to "Found bird" signs. We still have the cockatiel we found ten years ago in the middle of January.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I think what you are doing is wonderful. We actually have a dog that roams our yard frequently lately. I know where he lives (or approx. where he lives), but I never do anything because the dog is unfriendly and scares the crap out of me. I worry about it all the time, but I'm not willing to get bit. (This dog isn't wearing a collar- EVER- so I SHOULD just call it in to the authorities, but so far I haven't.)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Also, this morning Marin and I went outside to walk to the neighbor's house when we heard piteous crying. OUR KITTEN had snuck out and spent the night outside! I was SO GLAD she was fine... she seemed scared, so I'm [foolishly, I'm sure] hoping that that experience "taught her a lesson".

    ReplyDelete
  28. i don't think it's weird at all! Ellie once managed to escape our apartment in DC and jumped into our neighbor's car, who called Adam thanks to her collar, and picked her up. We had to install a security door (ahhh dogs with separation anxiety!) and a fence. Thankfully it didn't happen again but I would do the same thing that you've done. We were once driving up to my family's house when we saw a dog on the side of the highway just roaming around, we noticed it too late to stop but we did call the state police who sent a car out, I just hope it wasn't too late :/

    ReplyDelete
  29. I wouldn't have done anything about an unattended dog, but it's because until I read this post I didn't realize a dog on its own was "unattended." I've always had cats, not dogs, and cats of course roam unattended all the time.

    If I saw a dirty dog, though, or a dog that pretty clearly needed help, I would call the police and ask who I should call for animal control. I wouldn't ever approach or try to touch a strange dog.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a wonderful thing to do! I can't believe the second person wasn't particularly thankful! If you returned one of my dogs, I'd probably cry and thank you over and over and over again like a big crazy mess.

    ReplyDelete