Outdoor exercise is a major part of my day; therefore I meet a lot of animals both domestic and wild. Hardly ever does one of them follow me home three miles. I tried to send the dog home and he persisted running beside me as if he belonged. My honey thought we should call animal control since the dog didn’t have a collar.
I hesitated; the policy in our county isn’t to keep animals for more than 48 hours. “Maybe we can find the owner.”
“With this size population he could be from anywhere.”
I agreed with him in principle and still called dispatch. The first question – “Is the dog loose or contained.”
I figured I had implied I had the situation under control. “He’s inside my fenced yard.”
“I’ll send an officer.”
Since this wasn’t an emergency I didn’t expect prompt response. We gave the dog a bowl and water and sat with him to help him relax.
In ten minutes one officer arrived and sat across the street waiting for backup. Then they both approached. “Don’t you want to keep the dog?”
“Of course I do, he’s a sweetheart, but I can’t.”
“If we take the dog, it’ll be put to sleep in 48 hours, maybe before the owner gets a chance to look for it.”
“So what are our options?”
“You can keep the dog long enough to try to find the owners and then you can take the dog to a Dumb Friends League shelter where it’ll have a chance to find a home.”
No question about my choice. The police thanked us and left. “We know where to come if the owner reports it missing.”
Great, anther date night interrupted by life, my philosophy remains to enjoy our time together regardless. After our grilled veggie sandwich meal, we went to the area where I’d first seen the dog trying to catch up to me and started asking people who were out in their yards if they recognized him.
Finally success, the neighbor pointed to a house. “He belongs two doors over.”
“His owner asked, “Where is the collar?”
“He didn’t have one on.”
“For how long?”
Hmm. Apparently they didn’t miss him. Then she looked at the fence and saw the collar dangling from a post. “Oh, it’s right over there.
End of story, dog home safe. My honey and I spent the evening talking. Society is part of animal stewardship. Please be aware of options including RFID (radio frequency identification inserted under the skin). Know the laws in your city and county. Donate to rescue and no-kill organizations.
The End
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