I have adopted both unclaimed strays and surrendered dogs. Two of the strays were and are (one is still with me) remarkably well socialized, and obviously loved in their earlier lives. Purebred dogs, with docked tails. They had been purchased from a breeder (of sorts…tail docking is abuse). You do wonder what went wrong, when a loved dog is unclaimed. Since they were intact males, that explains their wandering ways, but why did no one pick them up?
The boy I have now was found in a farming community, an hour from the shelter where he was held. Transportation problems, immigration status, a reluctance to deal with the authorities…there are lots of reasons someone might avoid animal control. The other dog was found in a medium-sized city. Well, who knows what his story was…stuff happens. A life can be torn apart in a heartbeat, and the dog runs.
The saddest pup I adopted was a chipped puppy, four to five months old. He was clearly traumatized, and shut down. His chip, implanted by a rescue group, revealed that he’s been adopted as a just-weaned puppy. His behavior in my car spoke to having been driven somewhere and dumped (once in the car, he clamped down and refused to get out). His former owner had wanted a puppy, perhaps, but not a dog.
Rather than hate on fallible humanity, I prefer to think that all the dogs I adopt were meant to find me.
Oh, I love what you said. And yes I do think you are right about people being afraid to deal with authorities and terrible things can happen in a second. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Ugh, yes...the people who return their dog to the shelter. WHAT?! mean I know people get very ill and can't for them, etc. But the people who just ... don't want them anymore? Insane.
I am in a spicy mood this morning (I really should not doom scroll before my coffee) My mantra the past few weeks as we take in more and more dumped dogs: people suck.
Wow. Julie, your work finds its way into the small crevices in my heart. I so wish I could take them all in and give them the love and care they so deserve. Thank you for another beautiful post.
We got our fabulous rescue dog, Ready, a min-pin mix, from PAWS, because she was picked up in Coronado, California, running loose on the state park beach. She was microchipped, but when contacted, the owners said they did not want her back--had they simply dumped her on a narrow beach near a fast moving 2 lane state highway? I think I know the answer. People are the worst, except when they are the best--like you and Lisa! Keep up the great work!
I’d never stop looking for mine. Years ago, we had two Shih Tzus. Our girl Maggie escaped during a snowstorm—a blizzard, really. I was in knee-deep snow for hours looking for her until I couldn’t physically continue. The next day, my husband was driving around looking for her, saw a lady walking her on a leash, and screeched the car to a stop. The lady had taken Maggie in, but had no intention of telling anyone she found a dog. She was just going to keep her. Thankfully, we got her back, but that was the stuff of nightmares to me.
One other thing people can do if they find a lost dog -- or if, like me, someone hands them a leashed pug and says, "Take it, I don't want it anymore, and by the way, here are a couple of cans of food." -- is take the dog to the nearest vet and have it scanned for a chip. (When the pug was handed to me on the street, I did that, and no chip was found. No surprise. But at a different moment, when a young man and I grabbed a loose dog that had just been rolled by a cab on Broadway and took it to the local vet, indeed a chip showed up, and the terrified/delighted owner was able to come and collect the dog. Sidebar: Dog was bruised but otherwise fine.)
I can’t fathom it. I live in fear of losing my whippet cross because squirrels and rabbits turn her into a huge flight risk. Losing any one of my dogs would be my worst dog nightmare.
An important and disturbing post, Julie, because, yes, we dog people consider our dogs to be family, and we protect, care and love them, keeping them well, happy, and out of harm’s way. I cannot fathom those people who neglect and/or abandon their dogs, who do not ensure their dogs have a chance to find a new home and a new family.
Thank you for writing about this! Our husky, Pancho, is a rescue and we are convinced he was abandoned in Phoenix AZ, where we used to live at the time. A couple found him while they were hiking and brought him to the shelter. He was malnourished, covered in ticks, and no micro chip. Huskies are great escape artists and yet, Pancho has never tried to escape with us. What made us feel that he was abandoned is that he used to have a deep fear of going on the car: he would drop down to the floor and do everything in his power not to come with us. Nowadays he knows that if we go on the car, we are going upstate NY and is the first one to bee line for the garage in our building <3
Oh, that breaks my heart! I feel like people ascribe strength to big dogs, but growing up with mastiffs, I know they are sweet little creatures who are just as afraid as the shaky chihuahuas. Thank you for sharing this with me <3
totally agree--when Pancho was younger, I could tell some kids and grown ups got scared by his wolfy looking face, but he is a scary cat... going back to your post, how is it possible that people do not fall in love with their dogs? When we adopted Pancho, my husband was the one pushing for having a dog and now I cannot imagine a world without Pancho
Pixel has a soulful face!
I have adopted both unclaimed strays and surrendered dogs. Two of the strays were and are (one is still with me) remarkably well socialized, and obviously loved in their earlier lives. Purebred dogs, with docked tails. They had been purchased from a breeder (of sorts…tail docking is abuse). You do wonder what went wrong, when a loved dog is unclaimed. Since they were intact males, that explains their wandering ways, but why did no one pick them up?
The boy I have now was found in a farming community, an hour from the shelter where he was held. Transportation problems, immigration status, a reluctance to deal with the authorities…there are lots of reasons someone might avoid animal control. The other dog was found in a medium-sized city. Well, who knows what his story was…stuff happens. A life can be torn apart in a heartbeat, and the dog runs.
The saddest pup I adopted was a chipped puppy, four to five months old. He was clearly traumatized, and shut down. His chip, implanted by a rescue group, revealed that he’s been adopted as a just-weaned puppy. His behavior in my car spoke to having been driven somewhere and dumped (once in the car, he clamped down and refused to get out). His former owner had wanted a puppy, perhaps, but not a dog.
Rather than hate on fallible humanity, I prefer to think that all the dogs I adopt were meant to find me.
Oh, I love what you said. And yes I do think you are right about people being afraid to deal with authorities and terrible things can happen in a second. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Ugh, yes...the people who return their dog to the shelter. WHAT?! mean I know people get very ill and can't for them, etc. But the people who just ... don't want them anymore? Insane.
Exactly! How do they sleep at night???
I am in a spicy mood this morning (I really should not doom scroll before my coffee) My mantra the past few weeks as we take in more and more dumped dogs: people suck.
Let's get t-shirts made that say People Suck and put them on all of our fosters!!
I LOVE this idea!! LOL! Thank you for making me laugh! Xoxoxoxoox
Wow. Julie, your work finds its way into the small crevices in my heart. I so wish I could take them all in and give them the love and care they so deserve. Thank you for another beautiful post.
Thank you so much, Mary Anne. xx
We got our fabulous rescue dog, Ready, a min-pin mix, from PAWS, because she was picked up in Coronado, California, running loose on the state park beach. She was microchipped, but when contacted, the owners said they did not want her back--had they simply dumped her on a narrow beach near a fast moving 2 lane state highway? I think I know the answer. People are the worst, except when they are the best--like you and Lisa! Keep up the great work!
I’ve had that happen, too. Ugh and thank you so much 🙏♥️
I’d never stop looking for mine. Years ago, we had two Shih Tzus. Our girl Maggie escaped during a snowstorm—a blizzard, really. I was in knee-deep snow for hours looking for her until I couldn’t physically continue. The next day, my husband was driving around looking for her, saw a lady walking her on a leash, and screeched the car to a stop. The lady had taken Maggie in, but had no intention of telling anyone she found a dog. She was just going to keep her. Thankfully, we got her back, but that was the stuff of nightmares to me.
OMG, Kath, I REMEMBER THIS! I think we were all holding our breath!
One other thing people can do if they find a lost dog -- or if, like me, someone hands them a leashed pug and says, "Take it, I don't want it anymore, and by the way, here are a couple of cans of food." -- is take the dog to the nearest vet and have it scanned for a chip. (When the pug was handed to me on the street, I did that, and no chip was found. No surprise. But at a different moment, when a young man and I grabbed a loose dog that had just been rolled by a cab on Broadway and took it to the local vet, indeed a chip showed up, and the terrified/delighted owner was able to come and collect the dog. Sidebar: Dog was bruised but otherwise fine.)
Yes, absolutely!
I can’t fathom it. I live in fear of losing my whippet cross because squirrels and rabbits turn her into a huge flight risk. Losing any one of my dogs would be my worst dog nightmare.
Absolutely!
An important and disturbing post, Julie, because, yes, we dog people consider our dogs to be family, and we protect, care and love them, keeping them well, happy, and out of harm’s way. I cannot fathom those people who neglect and/or abandon their dogs, who do not ensure their dogs have a chance to find a new home and a new family.
Exactly. I will never understand it. 💔
Thank you for writing about this! Our husky, Pancho, is a rescue and we are convinced he was abandoned in Phoenix AZ, where we used to live at the time. A couple found him while they were hiking and brought him to the shelter. He was malnourished, covered in ticks, and no micro chip. Huskies are great escape artists and yet, Pancho has never tried to escape with us. What made us feel that he was abandoned is that he used to have a deep fear of going on the car: he would drop down to the floor and do everything in his power not to come with us. Nowadays he knows that if we go on the car, we are going upstate NY and is the first one to bee line for the garage in our building <3
Oh, that breaks my heart! I feel like people ascribe strength to big dogs, but growing up with mastiffs, I know they are sweet little creatures who are just as afraid as the shaky chihuahuas. Thank you for sharing this with me <3
totally agree--when Pancho was younger, I could tell some kids and grown ups got scared by his wolfy looking face, but he is a scary cat... going back to your post, how is it possible that people do not fall in love with their dogs? When we adopted Pancho, my husband was the one pushing for having a dog and now I cannot imagine a world without Pancho
Aw, love this so much!