Dog

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

This morning, I was driving Emma to school. We both noticed a tiny white yappy dog going walking down a busy street. She seemed to be following two boys to school. Emma was really upset because she almost got hit by a car. She cried and asked me to do something about it.

I dropped her off at school and went back and talked to the boys and asked if it was their dog. They said no. I scooped her up and put her in the car, where Zap was sitting in the back seat. I noticed immediately that she had a chain link wire wrapped tightly around her neck attached with a safety pin. Around this she there was some electrical wire that looked as though it had been chewed off.

She sat on my lap on the way home while I drove. Zap was in the back seat of the car.

[Bob Juch]

and....?

[silvercamaro]

Thank you.

Great dogs turn people into great dog people.

[SportsFan68]

Does Zap have a sis?

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I brought her home and Jeff wasn't happy. I called a couple of my friends and they said that I should hold on to the dog rather than sending it to the animal shelter. Zap did well with the dog, but it is completely hyper and it made him nervous. It's sort of jumping around him.

Jasper came down to see what was going on. This dog, who is probably half the weigh of Jasper took one look at him and started yelping and peed on my floor.

The dog took Zap's spot on the couch but Zap tolerated it, but I can tell her wasn't happy. I pulled her down and Zap got on the couch and she started walking all over him. He tolerated it amazingly well. I worked at calming him down and the dog kept trying to get me to pay attention to it rather than Zap. When I didn't pay attention to it, it peed on my floor.

After that I sent it outside. She's out there with food, water and a bed. She's barking and whining. I called animal control and they are going to come out and get it. I feel bad for her, but my first priority is Zap.

[peacock2121]

There is a second dog in your family's future.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I feel really guilty right now.

[peacock2121]

I feel really guilty right now.

because you did something you think you should not have done or because you are not going to do something you think you should do?

[gsabc]

I feel really guilty right now.

Don't. You can only do what you can. Just rescuing her from the street was plenty. The presence of other household animals limits your possibilities. Someone might be looking for her as we type, or even be unaware at the moment that it had gotten loose and was wandering. The animal shelter would be the first place they would contact.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I feel really guilty right now.

because you did something you think you should not have done or because you are not going to do something you think you should do?

Because I know that the animal shelter is full and she might have to be euthanized. She is very cute and her owners may look for her. I am not sure if that is a good thing judging by the collar, wire and safety pin, but Jeff said that's it's not my place to try to find it a better home.

[silvercamaro]

I feel really guilty right now.

Don't. You can only do what you can. Just rescuing her from the street was plenty. The presence of other household animals limits your possibilities. Someone might be looking for her as we type, or even be unaware at the moment that it had gotten loose and was wandering. The animal shelter would be the first place they would contact.

I agree with gs, but for somewhat different reasons. Considering what was around the dog's neck, it may have lived its most of its life to date outside, and it may never have been housetrained. It may never before have been in a house. I doubt that whoever owned her cared enough about her to give her a good life, let alone lookfor her. Nevertheless, the Animal Shelter will give the dog a bath and good meals, with a chance to be adopted by someone who will give it a better life than she has known so far.

Little white dogs almost always find homes fast.

You saved her life and gave her a chance for a better one.

[peacock2121]

I feel really guilty right now.

because you did something you think you should not have done or because you are not going to do something you think you should do?

Because I know that the animal shelter is full and she might have to be euthanized. She is very cute and her owners may look for her. I am not sure if that is a good thing judging by the collar, wire and safety pin, but Jeff said that's it's not my place to try to find it a better home.

I am not trying to get into the middle of your marriage.

Is it really Jeff's place to tell you what your place is?

This is a passion of yours. If it weren't you would have driven by and not even thought of that dog.

Your guilt is from the way you say you want your life to be.

I would not be having any guilt about this - you are. Don't let someone else tell you what do it. You choose what to do based on your values, your commitmnets and what is the right thing to do for you.

[SportsFan68]

I feel really guilty right now.

Don't. You can only do what you can. Just rescuing her from the street was plenty. The presence of other household animals limits your possibilities. Someone might be looking for her as we type, or even be unaware at the moment that it had gotten loose and was wandering. The animal shelter would be the first place they would contact.

I agree with gs, but for somewhat different reasons. Considering what was around the dog's neck, it may have lived its most of its life to date outside, and it may never have been housetrained. It may never before have been in a house. I doubt that whoever owned her cared enough about her to give her a good life, let alone lookfor her. Nevertheless, the Animal Shelter will give the dog a bath and good meals, with a chance to be adopted by someone who will give it a better life than she has known so far.

Little white dogs almost always find homes fast.

You saved her life and gave her a chance for a better one.

SC is right -- probably 49 days out of every 50, the only dogs available for adoption at the local shelter are the large ones who couldn't move on with their families. The small ones are quickly snapped up by retired folkses who have lost their much-loved Fluffy or Ginger and want to find a suitable companion for themselves and help a doggie at the same time.

[silvercamaro]

Because I know that the animal shelter is full and she might have to be euthanized. She is very cute and her owners may look for her. I am not sure if that is a good thing judging by the collar, wire and safety pin, but Jeff said that's it's not my place to try to find it a better home.

Small dogs are in more demand from shelters than big dogs, and white dogs always are popular.

I once found a friendly "little white dog" in the parking lot next to a busy street and took it to the shelter. While my local shelter now is a no-kill facility, it was not at the time. I told the staff member of my concerns and that I would come back to adopt it if no one else showed up. She told me that the dog would be held for a certain number of days (to give the owner time to show up) before it was put up for adoption. If not claimed previously, the dog would then have a certain number of days (I forget whether it was 5 or 10), and I could keep track. But then, she said, "The cute little dogs always are adopted before the time runs out."

I later found out that the owners did show up within 24 hours, but they had to pay for a rabies shot administered by the shelter, and they had to fix their fence. I was happy for the owners and, mostly, for the dog.

[ghostjmf]

The solution here seems to clearly be to find your local no-kill private rescue people, if there's no official no-kill shelter around. I found the private-rescue no-kill people when I was looking for a kitten & found them to be, in a word, nuts; nice to the animals, but nuts. Putting all kinds of restrictions on "what the animal's home life must be like" (as in "I'll never let it out"; I never will, but if I had a yard instead of living on the 3rd floor, I might), dictating I must adopt a pair of cats, one chosen by me, one by them.

That sort of thing. Also, they rescue lifelong alley cats, & instead of neutering & vaccinating & then releasing them, which is supposed to be the policy, wind up keeping them, even though they're unplaceable. I wound up getting TuckerMonster from a "regular" shelter.

However, they really really really don't kill the animals. And they do communicate with the "eventually kill" shelters to see if what they've really got is someone's pet. Considering the conditions under which you found the dog, though, they might not return it, which might be just as well for the dog. And that "cute little white fluffy dogs get easily placed" rule probably applies to people they vet (pun intended) as well as people who go through the "eventually kill" shelter's placement service.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

She was picked up. The Animal control officer estimates that she is not a year old yet based on her teeth. He saw the chain, safety pin and wire and like me hopes that her owner doesn't try to claim her. He thinks that she will get adopted fast because she is so sweet, cute and small.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3 ... 1150676815

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3 ... 1150676815

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3 ... 1150676815

She eventually calmed down and slept in one of the cat beds. When I took Zap outside to go potty, she got on one of the retaining walls and tried to ride on his back. Later she challenged him to some races. He raced with her, but it almost looked as though he was hunting her. I am proud of him for tolerating the situation so well.

[kayrharris]

It is a pretty dog. I feel sure she will have a new home very soon.

[kayrharris]

Then we've got the other end of the spectrum with this story I
just saw on the news. 123 animals found at this woman's house!!


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 5471.story

[silvercamaro]

She was picked up. The Animal control officer estimates that she is not a year old yet based on her teeth. He saw the chain, safety pin and wire and like me hopes that her owner doesn't try to claim her. He thinks that she will get adopted fast because she is so sweet, cute and small.

She eventually calmed down and slept in one of the cat beds. When I took Zap outside to go potty, she got on one of the retaining walls and tried to ride on his back. Later she challenged him to some races. He raced with her, but it almost looked as though he was hunting her. I am proud of him for tolerating the situation so well.

She is a pretty pup! Cheers to Zap for being a good sport about the whole thing.

May the previous owner find himself in a situation in which he has to chew off his own leg.

[silvercamaro]

Then we've got the other end of the spectrum with this story

The puppy mill people are the lowest of the low. If Dante had known about puppy mills, he might have mentioned a 10th circle of hell.