The Dog
The dog is a little bit trained. But the first two days we had him he was nice and calm, but now those days are over and he’s letting his inner puppy come out!
The dog hits the door knob with his nose.
Apparently he loves to wag his tail and shake his nose. He also loves to nibble things like people’s ears! He loves it when we throw his bone and he runs away when he gets into trouble.
I had made a deal with my dad that I will make $30 a month for 6 months in order to get a dog. As you know, I found a dog at my school. It is not really ours, we are fostering it, but until I hit my goal that dog is just our foster dog.
Before we found the dog I failed to meet my goal for five months! Then, I opened up a store on Zazzle called “Eirene’s Creative Cards & Such” and because so many people love my paintings I hit my goal for September and October!! Now I’m working on November. If you or someone you know likes art and things or are looking for great gifts and cards you can check it out here.
I’ve also decided to donate 10% of my earnings to the Animal Trustees of Austin. They are a great organization that helped us get our foster dog all of his shots and deworming medicine.
Smiley Dog!
Found: Black Dog
So What do you do when you happen upon a stray dog? There is all sorts of ideas and all sorts of advice people will give you. Mostly about being safe. All kinds of questions come to mind: Where’s his collar? Is he lost? Is he abandoned? Is he healthy? Is he friendly? Mostly you may find you want to help. That’s what my mom did when she helped out a stray dog that showed up at my school. Here’s what she said:
When I dropped Eirene off at school I noticed a woman sitting next to a handsome black dog and I was struck with how much he reminded me of my friend’s dog, some sort of German Shepard mix. I pointed him out to Eirene and at first I thought he was someones’ dog who had walked to school that day.
After Eirene was dropped off I parked so I could walk over and say, “Hi.” When I got closer, I asked the woman if it was her dog. “No,” she said, “And be careful, he’s real scared. This is as close as he’s let me get so far.” I noticed she was sitting near him, but wasn’t really touching him and as I got closer he looked at me with his soft brown eyes warily and began to back away.
He looked a little thin and tired, thirsty. Just then another woman, an employee of the school, came over with a breakfast taco and some milk. The dog came out of his wariness a bit and devoured the taco in two bites. He very impatiently waited for her to open the milk up and slurped that up in no time also. He was half starved.
They told me that since he was on school property the had to call animal control. I offered to take him, convinced in an instant that I could help find him a home and save them the trouble. I couldn’t really think of him going to the shelter. Both the women were relieved and grateful.
They went to find me something I could use as a leash but I loured him over to my car with some stale bits of fries left over from our last mad fast food dash. Gross. He ate it. The dog is starving, I thought.
He wouldn’t jump into my car, he just looked at me, with those soft brown eyes. So I picked him up, carefully, cautiously, and put him in the back of my car. He was docile and just planted himself on the floor, lying down the whole way home. When we got home I had to lift him out of the car, he’s a medium-big dog, kind of heavy and awkward. I carried him to our fenced backyard. He walked the perimeter of the fence while I found water for him.
We’ve posted ads and looked for his owner and for anyone looking for a dog of his description, but nothing. I have a feeling he was abandoned. He has experience with people and food bowls, but he hasn’t been trained (or neutered yet). It took him a couple of days to come out of his shell, he’s still afraid of certain noises (big trucks) and people. He’s young and puppy like, always wants to play and run, very sweet and smart. He’s really a great dog.
This is the Dog we rescued from school!
Experts point out that it’s best to not approach a stray, but to see if they will come to you and back away if they show any kind of aggression. Also, do not look them directly in the eye, and if they are injured call 311 for help, as they are more likely to bite if they are injured. Keep in mind safety for you and the dog.
Oprah Give-Away: a Novel about a Heroic Dog?
I just found out you can download Jill Ciment’s irresistable new novel, Heroic Measures for free until 10:59 a.m. ET Wednesday July 22, 2009.
Free Book about an awesome dog (from Oprah!)
They’re offering this book as a free download for Oprah.com members. If you already are an Oprah.com member, click on the link on the page to log in and you’ll be redirected to download the book.
If you are not a member, click on the link on the site and you will be prompted to become a member. It’s free!
Here’s a link to the page:
http://budurl.com/dogbookfromoprah
Enjoy!
