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.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
