If a stray animal comes to your yard...help it don't run it out...you MIGHT be saving a heartache

[demtenjeep]

Back in late Jan, hubby wanted to get a puppy. Our daughter had left home and took her dog that we have had for 15 years with her. Hubby wanted a dog. I did not. When he showed me the boxer he wanted to get, I said okay. He wanted to crop the ears, I did not. We decided to not get the dog, then the next day hubby relented and said if I would let him get the pup he wouldn't crop the ears. We got him that day.

From the start, I figured (me not being a dog person) I would just tolerate the little guy and help feed and keep things clean. Max, tho had other ideas. The minute we got home, Max jumped into my lap and licked my face and I fell in love. We worked with him and got him trained and he had learned some tricks. We have a huge back yard and an 8 foot tall fence. We never worried about him getting loose.

More importantly, when I had my rounds of Chemo, he would lay on the floor right next to me and rest his chin on the couch as if to will me better. Sometimes I would lay on the floor beside him and he would just put a front paw on my arm ever so gently.

We took him to our home town this last weekend as we wanted him with us. Friday night, he actually got to sleep uncrated for the first time and he did really well. Slept next to hubby all night and did not tear up anything and did not potty in the house. Saturday morning, hubby put him on his chain (not something he was used to) to do his morning thing. Hubby went to take a quick shower. Got back less than 15 minutes and the chain was broke and Max was missing. We and about 1/2 the town looked for a better part of 8 hours. It is a small town, we covered every street, every alleyway but could not find him. About dusk we went to hubby's mom's house uneasy but okay with the fact it is a small town and we knew he would turn up.

Mom in Laws neighbor even looked for over two hours as he felt bad that he didn't pin him up when he walked though his yard, instead he shooed him out of his yard. Max is just a baby and very friendly, all the guy would have had to do was say come here, and Max would have been licking his hands. He then could have come over and said come get your dog. Even if he had called the dog catcher, I would have gladly paid 100 bucks to pick him up.


30 minutes later my brother in law came to the house and I knew the look on his face wasn't good.

He took hubby and they went to the edge of town near the country club. Max was there or his body was. He was hit horribly bad. Hubby called me and told me that I needed to go to my sister's house cause we had to bury our baby. Hubby had picked him up out of the ditch and just held and held him and cried... He was covered in blood when we finished burying him. I wanted to see him and I briefly did, but now I can' t get that image out of my mind.

That was Saturday, this is Thursday and for someone who wasn't going to love a dog, I can not stop crying.

We have a hurt in our heart and a void in our home.


I also have a new mission....if any strays venture into my yard, I will get them in my garage and call animal services. I don't want anyone to have to go through what we did last weekend.

[ceile]

1. Very sorry for your loss.....

Whenever a stray dog wanders up, if it's friendly, I put it in the back yard until the owner comes or animal control.
I know that if my baby ever got out, I'd want someone to treat her the same way.
:hug:

[meow2u3]

2. My abandoned pet story had a much happier ending

That's how I ended up with my Ruby. When she was a little kitten, my (former) neighbors abandoned her and threw her out on the streets to fend for herself. She came up to me when I was sitting on my front porch, cuddling up to me and purring on my lap. Because I wasn't allowed pets, I was hesitant to take her in, but because she wouldn't take no for an answer, I eventually relented and took her in. She actually picked me for her human!! :loveya:

Because I couldn't afford to get her spayed as a kitten due to the lack of low-cost spay/neuter services where I lived at the time, Ruby got in heat, hooked up with the stray tom who used to live at the house I lived in, she had a litter of 3 kittens: Max and his sisters, Xena and Elsie (I rehomed the girls when they were 7 wks. old and kept him). I had to wait until the kittens were weaned and Ruby got out of heat--again--to get her spayed (I had Max neutered when he was 6 months old). I ended up with Ruby, who will be 4 on the 29th, and her firstborn kitten, Max!

To make a long story short, what started out as an abandoned kitten story had the happy ending of two generations of loving pets.

[meow2u3]

3. So sorry for your loss

You gave your Max the love he needed for his tragically short life. The only consolation I can think of is that he's no longer suffering. Heaven has a place for people like you O8)

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. ...

:cry: :hug:

[mnhtnbb]

5. I am so, so sorry for your loss. We've endured two pets that were hit and runs

one a cat and one a dog. We lost the kitty. our Brandyman, after we had moved to a new house and I'd kept him in for a couple of weeks so
he'd be sure to know where home was, but eventually, being an in/outdoor cat, he wanted out. He'd been coming and going
for a few days and then it snowed. I eventually found him, one street over, if front of the house that looked most like ours.
I think he must have lost the scent in the snow and got turned around.

When I was pregnant with our youngest boy, I had complications and was confined to bed from 17 weeks until 36 weeks.
Honey dog, whom I had gotten years previously,after my divorce, was my constant companion. She would spend the day
resting beside my bed, keeping me company. One morning my husband let her out, unsupervised, and she went down the driveway
and across the street. The neighbor called to say she was out and hubby went out after her. When she saw him, she started
across the street...you know the ending. Hubby came upstairs to tell me what happened and I went down to see her before he buried
her in the back yard.

I'm crying as I type, remembering the love I had for these fur babies. Sending you a cyber-hug :hug:

[joeybee12]

6. That sucks...sad to hear this...boxers are very loving breeds...nt/

[hedgehog]

7. Sorry for your loss- may I add some advice-

Invest in a visible ID tag or better yet, one of those collar with a name and number woven in. People are more able to help if they know they how to contact the owner.

[Crystal Clarity]

9. Good advice

And I'm so sorry for your loss demtenjeep :hug:

[demtenjeep]

11. he had a tag with his name and hubbys number

hubby kept it

[hedgehog]

12. I hope I didn't make you feel bad - I was aiming more at other dog owners out there.

I live in a rural area, and I've corralled a number of dogs with a collar but no ID. When I do, all I can do is call the dog warden and the dog wardens for the areas around - there are 3 jurisdictions within 2 miles of here so it's easy for a dog to wander in from another area.

I've used a harness to leash my dogs for several years now. If they slip the harness while we're walking, at least they still have their collars.




This isn't the one I use, but you get the idea. The nice thing about this one is that if the dog pulls, the harness lifts up his front legs, so it helps you control the dog. The harnesses also keep the dog from choking if he does pull.

[demtenjeep]

20. you didn't make me feel bad

I just feel bad

[WillParkinson]

8. I tried and I'm glad I failed....

I was headed home on the bus. I saw this guy walking with a very happy looking dog. I got off the bus and the guy came walking my way. The dog came running over and I bent down to pet her. I looked up to tell the guy what a nice dog he had and he got into a car and drove away. I started walking home and she followed me. I told her to go home, but she didn't move. When I got to my yard I again told her to go home. Nothing. I went inside the house and peeked out through the curtains. She laid down on the lawn and looked at the door.

I stepped outside and sat down on the stairs. She came over and nestled herself between my legs with her head on one of them. I was lost. I called Paul and asked what to do. He said we'd call the Humane Society when he got home. I took her into the back yard and laid down on the ground. She came over and laid with her head on my shoulder. She seemed hungry so I went into the house and grabbed the only thing in the refrigerator I could give her. A plate of spaghetti. I put it down in front of her and went to walk back up the steps. Before I got upstairs she had already finished the pasta. I left her on the porch and went into the house. After a bit I went to the basement to get on the computer. She laid at the top stair and just watched me.

When Paul got home he came downstairs. He didn't look at the dog and went out of his way to avoid her. I went upstairs with him and we went into the backyard. I said play with her. He said I don't really like dogs. I said play with her. He bent down and rubbed her. He asked me why I was doing this when I knew we had to call the Humane Society. I said I wanted it to be as hard for him as it was for me.

He went to pick up some breakfast and the Humane Society came and opened up the van. She jumped in and he whisked her away.

That night Paul called me and I told him I wanted her back. To my surprise he said OK. We called the Humane Society and they told us we needed to wait 7 days for the owner to claim her. So 3 times a day I called and they told me she was still there. On the 7th day the finally said come and get her. We picked her up and brought her home with us where she filled my life with happiness every day of the 15 years she was with us.

And I'm grateful for every one of them.

That said, I'm very sorry for your loss. We start out so sure we won't love them. And somehow they work their way into our hearts. It's a gift they have. I hope one day you'll find a friend to share it with.

Much love,

Will

[hedgehog]

10. That's pretty much how Lassie came to us - she walked up one day as we

were raking leaves and stayed. The dog catcher kept her for a week, then we claimed her. Best dog we've ever had, hands down!



For years, Lassie had a habit of lulling us into complacency, then taking off. I think she went off about four times in all. She'd find someone to take her in and feed her overnight, then we'd make connection and pick her up the next day. I really think she just wanted a little vacation from time to time!

[mikeytherat]

13. I keep leashes and harnesses in my house for this very reason.

We're cats only here at Chez Rat, but I have three leashes and two harnesses for the "escapees" who end up near my house. Fortunately, I work from home and my office faces the street. When I notice a dog running free, I head out and leash 'em up, check the tags and, if no tags, walk them through the neighborhood until I find the owner.

mikey_the_rat

[marzipanni]

21. I've done that, too. I've often wished there was a central website for each county

where you could post lost and found animals right away. There are a bunch of websites (Pets911, FidoFinder, etc.) but they cover the whole country, and with some you have to pay for the service.

Our dog is too territorial to bring strays into our house, but I have kept one in the car, and a neighbor offered to keep one in their yard until we tracked down the owner.

Once a golden retiever walked by alone so I put her on a leash and walked her around the blocks near our house, but didn't connect with her owner. I put her in our yard with our old (dog-friendly) dog. Later a man drove by slowly and asked me if I had seen a golden retriever. He was annoyed that he had been waiting for her to come back, and looking for her, because he was working on a house around the block. I told him that several dogs and cats have been hit by cars on our street, which has more traffic than the one where he was working. He claimed I didn't have to take her in, "she would have come right back". :shrug:

[demtenjeep]

22. My max never really had a chance once he broke his chain

he had never been in that town before...really never been anywhere but Our back yard, the vet and Sonic and walks around our neighborhood.



If only my mother=in-law's neighbor had kept him and come got us. SIGH he would still be alive.



I am still SO heartbroken

[marzipanni]

23. I'm so sorry, demtenjeep.

Someone else could have taken him in as he walked by. I have stopped in my car to ask a dog trotting along a road if he/she wanted to go for a ride- temporary 'dognapping' to keep the dog out of harm's way.
If the chain was made and sold for the purpose of securing a dog I would send a letter to the manufacturer.

[SCantiGOP]

14. Gandhi had a great quote

Along the lines of our humanity is best expressed by how we treat those less powerful than ourselves, and he applied this to the poor and even stronger to animals. He would have appreciated your story.

[demtenjeep]

15. it is just horrible

I can't even go into his bedroom...

[applegrove]

16. vibes.

[one_voice]

17. I'm so sorry for your loss!

I cried when I read your story. It's always hard to lose a pet, but when they're young and it's like this I think it's harder. The first boxer I ever owned, developed a seizure disorder. She was fine a good period of time, and then they came back, really bad. She was just over 3 when she died in our arms. I'll never forget my husband trying to bury her while sobbing uncontrollably. I sometimes still cry when I talk about her, and this was six years ago.

When there have been strays where I live, they've always been friendly and come over to me. And luckily they've had collars with tags and I called their owners and told them I had their dog. The owners were always appreciative. I have two dogs, both boxers, and I would hope someone would do the same for me if they ever got out of the yard.

I did keep a stray once though. One night I looked out my slider and there was a big ole cat sittin there, and I opened the door figuring he'd take off. Well he pranced right in flopped down and rolled over for a belly rub. I had him for 11 years, best cat I ever owned. I still miss him.

:cry: :hug:

[driver8]

18. I am so sorry for your loss...

Sending lots of hugs your way.

[demtenjeep]

19. tha,nks

all