Day after day, I see “Lost Dog” signs on every telephone pole in my neighborhood. Why, oh why, don’t people put tags on their dogs (and cats, for that matter)? Three times in the past year or so, lost dogs have ended up in my yard. Two wore no tags. Miraculously, I’ve been able to reunite all three dogs with their families.
Success story #1: About a year ago, a Boston terrier was roaming through my neighbor’s yard and made her way into mine. I was able to catch her, but unfortunately she didn’t have any tags. She was wearing a harness collar, however. So I hooked her up to a leash and walked her through the neighbor, asking people along the way if they knew who she belonged to. We walked up and down three or four streets, but no luck. So my partner and I decided to try another neighborhood on the other side of the main road that runs through here. We happened upon a couple out for a walk and explained the situation to them. They said they didn’t know if the dog belonged to anyone in their neighborhood, but they would ask around. About 15 minutes later, the man comes running back to us saying that a woman around the corner from them was looking for her lost dog. We headed down the street, and sure enough, the dog belonged to her. Tears were shed and puppy kisses were given. Happy ending for all!
Success story #2: About a month or so later, another Boston terrier found his way into my opened garage. This one, however, was wearing a tag that gave an address and phone number. I called the number, but didn’t get an answer. So I hooked him up to a leash, and walked him over to the address. The owners weren’t even aware that he had escaped from the backyard. Another happy ending!
Success story #3: Just last week, my neighborhood association sponsored a fireworks show in the park in the center of the neighborhood. So we pulled out the lawnchairs and set up in the front yard to watch the show. We enjoyed the exploding fireworks lighting up the night sky. Then we noticed a small dog hightailing it through the neighbor’s yard at full speed. She was obviously scared out of her wits by the fireworks. We called her over to us, and of course, she wasn’t wearing a collar, much less any tags. Then she decided to hide under our car. So after the show was over, I walked through the neighborhood asking everyone I met if they knew anyone who owned a small black and white dog. In the fourth group I came across, a man asked me to describe the dog, which I did. He said it sounded like his dog, so he walked back to my house to check it out. Sure enough, she belonged to him. Happy ending number three!
Please, please, please put collars and tags on your dogs and cats. If they ever get lost, it will make it so much easier to reunite them with you. And try to be aware of where your pets are. Would you shove your kids outside for hours (or days) at a time and not ever check on them occasionally to make sure they are OK?
