The day before Labor Day, I fell and had to be taken to the hospital, leaving my dog, Justice, all alone in the house. I called a friend who collected Justice from the house and took him to her home and took care of him for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, she was planning a vacation outside of the country and I reluctantly gave her permission to surrender the dog to the animal shelter, and I thought that was it. I thought I’d never see Justice again.
I was in the hospital for a few days and was diagnosed with kidney failure and anemia. I eventually went to rehab and shuttled back and forth between there and to the hospital for dialysis and transfusions. Meanwhile, the shelter had put Justice up for adoption and I kept checking their web page to see if anyone had adopted him.
Eventually, I recovered enough to go home on October 30. I checked the shelter’s webpage and saw that Justice hadn’t been adopted yet. I gave them a call to see if I could bring him back home, and they told me “yes” and removed him from adoption. I texted my friend, who was back in town, and we made plans to pick him up on Saturday. Unfortunately, my friend, who is a nurse in an E. R., was on call and had to work all weekend. Understandable, her patients depend on her and require her first priority. However, I was very frustrated at not being able to get my dog.
Today, I took a chance on an Uber. I requested the trip to the dog shelter, then called to see if Kris, the driver, allowed pets in her car. She said, “absolutely.” I explained my story and she was eager to accompany me into the shelter to witness our reunion. She walked Justice out to her car for me (I should explain I use a walker to get around) and once home, she walked Justice into the house for me. She went above and beyond the call of duty, and I gave her a most excellent rating and a generous tip. For all the negative stories you hear about Uber drivers, there are some great ones as well.
Sounds like things worked out OK. But I’m puzzled why you would surrender your pet to an animal shelter if you were expecting to return home in the not-too-distant future. Are you aware that there are dog boarding services intended just for this situation?
Perhaps OP didn’t have the money for that, especially considering that it was apparently a stay of unknown duration. On the other hand, where I live, the city’s animal shelter would have charged OP for expenses (food, etc.) for his stay with the city. It sounds like Justice was there for a while, and that might have also added up to a fair sum.
Anyway, OP, glad you have your dog back, and I hope your health improves.
Roderick Femm is correct, boarding is hella expensive, and beyond my means. Not all of us have well-paying jobs and can afford everything we need. And I didn’t know how long I’d be away from home. The shelter, run by the county, by the way, would rather have had Justice return to his original home than have him go to strange new owners. They waived the $75 they normally would have charged for taking care of him. It all worked out well, though I certainly didn’t expect to have my dog back at all. I didn’t intend for him to have free room and board for two months.
I hope I solved the puzzle for you, Musicat. Let me know if you’re perplexed by anything else, and I’ll see what I can do for you.
I didn’t start this thread looking for useless advice. And I hope there isn’t a next time. But thanks for your “contribution” anyway. It’s hard enough to do anything when you’re lying flat in a hospital bed.
Thanks to everybody else who offered genuine good wishes. It’s very much appreciated.
I’m very glad you got your dog back and this isn’t useless advice. It’s excellent advice for you, me or anyone else who finds themselves in the situation where they need temporary care for their pet but doesn’t know all of their options.
