| airplane | 09-05-2016 11:33 PM |
The importance of supervising our pets
I just wanted to share a little story of what happened to me this weekend.
On Saturday my mom was coming over to celebrate Bijou's birthday. Bijou is my Shih Tzu who has recently turned 16 years old. He's my senior and I'm just completely devoted to him. Because of him I have a huge passion for dogs. Anyways, she called me while on the way and told me to come meet her a few streets down the road cause there was a small dog who was out in the streets and nearly got run over by a car. It was pouring rain and the owner of the dog was no where to be found. She was very concerned for this dog. By the time I got there my mom had already grabbed the dog. The dog had a collar but no tags. We waited a bit hoping the owner would come by. That never happened. So my mom came over with the dog. I bathed and fed the dog. I figured this dog was a senior as she had cataracts in both eyes and couldn't run super fast. She was a Shih Tzu. We named her Daisy. We also chatted a bit about how humans are often so selfish and careless. My mom couldn't believe how people were just driving by and not stopping or even slowing down even though it was clear my mom was trying to save this dog from off the streets and getting killed. People just didn't seem to care.
Our plans for Bijou's birthday went out the window as we cared for and comforted this very timid and scared dog. Daisy was ok to be around my three dogs. However, she kept pacing all around my living room and kitchen area. She would bark non-stop if I put her in a crate or a pen. I figured she wasn't used to that or crate trained. I just wanted her to stop pacing. She was super hungry and ate a ton. Daisy is skinny but not emaciated. I figured she was just naturally quite thin. Bijou is like that and never gains weight despite eating lots. We quickly got on Facebook and found a lost and found pets page for our city. We posted on there. Daisy continued to pace for about 7 hours until she finally laid down and went to sleep. It was clear that Daisy was scared, also that she hasn't been neglected or anything like that. She was well-cared for.
The next day I spent tons of time around the area where Daisy was found looking for someone either walking around looking or driving by slowly. I was hoping to find the owner of Daisy as I imagined they'd be going crazy looking for her. Daisy is very beautiful and I would easily call her a desirable dog. I know lots of people who would love to have a dog that is her size and has her look. I never found anyone out looking. I checked lots of websites online for ads and posts for missing dogs in the area. There are none for Daisy. I tell my mom that when the vet clinic is open, we will check for a microchip. If that doesn't work, we'll post more ads online for found dog. Also maybe go speak to the groomers in town. I figured they might recognize her.
Fast forward to Monday, there is a lady, who is the owner, who sees the post for the lost and found pets. She calls my mom. We know that she is the owner even though we posted a picture of Daisy on Facebook cause she knew of the type and color of Daisy's collar and that Daisy was a female. And it was just very clear that this wasn't a person falsely claiming to be the owner. That was a concern for me. Sadly, some people do that.
We give her the address. She's lives close by, but she says she's out walking. About 2 hours later she shows up as a passenger in a vehicle with a guy. I'm suspecting that maybe she didn't have a vehicle and that is why it took her so long. She had to arrange a ride. It turns out Daisy's real name is Missy. And she's 15 years old. We never spoke of how Missy got out in the road all alone in the pouring rain. But I figured that she was probably out in a backyard without being supervised. Dogs can easily jump the fence or dig underneath it or somebody can come by and open your gate. I don't know why people open up other peoples gate to their backyard, but I know that that happens. So I just hope that this woman has learned that you need to supervise your dog cause things can happen. If it wasn't for my mom, Daisy probably would've been hit or run over by a car.
I wouldn't necessarily call the owner a bad pet owner, just that she had made a terrible error in judgement by not supervising her dog. I really hope that she learned a lesson about supervision. Also maybe put a tag on that collar. That would've made the whole situation a lot easier. | 