Just call me...

...Rescuer of Dogs!!!

Yesterday, I was coming home from work and about a mile from my house, there was a dog trucking around the intersection I was stopped at. It's a three way intersection, two stop signs at a fork. Not main street busy, but it gets busier in the mornings and evenings when the local folks are going to and coming home from work. There was no owner in sight, so I immediately turned around in the middle of the intersection, waving my apologies to the cars around, and pulled into the nearest driveway after the dog. I jumped out of the car, the dog had no collar and I decided to test if he was friendly. He was SO friendly, I called him over and he came a'wagging. I gently grabbed the scruff of his neck and asked him to jump up into the backseat of my car. He gladly came along. YAY!!! Saved from the possibilty of being hit by a car!

Thus began my search for the pooch's rightful owner (after stopping home to get my big dog leash so I can actually walk the guy.) I tried a few houses right along the intersection with no luck. Got a few suggestions to check the nearby plats, rather than the individual houses along the road. Sounded like a good idea, so I tried street # 1 - East Greenwich before the fork. First house was a bust. I learned the hard way NOT to bring the dog with me door to door in case I come across a non-English speaking old Chinese woman who is clearly terrified of large dogs and might slam the door in my face. Through the door, I loudly asked if she knew who the dog belonged to. She told me to hold on, I told her I would put the dog in the car. When I came back, she seemed to be gone, but then opened the door and handed me her cell phone. It was her son. She did not speak English. Great. I asked HIM if he knew her neighbors who might have a dog that matched the description. He had no idea. I thanked him (and her) and on my way out, she handed me some pamphlets for the local Christian something or other center on enlightenment and improving my life. No speaky English, but here's some Christian literature written in English. Odd.

Anyway, on the search went. Now I went over towards my development, down Greenbush. It is quite a ways to the first turn off the street into the development. Not really feeling confident about this street. So I stop at an open garage and ask the gentleman inside if he knows any neighbors that have a large brown dog. The older man, retired, comes over and we chat. His wife pulls up a moment later and they both meet the dog, who they agree definitely belongs to someone and has not been abandoned. They don't recognize him as a dog they see being walked on their street. They suggest checking out houses closer to the intersection, but they are as concerned as I am. They also suggest calling the local police to see if anyone has reported a missing dog in the area and maybe checking with the nearest vet in the morning to check the same or see if they recognize the dog as a patient. Both great ideas. So off I go to look some more.

Next, I check in the first development on the left side right after the fork. House on the left, I park and leave the interior light on in the car and walk up to the door. No one home. I cross the street and knock on the door. Several small barks, I think, "Can't be this house..." and the lady comes to the door, but checks me out through the window. I yell in to her, I found a dog....and she stops and disappears from the door. She comes back after a minute or so and makes her way out of the door between her small dogs. She asks, "You found him?" and I said, "A large Chocolate Lab?" and she says "YES! It's my neighbor's dog...we have been driving around looking for him!" So we go over to the car, on the way I learn his name is Brewster (I was guessing a chocolate-related name, so I was WAY off...) and he is VERY excited to see his neighbor, who he obviously knows. We get out and head to the neighbor's house and she is SO EXCITED TO SEE HIM!!! He is excited to see her too, and her two small very blonde, very cute sons come to the door, happy to see Brewster is back at home! We chat for a few minutes, they ask how I came to that house, I tell them if it were my dog I would be panicked so I understand.

Can't even remember the owner or neighbor's names. But I remember which house it is. On my way home, I stopped at the older couple's house and let them know the good news. They were very happy for the dog too and we chatted a few minutes (how did I find them, etc.) And then I went home. I was tired, because I am sick this week, I had a turtleneck shirt on and it was oddly humid when I was out looking for the pooch's owner, so I am sweating and tired. But happy!

Before I left the older couple's house, they said I had done my good deed for a while. I felt really good.

Got home and told the other half that my mission had been accomplished and the dog was safely and happily home! He was happy too. And my little pup was happy to see me.

It was a great experience and pushed the point home with me that although I may be a bit of a bleeding heart, it is worth it to have sympathy and concern for others, be they human or animal!