ARGGGGHHHH!!!

So the dogs I tracked down and returned home on Wednesday were out and about running around the streets of Oakland once again on my morning walk today. Animal Care and Control doesn’t open its doors until noon (I got lucky the other day and happened to catch someone as they were going in before they opened). Luckily the woman who helped me find the owner the other day also gave me the owner’s number. I called her, and once again she seemed untroubled and lackadaisical. “Yeah, they keep getting out.” Um YEAH, maybe you should DO SOMETHING about it!

I wish today was a Saturday so I could go get those dogs and hand them over to a shelter. But I can’t just wait around til noon and roll in to work at 12:30. My job is hanging by a thread as it is; I don’t think it would be wise to start working part-time as a freelance dog catcher.

More Pup Rescue

I might as well get a job with Animal Care and Control, because while I was out on my morning dog walk, I noticed a big chow-looking-dog and a little black pug roaming the streets of my neighborhood. They were kind of cute in an odd couple sort of way, but they were clearly out on their own and not on a walk. I promptly took my dogs home, grabbed some leashes, and set about trying to find the free-roaming pups. When I finally got to them and leashed them, I noticed they didn’t have any form of ID. Also, the chow was all matted and dready, and had some gross dingleberries hanging off his rear end. The pug was wheezing loudly and looked pretty old.

I started going around the block, asking neighbors if they knew these dogs. I had no luck until I found a woman who walks a lot of other people’s dogs in the area. She made a few calls, and handed me an address and phone number. I walked the half mile to this woman’s house, and rang the doorbell. She didn’t seem surprised or incredibly worried, as I would undoubtedly be. She was just like, “I don’t know how they got out.” Great, well I hope it doesn’t happen again!

I wonder if I should have taken these dogs straight to Animal Care and Control. I honestly doubt this woman would’ve even gone to claim her dogs, judging from the state of neglect they were in. Careless dog ownership really makes my blood boil, but I know there’s not a lot to be done. I just know that if I see them running free again, half a mile from their house, I will not be taking them back to their owner.

Oh, and a quick search for a dog catcher image on Google to accompany this post reminds me of why I’m glad I’m not a dog owner in China

Lost Pup

One of the reasons I love my husband is because he is just as much, if not more of an animal softy than I am. This morning he found this beautiful guy wandering around the campus where he teaches:

He really went after that dish of water

He is gorgeous

The campus security guard was about to shoo the dog onto a nearby busy street to get him away from the students. My husband grabbed the dog, put him in his car, and drove him home. He’s now sitting in one of our kennels awaiting our next move. I’ve posted on Craiglist, notified Animal Care and Control, and will likely go get him scanned (to see if he has a microchip, since he has no tags) in a little bit.

My dogs are all jumpy and whiny, so I don’t think we can keep him overnight while we try to locate the owner. It’s too bad, because I really want to make sure his parents find him (if they are looking), or that he goes to a really good home. He’s absolutely beautiful and seems well-mannered. I’m so glad he was grabbed before he got hit by a car!

**Update: after consulting with my dog expert friend and various neighbors, I decided to take him to Animal Care and Control. Oakland has a nice facility, and they don’t euthanize animals. When we got there, not only did the staff recognize the dog, but they scanned him and were able to find a microchip. They told me huskies are great escape artists!**