Showing 9 posts from July 2009
Each morning I get up, throw some clothes on, and get Abbie ready for our daily walk before coming home to shower, eat breakfast, and start working on some orders. This past Friday was no different. I'd taken Abbie for our daily 45 minute walk through the neighbourhood and we were nearing home. I noticed a man out cutting the grass on his front lawn, while a black Labrador Retriever was running back and forth across the street nearby. I assumed the dog belonged to him, and I couldn't help but think how irresponsible it was to allow his dog to roam around on the road with him paying so little attention to it.
The dog then noticed Abbie and came charging over. Abbie started whining, wanting me to pick her up. I had her in my arms when the dog reached us. He immediately jumped up on me, wrapping his front paws around my waist and getting a good sniff of Abbie. She started growling to show her annoyance at his behaviour, so I grabbed onto the Lab's collar and tried to force him off me. I was very irritated at the man mowing his lawn, since I still believed this to be his dog and could not believe how he had not called him off me.
I continued on my way home with Abbie still in my arms. I looked down to find the dog happily trotting along beside me. I glanced around and there was no one outside any longer. It finally dawned on me that this dog didn't belong to the guy mowing his lawn. Wherever he'd come from, it appeared he'd made the journey alone.
He followed me right up to my doorstep. Putting Abbie inside the house with the other two dogs, I brought the Lab to the garage to get him some water. He was thirsty and exhausted, not to mention ravenous (he devoured a can of dog food in no time). While he was resting, I took a closer look at his collar. No tags. So, off to the vet we went. I hoped his owner had the foresight to microchip their dog, considering they didn't keep tags on him. No dice. The vet was unable to locate a microchip.
After having this dog with me for several hours, I called animal services to see if anyone had phoned looking for a black lab. No one had, and animal services immediately requested I bring the dog in since it is against the law to keep more than 3 dogs per household. Yeah, right... like I'm going to take him to the pound knowing what they might do to him.
I decided to walk him around the neighbourhood once more to ask if anyone knew where he was from. No neighbours knew of anyone owning a black lab. In fact, a family up the street had recently found a female black lab and had been actively trying to locate the owner for the past few weeks with no success. There are simply no black labs that live in my neighbourhood.
I ended up stopping to chat with a neighbour, who was outside with some friends. I found out she had just put her dog down the day before. She was seriously considering taking this Lab off my hands and possibly giving him a permanent home. As she was taking a closer look at the dog, a passing car slowed down and the driver seemed to be staring at us. A quick shout of "Are you looking for your dog?" confirmed that this was indeed the owner of this lost Labrador Retriever. Apparently the Lab's name is Crash, and somehow he got loose and traveled through the ravine into our neighbourhood.
Thankfully, Crash had a happy ending and was able to be reunited with his family. I'm so happy he was able to find his way home with a little help, but not all dogs are so fortunate. He came very close to ending up with a new family. What's worse, he could have ended up at the pound, or been hit by a car. If he had been microchipped or had some sort of identification on him, I could have easily taken him home and skipped the stressful stuff.
So, please, get your dogs microchipped. At the very least keep updated tags on them. You never know when they'll be needed, but it certainly helps to ensure your beloved pet makes his way home if ever lost. You know how much you love them. Please do what you can to protect them.
I've decided to participate in Etsy's "Christmas in July" Sale by extending my FREE SHIPPING offer until the end of the month. That's right, for the entire month of July all needle felted items (custom orders included) will receive free shipping to the United States in Canada. Beat the Christmas rush and order a miniature replica of your dog or cat now! Offer applies to needle felted items on my website, as well as in my Etsy store.
Happy Canada Day and Independence Day! For the first time ever, I'm running a SALE on all my needle felted items (Custom orders included!). FREE SHIPPING in the United States and Canada from July 1 to July 6. Take advantage of this sale while it lasts, I have no plans on running another one this year!
This sale applies to all my Needle Felted items on my Website and in my Etsy Shop.
