Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A shaggy dog story with a Happy Ending

Last night as I was getting home from work, I noticed a dog crossing the street and heading toward my house. She was an old dog, and walked like an old dog with the forlorn look of a lost dog. She didn't know where she was going, but she was afraid to stop moving. She wagged her tail for a moment. Then she quickly moved away. I got off my bike, and put it away.

By the time I got back, she was a half block down the street. I walked after her, but she kept moving away. I sat on the curb to see if she would come to me. She didn't. So I continued to follow at a slow pace. She kept moving away. Finally, I decided to stop following her, and see what she would do. As I walked away, she started following me. She followed me home.

My husband was sitting in the front yard waiting for me. He got a look at her tag, and I was able to call Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) and find her people's phone number. They were elated. Pepper had gotten out of the yard overnight. Her family had been burglarized the day before, and in the chaos, they didn't notice that the burglars had left the back gate open.

Pepper's family had spent the day looking for her. But the best thing they did to facilitate Pepper's safe return home was to have a current license and to keep Pepper's tags on her at all times. When she unexpectedly got out, even though we found her after MCACC hours, it was easy to call and get her home. Remember that. If you find a dog with tags, you can call MCACC anytime 602 506-7387 or 1-888-pets911, and you can get the owner's phone number. It's easy for the finder, the dog, and the dog's family. The family offered us a reward. We declined. Truth is, seeing them reunited was the best reward we could have gotten.