I was on my way home, both pups in tow, from our morning walk when I noticed a large dog sniffing around our house. From a distance the dog looked like a grown up version of Koa and I could spot a collar but I have never seen this dog in our neighborhood before.
I ducked into a friends yard where I would take refuge behind her privacy fence in case the situation got dangerous. Just a few months ago while Oakley and I were coming home from our daily walk in Hawaii we got chased home by dog and I did not want a repeat of that scenario.
While the stray was distracted I tucked Oakley under one arm, he's a compact 15 pounds, and attempted to tuck Koa, now he's a lanky 27 pounds, under my arm and run for my door. We got to the door at the same time the stray got to the door but I managed to get my dogs behind the door -- okay I threw them -- and inside the house.
The stray seemed friendly and super lost, so being the sap I am, I grabbed a leash and some dog treats to see if I could lur him (I knew it was a he because he had two VERY distinct items) in to see if he had any tags on his collar. I whistled to him and he came straight away. Without touching him I noticed he didn't have a name tag but it looked like he escaped from being chained up because part of the chain was still attached to his collar.
This dog was clearly someones pet because he had obviously been around people before and let me put a leash on him. Unsure of how he would react to my dogs and vice versa I put him in the back yard and called my husband who would for sure be home any minute to update him on our new house guest.
Like I predicted my two dogs went bananas when they found out a playmate was in the back yard, but with Koa only 12 weeks old I wasn't about to take any chances. When my husband arrived, he helped me get him in the car and we took the dog to a nearby vet to see him maybe, just maybe he was micro chipped. The vet scanned him three times and no dice.
Since my Plan A was a bust I asked them where I could take him but as soon as they found out that we lived "Outside City Limits" they said I was pretty much SOL but I could try to see if Animal Control would take him. Determined to find this guy a place to stay, we drove to the Saint Robert Municipal Center, which houses the City Hall, Police Department and Animal Control, and flagged down two off duty police officers. They informed us that we JUST MISSED the Animal Control officer and just like the vet said a few minutes earlier, we are SOL because we live "Outside City Limits" and Saint Robert doesn't have a shelter.
F. M. L.
Annoyed that the vet and even the local law enforcement didn't want to take responsibility and turned their backs on this dog, we googled area shelters (Thank God for technology and Wifi) we drove to the Waynesville Animal Shelter to see if they would take him in, since they were the only place still opened.
What happened next brought me to tears. The shelter worker told me that since we didn't live in Waynesville we were SOL and that we should just release him where we found him.
Are your F'in kidding me!?
Aren't you guys supposed to be in the business in helping and protecting animals?!
I was sick to my stomach and enraged. I couldn't just let him go where we found him.Our road is crazy busy with cars since the main drag is closed due to construction, diverting all the traffic through our neighborhood. Letting him go in our neighborhood would be a death sentence and I would NEVER forgive myself.
My husband is a saint and is just as much a sucker for animals as I am and said we could let him sleep in the laundry room over night and reassess in the morning. When we got home, our two dogs were freaking out so we HAD to introduce them. I was super weary about this, but Chris took the lead and the dogs got along great! Whew. The only hiccup was our stray, which I named Big Fella, barked at Koa when Koa tried to hump his face (I would have done the same thing) and again when Koa tried to eat his food (Again, I didn't blame the big guy).
I called the Saint Robert PD, who then told me to call the Waynesville PD, who transferred me to the Pulaski County Sheriff who gave me Humane Society's number who was obviously already closed and their website didn't say when they opened.
F. M. L.
I knew we were taking a risk taking this dog in but I had no idea that all this bs would follow suit. If my dogs ever got loose I would want someone to take them in, check their name tags and call us or bring them to the vet to scan them (we got both dogs chipped). I am just so disappointed with the politics and red tape in this town/city/county!
I slept like crap all night long because I kept having nightmares of us releasing Big Fella and him getting hit by a car. However, I was comforted by the fact that he was sleeping safe and sound in our house because it was cold and raining hard outside.
Once 8 a.m. hit, I tried calling the Saint Robert Animal Control officer again and thank the baby Jesus she told me to bring him in and that she would take him!!!!!
I was so happy I cried.
After coaxing Big Fella into the car, I drove him to the very same police department that turned there back on us from the get go. Afraid to give her my real address, I gave her a friend's address (I asked said friend for permission in advance) since she lived within in city limits. Another reason why I am glad I still have my Hawaii ID. She took him and I hope and pray that his owners are looking for him and that he gets reunited with them real soon!
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