Rant From A Dog Guy (EDITED: Dog Was Returned Home)

FOLLOW-UP INFO TO BELOW POST: I wanted to add this at the top for folks who wanted a follow-up. My mother-in-law just called, and the dog WAS microchipped. She got the owner's address, and our four-legged overnight guest was returned to her owner later this morning. Owner was an elderly man, and she just got away from him. He was worried sick all night, so all worked out.

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Sorry gang, but I'm pissed and worked up and I gotta rant about personal stuff. Those of you who'd rather not stick around can tune in later today. I'll then pay my Joesky Tax with a new Mutant Future weapon for you to torment your players with.


Anyway, I'm a Dog Guy. Love dogs. Small dogs, big dogs, slobbery dogs, etc. When I see a dog in distress or in trouble, I become a big ol' softy. Then I get super-mega-ultra pissed, increasing in pissed-offed-ness until the dog is taken care of and the situation is resolved. Last night, around 8 p.m., I heard a dog baying outside of my house. Went outside and found a collar-less, tag-less beagle wandering loose around my yard. Couldn't have been more than a year old. It was clean, seemed well fed, but it was lost, scared, and panicky. And those who have been around beagles know how they get when worked up. AWOOOOOOO...

I brought the dog into our fenced-in yard, so it wouldn't get loose/lost again. Brought out some food and water and tried to get it to settle down. (AWOOOOOOO...) My wife and I tried to decide what to do with her. We couldn't keep her in our own house as our own dog was already going berzerk-nuts. So we thought the best thing to do would be to take her to the dog warden across town. That's where strays are taken and, if microchipped, the dog will be reunited with her owner. (It's the first place I'd go if my own dog got loose.) So we bundled the beagle up in my car (AWOOOOOOO...), did a few laps around the neighborhood to see if anyone was looking for her, then took her out to the dog shelter (AWOOOOOOO...)

Upon arriving (8:30 p.m.), we found the place locked up. There are several drop-off-doors where you load the pup in, then lock the door behind her so she's inside and safe until morning. And we found every door already locked. I knocked, and there were no dogs within these holding pens. The warden apparently neglected to UNlock them for any after-hours drop-offs. So we then drove to the Humane Society on the other side of town. (AWOOOOOOO...)

Got there, and they were both closed and had no after-hours drop-off. There was an emergency number on the door so we called it. And got a very nice recording letting us know they were currently closed. My wife then called our personal vet's home number -- someone we've known for 15 years who has handled all of our dog-related issues. We just wanted any answers or suggestions or advice she could give us on what to do with this stray dog at now-going-on 9 p.m. (AWOOOOOOO...) "Well, it's gonna freeze tonight," she said. "You'll need to keep her in the house or she'll freeze. You can bring her by in the morning and I'll check to see if she's microchipped." When we pointed out we wanted to deal with this NOW and not "in the morning," she helpfully told us she had no ideas, didn't know of any place else to take her, and we should deal with it in the morning. (AWOOOOOOO...)

We then drove to two kennels we know of. The residents live ON THE PREMISES, and we were willing to pay for the dog's overnight stay someplace safe and warm -- just not our house. At both places, we knocked and were ignored, even though we know there were people in both residents. But it was after-hours, they were closed, so screw us 20-different-ways. (AWOOOOOOO...) So my wife and I ended up back at home after a 2 hour trip around the city.

Upon getting home, I got the beagle on a leash and we walked the entire neighborhood. My hopes (at 10 p.m.) was that we'd hear SOMEONE calling for her. At that point, I would have sprinted there to get her home. Instead, the beagle and I walked through the darkness and the cold ... and the silence. A light snow began to fall -- the first of the season. She wasn't baying anymore, as she was exhausted -- we both were. When I got home, she wolfed down the food and water we had set out for her earlier. I got out a thick blanket, laid it in my own dog's crate, and placed the beagle in there. She went right to sleep. When I tried to leave the room, she'd pop up and whimper, so I had to sleep on the couch within eyesight just so she'd settle down.

So here it is, the next morning. Both me and the wife need to go to work, so my mother-in-law graciously agreed to swing by this morning, pick up the beagle, and drop her off at the dog warden's office. (My MIL is not only a dog person, but a beagle person too.) So my hope is that this all has a happy ending and the dog is reunited with her owners later today.

And now, the folks I'm pissed at:

• The neglectful owners who allowed this animal to get loose. And who didn't have a collar and tags on her. And who (I'll bet cash-money on this) didn't have her microchipped.
• The dog warden and humane society, both of who have no after-hours process in place to take care of situations that didn't occur on a 9-to-5 schedule.
• My vet, who had no advice or suggestions or "try calling this rescue organization" information. I expected a bit more direction than "It's your problem."
• The two kennel owners who hid behind closed doors rather than coming to the door to either help us out or send us on our way.

It seemed my wife and I (and my mother-in-law) were the only ones last night who gave a damn about this lost dog. And, as pissed and as inconvenienced as I am, why did I go through all this? Because I'd hope that, if my own dog got loose and lost, someone would do her a kindness and keep her safe and warm until such a time as she could be taken to the first place I'd look for her.

Thanks for hearing me out. I feel better having ranted. Back to the fun and  toys and games and mutants.