Boz and I found this little guy out gallivanting on Los Robles Boulevard. Literally. A nice little guy. Cute, too. His name? Hard to tell--no nametag, no phone number. He did have a Pasadena dog license, but the city license is only a 4-digit number. It didn't tell me much, and it was after hours. City offices were closed.I can't leave an innocent dog hanging out in traffic if he'll come to me, and Little Guy came. He was well-mannered, clean and well-fed. He hadn't strayed far from home. My neighbor Brenden had a few minutes to drive over and bring me a leash. (Thank you for being a hero, Brenden!) Little Guy, Boz and I walked up and down knocking on doors for a while but no one recognized LG.
By the time we got to my house, Little Guy wasn't having fun anymore. He was scared. I tied him on the porch and gave him some water, leaving the door open while I fed Boz his dinner inside. Then I sat with my laptop to see if I could save myself a trip to the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA. If I couldn't, that was Little Guy's next stop.
Luckily, the PHS & SPCA was able to tell me where LG lived based on his Pasadena city license number. Luckily for the dog, that is. For me, let me just put it this way: my feet wouldn't hurt so much and I'd be a lot less irritated if Little Guy had been wearing a tag with his name and phone number on it. You can order them online from the Humane Society for $6.95. How hard can that be?
Anything else you want to know about pets, check out the Humane Society's great website. They've got all kinds of services: behavior classes, volunteer opportunities, books, and free and/or cheap spaying, neutering and microchipping. Do it! All of it! For the love and safety of your pet! For the goodwill of your neighbors!
On the website they also have photos and videos of beautiful, sweet, wonderful animals just waiting for you to take them home. With a nametag.
When you get them there, please make sure the fence is secure.
26 comments:
Little Guy is adorable. Sorry he was a bit scared, but he's lucky he 'found' you. --Were his owners grateful to you?
Awww! Did the owners promise to get the tag?
What a gorgeous Little Guy, Petrea and very lucky you and Boz were there to keep him safe! {BTW, you and my hubby do share the same birthday. How neat!}
Lots of good advice from an extra good Good Samaritan.
As my son would say, you scored mitsva points, Petrea.
He looks like a character. And here's another reason for the tags: People are more likely to rescue a lost dog if it appears the situation will be temporary.
Otherwise, they might end up with ... Albert.
Ahhh, this little guy reminds me of my Molly, who passed away a few years ago. We found her walking down Lake Ave. on a hot July afternoon. Brought her to the Pasadena Humane Society, but noone claimed her.
We thought she could be adopted, but the Humane Society told us she was "unadoptable" because all of her medical problems. They planned to put her to sleep. "What do you mean unadoptable?" we protested as we signed the adoption papers.
I miss Molly.
ditto what Dina said about mitzvah! I try to do at least one a day, some, like taking Little Guy home, are bigger than others. Good job Petrea!
At least get a tag with a phone number (that works) on it. Some folks are hesitant to put the dogs name, or address on the tag, for fear the pup will come to folks who call its name, or rob the house if no one is home. But at least have a number someone can call. Dogs manage to wander off and get lost in some of the more far off regions---so they are not always just down the street.
If I didn't already admire you P---this one scores big points in MY book!
I think they were grateful, Bibi. They were nice and a little surprised. They hadn't realized he was missing. Everyone should check out Bibi's blog, A Yankee in Belgrade. She's a fantastic photographer and often depicts Belgrade's sweet stray dogs.
CQ, they didn't say, but I recommended it.
Shell, tell him happy birthday for me!
Thanks, Dina. Is it a mitsva if people know I did it?
Good advice, Karin. I'm sure that's true. I've seen a lot of loose dogs lately. Usually they're scared and run away from me. LG wasn't lost, just having an adventure on a busy street.
I wouldn't put the address on the tag, Trish. Only the phone number. Dogs like to wander. (You can tell if the dog is out having fun or running scared.) And thanks for the compliment.
Well good for you, Petrea and you are so right, how difficult would it have been to have a name tag and phone number on this little dog? Glad it had a happy ending. Cute little dog. Was Boz jealous?
Oh I do like a happy ending, especially for such a cute dog! It doesn't surprise me one bit that you'd take care of this wandering pooch and track down the owner. Lots of karma points to you!
I'm not sure "jealous" is the word, Jilly. He would have been, had I let LG into the house. But the "ordeal" was stressful for Boz: he was vigilant until I got home, and during dinner he conked out. The whole thing wore him out!
I wonder, Katie. I've been thinking about it today. If LG hadn't had a tag, I'd have taken him to the Humane Society. Better than leaving him on the road, I guess, and Pasadena's Humane Society is great. They do euthanize, but it's my understanding that they don't do it based on a schedule, only if it becomes impossible to care for an animal due to lack of space or other problems.
They've also got help on the website for people having trouble caring for their pet due to economic concerns.
I clicked on the links in your post and ordered new ID tags for my dogs right away. I've been meaning to do that for three months. My old address wouldn't do the PHS any good. Your post caught my eye because my daughter calls my chihuahua-corgi-thing "Little Guy" (I call him "Little Dog," or "LD").
Thank you, Petrea.
One! I got one! Greg, that makes every minute of it worthwhile. I'm sure even Boz would say so if he could say anything besides "hgrrrgh."
when i was a little girl, i would bring home stray dogs. my mother was so patient and would bathe and feed them, until we ended up with six dogs. i wish more people would do something when they see a stray with a tag - especially now that we carry cell phones everywhere. Bien fait Petrea!
Can I add that you can get those tags PetCo, and they are super fun! It's like an arcade game. You get to choose numbers and letters and it's etched right in front of you.
Yep, I like fish. At home, in a little tank. :)
Thank you for posting on dogs & cafes, P - I feel like I have a 2nd blog!!
You're right Petrea -- the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA is a wonderful organization. They have had an ongoing contract for years with the City of Pasadena for operation of the municipal animal shelter and animal control program.
Pasadena dog licenses are $28.19 for "unaltered" dogs and $14.11 for dogs that have been spayed or neutered.
For anyone getting a dog license for the first time, go to room N106 at City Hall and bring a certificate of rabies vaccination with you. To receive the spay/neuter discount, bring the certificate of sterility.
If you want to renew a dog license, you can do so by going here.
For more information call (626) 744-4166.
A good deed, wonderful story and happy ending! And good advice, too, for all pet owners. Our indoor kitty wears a tag with our phone # that we got at Petco.
Maria, your mother is a saint! My mother allowed a few cats, but there was a limit.
Thanks, Margaret. I think that's where we got Boz's first tag, and I remember it was pretty fun. And easy.
Ha ha, Christie! Much easier maintenance, that's for sure.
OK, CO!
Thank you, Ann. We've called on Animal Control more than once to help with stray dogs we couldn't catch. They've been terrific and they're so careful with the animals. $14.11 is a bargain for Boz's license to be a dog in this burg!
Wow, Ms. M. Even an indoor kitty wears a tag. You never know, do you? It's good to take precautions.
$28.19 ? $14.11 …? What, is the city budget calculated by cats?
How did you guess?
He was indeed lucky to have your help. I wonder how long it would have taken the owners to notice his absence without your intervention.
… laughing …
Well, Maimonides says the highest form of charity/helping is done in secret. But your dog-saving mitsva the whole world should know about, for its educational value.
"The reward of a mitsva is another mitsva." "One mitsva leads to another mitsva." No doubt you will soon have the chance to post about another good/holy deed.
You're a hero!
Post a Comment