I always want to jump out and corral them to safety and be the hero. Usually, logic gets the best of me. Are they meant to be outdoor dogs? Are they friendly? Are my children with me and will they remain safe? Do I have the time and energy to get involved? It sounds shallow for me to even admit to pondering these things, but I do.
Well, yesterday, Sassy was at preschool and Tink was napping with Nana at home. I decided to run up to Target to buy my nephew's Christmas gift while it was on special, and pick Sassy up from school on my way home. I got about a stone's throw away from our house and past the first major intersection when I saw them...
Two adorable little white dogs running amok across K-15, which is quite a busy highway. My mind started to race. These were NOT meant to be outdoor dogs. I was the only one in the car, therefore only putting myself at risk if I were to try to help. They were dodging traffic, people were swerving, it was awful. Clearly not dogs with street smarts {just like my own at home}...
I pulled to the left as close to the concrete divide as I could, threw the car into park, and hopped out of my car. I called to them in a sing-song-y voice while patting my knee. The one ran straight to me and I scooped it up and placed it in the car.
At this point, a woman coming from the other direction stopped and got out, too, trying to corral the last dog. Then, another woman stopped behind me and got out, as well. We had K-15 blocked. The second dog was evidently spooked, as he should have been. He bolted towards Taco Bell, where I yelled to a guy in the parking lot, "GET HIM!". He did, and passed him to the woman, who passed him to me. I thanked everyone, and stated that they were not mine, but I would find out where they belonged.
As I walked back to the car and tried to usher the second dog in without letting the first dog out, dog #2 snarled at me. Oh great, I thought... please don't don't maim me as I try to find your home!
Both dogs had collars and tags {happy face} but upon closer inspection, they only had rabies tags and no ID tags {sad face}. I was unsure of whether to take them to the police station or the animal clinic, so I began to drive around with these two white dogs as I called Ty at work. I explained my situation and waited for his return call. Both dogs sat in my passenger seat content and panting away, seemingly thrilled to be riding in the car.
Tyler called back and said that I could take them to the animal clinic so long as the rabies tag was from them. One was, and one was not, but I figured it was close enough. We headed that way, and I left them in the car as I went inside to get temporary leashes, praying they didn't destroy the contents of my car. I waited in line behind three people...
Once I put the leashes on them, they put the skids on, realizing just where they were. I had to carry them in, one under each arm. They looked up the rabies tag #, proclaimed, "Oh, yeah... these are Jane Doe's dogs", and looked at me as if I was supposed to know who that was and just where she lived. HA!
Once they realized I didn't {what is this, Mayberry?} she said that they could stay in a kennel until she could be reached. Gee, thanks. I felt like I needed to apologize for being a pain in the, well... that was a bit disappointing.
Anyway, I had obviously missed my window to get to Target. In fact, I was running behind in getting Sassy picked up from school on time. But, it all worked out OK.
Later, I called the clinic to see if they were able to reach the owner. She nonchalantly stated that they had been picked up 30 minutes ago, and was there anything else I needed?
Uh, no. Just wanted to make sure they were home safe.
Sometimes doing the right thing is a thankless job.
But, sometimes it feels really good to get involved.
2 sweet tweets:
Bless your heart, Heather! I claim to be an animal lover too but have never done such a great deed! The clinic should have thanked you a million times over, gotten your contact info and given it to Ms. Doe so she could thank you. Those two dogs are surely grateful tho, if only they spoke human! ;) You deserve a big thank you from all pet owners!!!
"What is this, Mayberry?" Hysterical! In all seriousness, it's a crying shame that the clinic and/or dogs' owner did not thank you profusely for what you did. But you certainly did the right thing - hopefully there is another good samaritan looking out for them if it happens again!
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