Pupdate
I ended up taking Mr. Stray to the Humane Society of Indianapolis Sunday morning. They’ll ultimately transfer him to animal care and control, so if he’s placed for adoption it will be there.
The overnight stay was kind of rough – he was so upset in the crate, though I think it was being left alone more than being in the crate that was causing his distress. He howled and yowled and whined and yipped for about 2 hours before finally giving up and quieting down. I bought him a Kong and stuffed it with some plain yogurt and kibble to keep him busy in the crate, and at some point he started gnawing on that… what a good boy. He was VERY good on the trip to the shelter; no whining or barking, and so well-behaved.
The technician at the shelter named Mr. Stray “Ramon”… not a name I’d choose for a dog, but whatever. He was a lab/shepherd mix, and she actually estimated him at 6 months to a year. He was definitely not neutered – I wasn’t really surprised at that, since people who don’t neuter their dogs tend to be just the kind of people who leave their dogs to roam free in the freezing winter weather.
Having a dog here for 24 hours really gave me some food for thought; I do intend to make this the year I adopt a dog, and it made me think about what I need to do to make adding a dog to my house easier. I definitely need a dog that has basic obedience skills. It would also be a lot easier to integrate a dog that’s already crate-trained, and it would be fantastic if I could find a dog with little or no separation anxiety. The great thing about working with a rescue group? They can totally find me the right dog! I’m psyched.
Daring rescue
Daring because I totally brought an unknown, stray dog into my house (gah) today. Rescue, because this dog has been wandering my neighborhood since January 23, and NO ONE else has done anything about it. Oh, one other person called animal control, but no one has tried to catch him, I don’t think anyone has been feeding him… nothing. We had 13″ of snow fall in my neighborhood Tuesday night, and some really cold temperatures, and yet he was out there sitting on my cross-the-street neighbors front porch and yard, shivering, all week long.
I first called animal control Tuesday morning, but with the impending snow and subsequent chaos because of the amount that fell, no one was able to come out until Thursday. Evidently they did make a trip, but couldn’t find Stray anywhere. Friday night was really the first opportunity I had to do anything for him… I had tried to offer him a bowl of water earlier in the week, but he wasn’t interested. Cat food, however, he was interested in. This morning when I opened the front door he came flying across the street to see me! I fixed up a spot in the garage, led him through the house, and installed him out there with some more cat food and a bowl of water. A friend (thanks, Amy!) brought a spare collar and leash and some actual dog food, and for the rest of the weekend I’m keeping him in the kitchen, gated or crated away from the cat, rabbits, and guinea pigs.
He seems like a nice dog – he’s not terribly skinny, so he’s been eating something, but his coat is long and thick, so he’s probably been an outside dog for a while. He doesn’t like being left alone, so I’m kind of trapped in here. He also hates the crate, so much so that he destroyed my kitchen curtains while I left for an hour to get some supplies at PetsMart. Crazy Stray. I’d take a picture, but that means I’d have to leave the kitchen and right now, he’s flat out on the floor sleeping up against the gate in the kitchen doorway. In order to get out, I’d have to step over him… he doesn’t want me to leave. Unfortunately for him, I have other animals to care for, as well. He’s going to have to get used to it.
I’m not terribly excited about taking him to animal control Monday morning, but his chances there are better than if he remained a stray. I know he’s just as likely to be euthanized there as to be placed for adoption; they have too many animals and not enough room or staff to care for all the animals surrendered there. Taking him there buys him 4 days of warmth and safety, though, with guarantees that he won’t be hit by a car or injured by another animal. It’s sad; I don’t know why he’s a stray, but I’m a rescuer. I had to do something. Doing nothing, just waiting to see what happened, just wasn’t an option… it never is. I may be apathetic about many things, but animals are not included in that list.
If you live in the Indianapolis area and are looking for a nice Lab mix, check with Indianapolis Animal Care and Control next week… he’s an adult dog with some scars on his nose, black with a white chest, ears that stick up and then flop at the ends, and a curly tail. He needs people, and probably a fenced yard…
The worst timing
It’s been about three weeks since I’ve been needed overnight at my brother’s… my sister-in-law was on vacation over the holidays, and RC took vacation last week. While it was a nice respite, being able to sleep in my own bed every night, I’m now out of practice. The girls were SO excited to see me, even the four-legged one – you’d have thought they hadn’t seen me at all during that time! And they were terribly cute, playing “let’s dress up and pretend we’re playing in the snow”. Wia has such a big imagination for a three-year old, and Emma follows right along behind her.
Yep, they were cute until bedtime rolled around. Wia took the opportunity to get up no less than 10 times… “I need a little drink of water”, “I need to make a stinky”, “I need to take out my ponytail”, “I need a little drink of milk/juice/more water”. I finally had to threaten a spanking, and fortunately it worked, because I don’t think I could follow through with it.
But poor Bailey suffered the most… she’s now 15 weeks old, and is 99.9% house trained. She’s so good – she lets you know when she needs to go out, and will even come and get you if you’re in another room. But she still takes a long time when she needs to do her business, and I wasn’t paying attention to the cues tonight. I sort of hurried her back in after she squatted, and didn’t give her time to… you know. Wia and I finished up her evening ablutions, and came into the kitchen to get a sip of water, and there it was. In the middle of the living room floor, a steaming pile of Aunt Amanda’s Mistake. Poor puppy. She was so embarrassed; she just stood by it and kind of whined. I felt terrible. Thankfully she forgives easily.
