Another satisfied custumer

So my husband and I are total bleeding hearts when it comes to animals. We take in any stray that comes along. This has totally transferred to our kids.

So a couple days ago, Bug and Sunshine were out front playing when Bug comes in and says that "he made a new dog friend". I didn't really think much of it. We live on a dead end street and we get a lot of "wandering animals". They usually find their way home, but sometimes they end up at "Hotel Jax" indefinitely.

So this little dog started following the kids around and playing with them. It started getting late so I had the kids come in for dinner, thinking that he would just wander off on his merry little way. He didn't. He just camped it on our front porch.

By the time we got ready for bed, I thought well, it's kind of getting chilly and he doesn't seem to know where he is. So I let him in, fed him some dinner and let him crash here for the night. He has a collar, but no tags. He's a Chihuahua and dachshund mix and a little foo-foo. His nails have been clipped and it appears that his teeth have been brushed. I only know this because I was curious how old he is and checking an animals teeth can give you an indication of their age. The more plaque, the older they probably are. Regardless, he's clearly not really an "outside dog".

So he came right in and was completely comfortable with us. Even with the chaos of the kids running around. He made himself at home real quick. Even when I laid a towel down for him to sleep on. He took one look at it and proceeded to hop up on our bed. Our beagle, Libby just sort of looked on with amazement. If a dog could have had a dropped jaw, I think Libby would have at that very moment.

He slept through the night and in the morning I fed him breakfast and set him out on the front porch again hoping he would find his way home. I then went about my day. Took everyone where they needed to be. But when I got home, there he was waiting for us.

So I put a "found dog" ad on craigslist in hopes that I could reunite someone with their beloved pet. When nobody answered, I then took him to the vet to see if maybe he had a chip with his info under his skin. Nope. I checked the flyers at the local grocery stores. Nothing. I drove all over the neighborhood looking for signs posted. Nada.

Then I got obsessed and spent the entire day yesterday scanning through pages of Google results on lost dogs. I checked every local paper and agency in hopes that someone had put out a "lost dog" ad. I came up completely empty. I was totally on a mission.

So last night (again) he hopped up and slept with us. At this time I'm starting to get sort of attached to this little dog. He's mellow and very lovey. He'll just sit up on my lap and chill out with me. I started having fantasies of dressing him up in little jackets and carrying him around in one of those little "dog purses". I then had to get a hold of myself. I am sooo not that person. Maybe in an alternate universe I could be that person. But not today mister!!

So this morning I stared back at my quest to find this little dog's home. My obsession finally paid off. I came across an ad that someone put up on the humane society's site. He lives about 2 blocks away and the ad even had a picture. So there's no question.

I'm a little sad that he's leaving, but I am so glad that he is finding his way home and that his family will have him back safe and sound.

I have been calling him Charlie. Doesn't he just look like a Charlie?

Another satisfied costumer!

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Follow up..

So the guy just came to pick the dog up. Turns out his name is Sam. It's funny because it also turns out that I knew his family. The guy that picked him up was the only guy in the PTA. That's how I remember him. So we got to talking and it turns out they have 4 kids and they were totally broken up about the dog being lost. (One of the kids left the door open and that's how he got out. Talk about guilt!!)
So we're pretty happy about this happy ending.

I like to think of it like doggy karma. It's only a matter of time before Libby wanders off and needs help finding her way home.