Get yourself a latte and a yummy dessert, and get comfy. I hope you'll enjoy your visit.
Saving the World One Animal At A Time. . . Whether That Animal Needs Saving Or Not
Today was an adventurous day. I went outside to tend to Mama Cat and the kittens. Dad came running, of course, because he loves feeding time. (For more about the feral cat family, see the About Us page, Weird Pets section. When I can get close enough, I'll put some pictures of the cat family on here so you can see how sweet they are.) When I saw Dad approaching, I put the vitamins I bought for Mama near her. I gave him a vitamin, too; but I thought she needed more because her eye appears to be in bad shape. I gave the cats their food, and even Mama Cat and the kittens came within a few feet of me to eat. I started back to the house and saw a large black lab running my way.
The dog had visited yesterday and had received a doggie treat, so she'd decided to partake of some more hospitality. I thought I'd seen the dog before at a house down the road from us, and I was afraid she'd get into the street and get killed. So I gave her a couple treats, got her into the car and drove to the place where I'd seen the black lab. I knew the people had two black labs because I'd seen them out walking their dogs. When I pulled into their driveway, however, I saw two black labs in the kennel.
"This must not be your house," I told the dog.
She wagged her tail, looked out the window and then looked at me.
I drove to another house, got out and knocked on the door. A lady came to the door and I asked her if she knew anyone who owned a black lab. She said she didn't and that I might want to take the dog to the pound.
"I don't want to do that!" I cried.
"Well, they have adoptions."
I thanked the woman for her time and went to yet another house. At least, this time, I knew the woman who lived in the house. At this house, the dog bounded out of the car to greet the woman and a boy who was visiting her. After smelling all around, the dog seemed to realize (and the woman emphatically agreed) this was not her home. She came and got back into the car.
While we were driving, I came across our mailman. I rolled down my window.
"Hi," I called. "Do you know whose dog this is?"
The dog pressed her face against the window so he could get a good look.
He shook his head. "Nope. I've seen it up around where you live, but I don't know who it belongs to."
Since I was holding up traffic, I thanked him and moved along.
As we drove, I pointed out things to the dog. "Does any of that look familiar?" I asked. "Do you recognize those donkeys? Are those your cows?" I didn't really expect an answer, but I thought the dog might get excited if she saw her home.
I stopped and knocked on a few more doors or else blew the horn so the homeowners would come out and take a look at the dog. One woman who is expecting a baby in December said she didn't know who the dog belonged to, and that she'd love to have her but that her mother would kill her.
Several people told me, "It looks like you've found yourself a dog."
It was almost time for my husband to come home for lunch, so I drove the dog back home. Shellie, our Sheltie (see the About Us page for more info on Shellie), tried to attack the lab when we got back home. I headed for the door, saying, "Just let me get in."
The lab nearly ran over me getting herself inside. She looked at me as if to say, "Let me get in, too. That thing out there is trying to bite me!"
I gave her a few more treats, but I ran out and had to substitute peanut butter crackers. She was okay with that. Peanut butter crackers are tasty.
When Tim came home, the lab was lying at my feet. Once he was inside (away from the nasty, little bitey thing on the front porch), the lab went to greet him.
"What's this?" he asked. If he were Ricky Ricardo, he'd have told me I had some 'splaining to do.
I tried to 'splain, but my 'splanation sounded weak. I merely put the dog outside (via the side porch where Shellie couldn't get to her).
The dog disappeared while Tim was home for lunch. We don't know where she went. When Tim got home from work, he said, "That dog has to belong to somebody. She's too well-behaved and well-fed not to. Plus, she apparently likes to ride in the car."
"But she wasn't wearing a collar," I said.
"Maybe she was tied," he said, "and she slipped her head out of her collar."
Then something seemed to dawn on him. "I think I know who that dog belongs to."
"Who?"
"The Talleys."
My eyes widened. The Talleys live in the house diagonal to ours. "You mean, I drove all over the place today with a dog that belongs to our neighbors?"
"I think so," he said.
"What if it is?" I asked. "What if they saw me driving up and down the road with their dog?"
We walked over to the neighbors' house. They weren't home. There was a dog house, but it was empty. Maybe they'd taken her out for a ride. She enjoys that. Trust me, I know.