Filo, with Doberman Rescue Unlimited

This is Filo. He was imported from Budapest, used as a stud dog, and then left at a shelter.  He's safe now, with Doberman Rescue Unlimited.

(picture from DRU web site)

Things to do if you've found a lost dog

I'm sure it's happened to many of us at least once. We find a dog we don't recognize, with no tags. Friendly, but no humans apparent.

It's a dog owner's nightmare, really. Their dog gets loose, gets stolen, wanders. It happened just last week, with the dog my coworker found. Apparently she was a very very old dog, and had been through medical treatments lately. So, not mistreated. Just old and ill and with doggie dementia, and wandered off as her family cleaned the cellar of a Sunday. They were very grateful and happy to have her back, though I don't know what her real name is; I don't think the vet told my coworker when she called.

It's one reason I have all the tags I do on Elka's collar, on two separate rings. If one dangling rings gets lost, maybe the other will still be there. Plus her microchip. Some breeders tattoo their dogs (under anesthesia, I believe), inside the ear, or inside the inner thigh. That's a visible identifier that cannot be lost. It's why, on our car trip, Elka was on a harness attached to her leash, and with the dogIDs collar on separately, with its name plate.

Lost Angel in Michigan, a sad update

On Tuesday, I posted about a lost dog in Cheboygan, Michigan. The unfortunate update from 24 Paws of Love is that Angel's owners found her body by the side of the road.

I can only imagine how very heartbroken Angel's people are, in addition to the writers of 24 Paws of Love (who were Angel's breeder, if I understand correctly). 

Angel's owners did a lot of things right as soon as she was missing. They got the word out, and they searched for her tirelessly. Equipment failures happen; if Angel had never before slipped her collar, there was no reason to anticipate that she would at that time. There are any number of things that startle a dog into running. It's a sad fact, and my heart hurts for them.

"Collar security" as such didn't initially occur to me as a beginner dog owner. Elka in fact slipped her collar once, but it seemed more like it was for fun than any other reason. I talked about an equipment epiphany when I got Elka's new collar, and also Liberty's Attachment, and an EzyDog Harness. I self deprecate myself a bit, calling myself paranoid and a crazy dog lady, but stories like this make me want to wrap Elka in cotton wool and never leave the house ever again. There's just no anticipating what can happen in a day.

My thoughts are with Angel's family, and I hope they heal well and soon.