So, my morning did not go as I expected it to.
I had just finished my free write for the morning when all of a sudden this big black dog appeared. Running in front of the shop, jumping into traffic, tongue hanging out, he was everywhere at once. Next thing I knew he was inside sniffing up the place. I glanced out the window to see if there was an owner following close behind...but, no one.
I grabbed him, because, damn, you do not want a dog running loose in a busy area like this one. I'd say there'd be like a 90% chance he'd get hit by a car, and I didn't want that on my conscious. If I let that happen I'm pretty sure my sister would materialize and kill me....she's got two amazing pups that we all love and adore. And, of course, I wouldn't forgive myself.
He was a strong guy, really strong. And super friendly. And very much a puppy. Why people think pit bulls are mean dogs still confuses me. It's my opinion that how you raise a dog affects it's character strongly, and if it's mean well...it's not all the dogs fault.
The next couple hours were pretty much a blur.
First was trying to physically find the owner by walking up and down the street. Next came the frustration of trying to get a hold of the animal shelter (LA system really sucks for obtaining information) which finally happened. Luckily he was registered in the system. Then a phone call to the owner, who apparently had disconnected their phone, so that didn't work. Then I walked by the address the shelter gave me, which didn't exist (no apartment at the address Google took me to). Finally I had to give up and bring him to the shelter. Not exactly the funnest of moments when he gave me that little look that says, 'where are you going?'
His name is Thor, by the way. Which didn't really surprise me.
So, the moral of this little tale I'm telling.
Where I find a lost dog, do my best to locate the owner but am foiled by the lack of current information, and the subsequent dropping off of the pup at a shelter is... KEEP YOUR PETS INFORMATION UP TO DATE. For goodness sake. I mean, it will make the person who finds them's life so much easier and yours as well. In fact, get a tag with your phone number on it as well.
You never think your dog (or other pet) will get away until suddenly they do. The more information you have sitting on their tags, and the more up to date the phone/address information is in the system, the quicker you'll get your additional family member back.
It was a crazy, unexpected couple of hours for me.
My plans were to do a bunch of writing, find work, blah, blah, my normal morning, until this cute guy walked in. Was it annoying AF, yes. Do I regret helping, hell no. I mean, seriously, look at this face. He more than paid his dues for my services with some cuddles and love. I hope his family finds him and learns from this experience.