Daily Dog Question #35 12/4/07?

Question

This question was emailed to me yesterday and since it goes along with yesterday's question, I thought I'd ask it.

How many of you "found" your dog on the street? If not, Do you have any stories about people who did find their dog?
I'd say finding one in a rescue or shelter counts. You can also tell us how you found your dog if you went to a breeder.

Thanks for answering!

Answer 1

I have never found a dog, but my brother found two. His first one, Cinnamon, he and his wife at the time were on their way for a weekend getaway and they saw this tiny black lump on the side of the highway. They stopped because they didn't know what it was at the time. (they thought maybe a baby bear cub) They got out and found it was a very small lab mix puppy. They sat in their car waiting for the mother or other litter mates, but the momma never showed up so they took the puppy. They were not looking for a dog, since they had 6 cats then, but just couldn't leave the little thing to be hit or become prey. Anyway, they canceled their weekend and took her home, only to find out that she was horribly sick with parvo. They couldn't have her put down without giving her a shot at life, so they spent every bit they had and then some. She pulled through and she lived a long and happy 16 years and was one of the smartest dog I have ever seen. My brother trained her to get the phone, throw things away, pick things up, turn lights on and off, close doors, and of course, he is a drinker, taught her to get him a beer and throw away the empty bottles. He also taught her sign language. She was one smart dog! For the record, my brother is not disabled or deaf, he just loved teaching her new things.

The one he has now, Maggie, he also found, or she found him. He was taking Cinnamon on a walk and there was a puppy, about 4 months old just wandering the streets. My brother is pretty particular about strays, so he tried to shoo the stray away. He also didn't want another dog. The puppy followed them, but kept her distance. He didn't give the puppy any attention because he didn't want to encourage it and he figured it belonged to someone. He came home and went to bed. The next morning when he went to let Cinnamon out, the puppy was laying on his steps. He shooed her away and left for work. When he came home, the puppy was back. He couldn't seem to chase her away, so he took her inside and he's had her ever since. Maggie is now about 11 years old. He pretty much lets Maggie be a dog. She knows the basics, sit, stay, etc., but nothing like his previous dog, Cinnamon.

My mom and dad found their dog on their way to a garage sale. My parents seen this tiny puppy under the neighbors porch. The puppy cam out and my mom picker her up and asked the person who was having the sale who the puppy belonged to. It went unclaimed and none of the surrounding neighbors had large dogs. So, they left their phone number with the person who was having the sale in case someone came looking for their puppy, but in the meantime, took her home. No one ever claimed her. Sadie is now 12 (very old for her breed, Husky/Shepherd mix.

I think it's pretty amazing how dogs will pick the people they want to be with.

Answer 2

We got our dog from what turned out to be a puppy mill. My dad and my aunt went and bought the puppies, and something didn't feel right. Once we paid for them, she stopped listening and wouldn't acknowledge questions. My aunt went home and filled out a report for the SPCA and they informed us three months later that the place had been shut down. We were lucky with our puppies, but the conditions and the filth that the SPCA found were awful.

But the cute part of the story is that when we went in, my dad wanted a male puppy and my aunt wanted a female (not to breed, two puppies are enough!!!) and the woman said there were only females. So we went anyway (a female puppy is just as good) and when we got there she asked us at the door if we were going to breed them, and of course we said no. THEN she informed us that there was ONE male puppy. We went into her living room and the litter was playing with some toys, and immediately after my dad and I walked in a puppy ran over and stood up and put his front paws on my dad's legs. My dad picked up the puppy and it was the male. We just had to get him then, he seemed to have such a personality (I'm not even kidding, it's the cutest scenario ever, and believe me, he has a real attitude). My aunt took a bit more time finding a puppy from the litter, but alls well that ends well, and they are the two of the most spoiled puppies in the world.

Answer 3

First and foremost, you are doing a wonderful thing getting her spayed. Not only are you helping to stop the number of unwanted pets in this world, but it is also so much healthier for her. I just had my corgi spayed, so I understand your concern. This procedure is very common and the chances of something going wrong is minute. When I picked her up, she looked so sad that it broke my heart in two. After I got her home, she slipped under the coffee table and wouldn't move and I mean didn't move at all. After about 6 hours though, she started to move again. She stood up and peed on my carpet (something she hadn't done in 3 months). I was told that the antestheia would have put her bladder to sleep but not her kidneys, and once it wore off, there was no way for her to control it until it was to late so be aware. Also, it will be very important to not give her a bath or let her jump up as this can cause damage to her stitches. After the first 24 hours, my baby was back to normal for the most part. I had a hard time keeping her calm. A week later and I just can't stop her from zooming around. All is forgotten now. I know it is impossible to do, but don't worry. She will be just fine.

Answer 4

Both of my doxies are rescue dachshunds. The first one (the red smooth haired standard dachshund) was found at a puppy mill. I had heard about a lady that was going to euthanize some of her dachshunds because she was done breeding them (how terrible is that?) So I went there and rescued one of them. I felt so bad that I couldn't take them all, but I'm so glad that I rescued the one that I did because she is a wonderful dog. She's so calm, sweet, mellow, playful, and a great companion and friend.
The second doxie was found the week before Thanksgiving. We had been looking to adopt another dachshund because we wanted another one for ourselves and as a friend/companion for our other dachshund. We had been looking at various shelters for about three months to no avail. Finally, I found my little girl on petfinder.com at a shelter about 40 miles away. We took Daisy out there and they got along so well. Violet is 12 years old, but you'd never know it. She has the spirit and energy of a puppy. We learned that she absolutely LOVES to play fetch and Frisbee which is pretty unexpected, but very cool for a senior dog! Now we have Daisy and Violet and I wouldn't trade them for the world! I do hope to adopt or rescue more in the near future.

Answer 5

I've never found a dog on the street and adopted it - the situation has never come up - but I did adopt a cat that way once.

I've adopted several dogs. I work with a humane society and the ones I adopted just came my way at the right time. One had been abused and needed a lot of training but he became a wonderful dog. One came wonderfully trained (a border collie mix) and one was an older puppy found running loose and turned into the shelter. He was a blank slate (didn't show any signs of abuse or mistreatment) and grew up to be a super dog.

I also have bought two goldens from breeders. One was a pup and I chose him because he was sitting in the middle of the puppy pile, just looking happy. I picked him up, rolled him on his tummy (as you are supposed to when temperament testing them) and he just stretched out and sighed. I knew I had my dog.

The other was an 8-month old female. We had gone to see the litter of small puppies but this girl charmed us. She had been held back as a showing and breeding prospect - but she didn't pan out when an adult tooth didn't emerge. She ran up to my husband, gave him the big brown-eyed charmer look and then she ran over and demonstrated how she knew how to use the potty area. We were sold.

Answer 6

I have taken in "street" strays before. None of the ones I currently have were strays. I had one lab mix that showed up half starved when the kids were little. She was a wonderful dog.
There is a basenji that has been hanging around here for a few weeks. I stick out food for him, walk it back home, then do the same thing the next day or two later. It was hit by a car a while back, but they didn't even seem to care.

Answer 7

I found a dog in the street!

On my way home from work at a busy intersection near my apartment was a huge black lab. I knew it would get hit! I parked my car and ran out there and he came running to me. It was rainy. I walked the dog to my apartment and he ran inside! My cats flipped out! They never saw a dog before! He was muddy and got mud everywhere. I tried to put him on my balcony and that didn't work. So I found what I could for a leash and set outside with him. I called the county animal control and they said they'd come pick him up. I posted flyers, called shelters...everything to find this dogs owners. They were going to put him to sleep! I went and bought him back and my Grandpa decided to keep him until I got a house of my own. He lives in the country with a fenced in yard. They loved each other! That dog never jumped on my Grandpa and they would sit together under a shade tree. Winter approached and the dog jumped the fence b/c the snow was so high. He got hit on the road and my Grandpa cried. The short time they had together was time well spent, impacting each others lives.

Answer 8

I found my previous dog, abandoned on the side of the road while I was waiting to board the school bus one day. I was about 7 years old at the time and he was a very scared and lonely puppy (about 3months old) He was so glad to see someone so much that when I held him in my arms he couldn't stop licking my face! I couldn't bare to leave him so I took him back home with me and ended up missing the school bus. My mom was very upset with me for that and also for bringing the puppy home. She didn't want to keep him actually she wanted to set him off again! Well I dont know how we did it but we convinced her to keep him. He grew into a fine dog that the whole family loved to be around, sometimes we'd fight over spending time with him. I dont know how anyone could ever set such a wonderful dog out like that but whoever did really missed out BIG TIME. I can honestly say he was the best dog I have ever known and ever will know. He died a few months ago at the age of 13 and we all miss him extremely!
The dog we have now we found her at the shelter about 2 months ago after looking around on petfinder.com . I fell in love and in a way she reminds me alot of my other dog.

Answer 9

Dog 1: I spent months looking in various shelters for the perfect dog for me. I knew that once I found her, she would call out to me. After 6 months of looking, I found my Dolce and that was that!

Dog 2: I was looking for a dog, thinking it was time to get another one. I wanted a mixed breed again, and preferably a puppy. I contacted the shelters in town and they both said they hadn't had puppies in their shelter since July. I decided to post an ad, saying I was looking for a mixed breed litter and price was not an object and offered to provide references, etc if they wished to see it. I was contacted by a woman whose b*tch had gotten pregnant just before the spay (2 year old opened the door where she was locked up while her parents were driving through with their GSD show stud), and that was that! And tonight I am bringing my girl home :)

Answer 10

My best friend from high school called me one day telling me about this litter of abused (neglected) pups. Knowing what a sucker I am for dogs, she conveniently left out the part about them being pit bulls. I'm ashamed to say, I was a little prejudice about pit bulls back then. All the stories I had heard about them were horror stories. When I went to her house to look at the pups, my heart immediately fell in love with the runt. She was so skinny, you could literally count every rib. Her head was the biggest thing on her body. I don't know if it was the motherly instinct in me, but I knew I had to take care of this pup. To make a long story short, she is a little over a year old now, and she is a part of our family. As a matter of fact, she has become one of the best dogs I've ever owned...