A happy ending for one dog in my neighborhood | littleduckie's Blog

Just a little while ago, I noticed a stray dog in my neighbor's yard . . . she had been in my yard, too, and had bolted, based on the tracks.  She was a small German shepherd or shepherd mix.  Anyway, she did have tags and I was trying to lure her back to my yard so I could see them & call the owner when I noticed a van driving by slowly & someone whistling.  A-ha!  I flagged the guy down & it was in fact the owner . . . the poor doggie was so scared & acting so timid, and he said that was totally unlike her.  At first, he was afraid she'd been hit by a car because she was lying down, but when she saw him she got up & trotted happily back to the van, tail wagging, and with no sign of injury.  Let's hope nothing becomes apparent later.  

My dad knew I was trying to help this lost dog & dismissed my concern that she could be hit by a car, but the owner, once he showed up, said she has been hit before.  This is a busy street, and she was nearly a mile from home.  It was so easy to just stay with the dog and try to help her get home.  I couldn't imagine just leaving her out there to be hurt or killed. 

So I'm asking everyone who has a pet . . . please keep your dog or cat safe.  They don't have the ability to protect themselves in traffic, so we have to make sure they're never put in that situation.  And if you find a stray, approach cautiously and see if you can get close enough to help.  If you can't do it yourself, at least call animal control to come out & get the dog or cat to a safe place.  Don't just leave them out there!