By Glen Wunderlich
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
Last week I came upon a wandering little dog, as I rode my ATV along a well-traveled trail on my Shiawassee County property. At first glance it resembled the appearance of a neighbor’s dog, and since it was so close to his property, I motored past it under the assumption that it was heading home. However, something seemed wrong.
I watched over my shoulder to make sure the animal wasn’t following me, as I lowered my speed. It would take a few steps in one direction and then a few more in another direction. This aimless wandering wasn’t normal, I thought, so I made a U-turn and idled next to it for a closer look. At this moment, I figured it was deaf or very near so, because it didn’t pay any attention to my running motor, which was now only a few feet away. Then, I noticed the malfunction: It was obviously blind from the apparent milky colored eyes afflicted by cataracts. I knew I had to do something.
Stepping off the 4-wheeler, I made a quick grab with both hands under the belly and felt wetness. Either, the confused animal had gone into the adjoining creek willingly or otherwise and had me thinking it was possibly thirsty or just unwittingly fell in. Regardless, it was going home with me.
The old dog never resisted, as I set it in a carry box in front of the handle bars. When I began to motor on, it became frightened and attempted to jump out. With one finger hooked around its tiny collar, it was easily restrained and seemed to settle down as I picked up speed along the side of the road.
Although it had a collar, no identification was attached. I recalled that one of my neighbors, Marcella, had been involved in various physical searches for lost dogs through some internet sites. My wife got the ball rolling and it wasn’t long before Marcella and her husband arrived to help – and, I was sure glad to see them.
Cell phones were used for photos, which were promptly uploaded to a Facebook site under the title of lost dogs of Shiawassee County. In the meantime, the women took over care of the animal by giving it a bath in warm water, which it didn’t appreciate one bit. Marcella even cleaned the ear canals, which seemed to need attention. And, then the calls started to come in.
Some would send pictures of their own lost dogs, hoping we’d have the answer to their prayers. One after another, hope was shot down.
I remembered my pal, Joe, leaves some dry dog food at my place for his dog when it visits, so I grabbed a handful and put it in a bowl in front of the dog. It walked through it and scattered the feed on the floor. Hmmm. Into the house for some meat – any meat. Nothing. So, I took a small can of cat food and dumped the entire contents in another bowl. (Yes, I know cat food is not good for dogs; neither is starving.) It gobbled it up in a few bites and drank some clean water. Now, we all felt better.
We had already begun to talk of temporarily caring for the critter, when someone from East Lansing had seen the online photos and contacted us. Apparently, they were relatives of the owner, Chris, who lives about a mile down the road. Everyone was excited to learn he was on the way for his pet!
In minutes, he arrived and was reunited with his ol’ pal and explained what had happened. The day before, the animal apparently had gone through an open door unnoticed. A frantic search was to no avail. I can only imagine his thoughts.
The moral of the story is to make sure that proper identification is attached to dogs that have a propensity to wander. A computer chip is also a common means to ID lost dogs – given the owners have had the foresight to have one implanted for a nominal fee.
With the mystery solved, the little pooch gave his owner a few licks on his cheek and they were on their way home at long last.
