"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."
-- Unknown
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I have a new friend...

He’s tall, dark and handsome. He has big, soulful eyes. And he’s oh so lovable as he freely passes out big, wet kisses.

Want to know his name?

Well, so do I. Unfortunately he’s been hanging around my yard for a few days without a collar, so I don’t know what to call him, or who he belongs to.

Yes, my new friend is a dog. A beautiful black lab, to be specific – who showed up out of the blue and doesn’t seem to want to leave. And honestly, I’m okay with that.

He first showed up Sunday afternoon – wagging his tail with a big puppy-dog grin on his face. He played with Toby for awhile, then stood on his hind legs, with his front paws resting on my shoulders and proceeded to lick my face. I doubled over laughing, which only brought me down closer to his level – an open invitation for more puppy love.

A little while later, a little boy rode by on a bike with a yellow lab walking beside him, and my friend ran to join them. I assumed he belonged with them.

But when I went to get Toby from the yard last night, I was nearly knocked over as my new friend happily jumped up to greet me. He tried to follow us into the house, and I sadly told him he had to stay outside. Toby walked from the bedroom to the carport door whining for thirty minutes. He’d only pause long enough to look at me expectantly, as though I’d change my mind and let our new friend in.

He doesn’t look to be more than a year old, and he’s been neutered. As far as I can tell, he’s full-blooded lab, which means someone, somewhere has to be missing him.

When I took Toby out this morning, our friend walked lazily from my back yard, where he apparently spent the entire night. That’s when I noticed how hungry he looked. I began wondering if he’d been fed recently. So, of course I promptly went inside, fetched the biggest bowl I could find and filled it with Toby’s small-breed dog food. I wasn’t sure he’d like it, but he gobbled it up in a few, short minutes. I put some water out for him, too. When I left to come to work, my new friend curled up on the carport floor and watched me drive away. I have a feeling he’ll still be there when I get home.

I guess I need to start looking for his owner. He’s far too sweet and beautiful to not have a home. And if I can’t find his home… well, I have been wanting another dog. In fact, I’ve been wanting a lab. And this one just showed up on my doorstep.

In the meantime, any suggestions on how to handle the situation? I feel like I need to put him in my back yard and shut the gate so he doesn’t get hit by a car. We live near a fairly busy highway and I’d hate for something to happen to him. But I don’t want his owners to start looking for him, see him shut up in my yard and think I'm trying to steal him. They’d understand that I was trying to keep him safe, right?

I guess doggie dilemmas are going around these days, huh Diane?

13 comments:

kel said...

Awwww! I would so let him in and be his new mama!!!

Rachel Cotterill said...

Is there somewhere you could report him to? Then you could let him in & look after him, with the evidence that you're not stealing him, just waiting for his rightful owners to claim him back.

Unknown said...

Maybe take him in to the vet you use and have them scan him for a microchip. If he doesn't have one there's always the let him live with you while you post fliers or ads on craigslist method. If no one claims him then it was meant to be :)

Unknown said...

Hopefully someone will be very happy to find out where he went to. Good luck.

Diane said...

And Toby likes him!! Absolutely put him in your yard. If you find his owners, they'll understand and appreciate that you tried to keep him safe. Call the SPCA/Animal Control (his owners will call there) and let them know you've found him. Call vets in the area, too, as they might recognize him and your neighborhood.

Andy - Instafather said...

Does he have a microchip? That might help...
I'd have to think the owners are just going to be happy to get him back at all, regardless of how you keep him.

hebba said...

I'd feel fine keeping him in your yard while you search for owners. Lots of good ideas here already: microchip, craigslist, look for fliers, call the dog officer and see if anyone reported a missing lab.
You're a good egg!

Kim said...

I think you should definitely keep him safe if you can. Maybe a few signs around the neighbourhood to let people know that you 'know' of a dog. You are so good to take care of him. I just love animal people!

Lacey said...

AWWWWWWWWWW! Now you're a Totally Rad Animal Saving Hero! Yay, T.R.A.S.H.!

I would definitely say to keep him in your yard (if someone ever found Evie, I would hope and pray they took her inside and kept her safe for me). And see if he has a microchip. And keep feeding him, pretty please. How awesome!

septembermom said...

I think it's a good idea to keep him safe in your yard for now. You're such a wonderful person taking care of this lost dog. It's cute that Toby wants to play with his new buddy. Keep us posted on what happens!

America's Next Top Mommy said...

Awww!!!!Can't wait for pics!!!!

Jenners said...

That is weird that you and Diane both had doggie dilemmas in the same week! Freaky! I guess you can just make a good faith effort to find his owners and keep a look out for anyone looking for him. And if you can't find his owners, well, you got yourself a new dog!

I'll be interested to hear how this turns out. Be sure to tell us!

Little Ms Blogger said...

I'd keep him in your yard and put up flyers around the neighborhood, stores and local pounds.

If I were his owner, I'd be happy, actually thrilled, to know someone was taking good care of my puppy.