Gorgeous weather this past weekend.  I had an opportunity to visit my Happy Place for the day so I went on Saturday morning.  That’s when it all happened.

About four weeks ago, the town was ablaze with buzz of a stray dog that had obviously captured the hearts and concern of everyone who sees her.  Although the owner has never reported the dog officially missing, people in town have called the police and ACO repeatedly to report that they see the dog, they just can’t catch her.  Skittish and fast, it appears she’s friendly, scared, and hungry, very, very, hungry.  She’s made friends with every dog on the lake and dog owners as well.  People are leaving food for her, but she only eats a little for fear of being caught.  There are several rumors about her:  She was abused and ran off;  She got zapped by an electric fence and took off; and latest rumor is that her owners just moved and left her and a cat behind.  They say the cat was caught long ago.  There is no confirmation that any of these rumors are true, but one thing is for sure, she has been on the run for quite a while.  You can see every one of her ribs, and she is loaded with tics and scabs.  She has two different color eyes, one which looks to be husky, the other lab.  We really don’t know.  She looks to be very young.

Yesterday morning while approaching my house there was a small crowd on the street, and the dog was in sight, but not close enough to catch.  Everyone had treats for her, which she gladly accepted.  The moment anyone tried to catch her, like a flash, she was gone.  My friend and I were going to grab a bite to eat and stopped to ask the crowd if they caught the dog.  A nice couple told us no, but they’d been out there for hours trying.  I said I’d give it a shot and accepted the 3 mini dog treats presented to me as the last.  We locked eyes and seemed to connect.  I was talking while approaching her and although cautious, she did come to me and take the first treat.  Then she bolted after I gently patted her head.  She barely took the second treat before she bolted into the woods after seeing a leash being handed to me.  She knew exactly what it was and didn’t want any part of that!  Mark tied a noose out of a piece of rope he had in his truck.  I coaxed the dog back with the last treat in my right hand and the noose in my left.  As she skittishly took the treat I lobbed the noose and caught her.  She was frantically shaking her head and ultimately tightening the noose.  She made a gasp and I knew she couldn’t breath.  I loosened the noose and amazingly, she settled right down.  I talked to her, petted her and comforted her while her heart was beating a mile a minute.  She was scared, but she also seemed relieved to finally be caught.  She didn’t try to bite or scratch, she didn’t go crazy or wild.  She settled right down and you could almost hear her asking what should I do now?  A bowl of corned beef and a bowl of water were put in front of her.  She gobbled it up quickly and then proceeded to drink the waer.  She was so grateful.  It was at that minute I fell in love with her.  She is just a pup, probably a year old or so, lost and confused and scared, so, so scared. 

The police appeared in minutes.  The officer said they’d been trying to get her for weeks.  I asked him the procedure, he said they have to keep her for seven days.  Since no one has officially reported her missing, they’d have to see if anyone claims her.  I heard myself saying I’d keep the dog if no one claimed her.  He took my information and I walked the dog into the police car.  She was scared and pleading with her eyes not to leave her alone.  My heart was broken, but I knew she had to go.  I also knew she was safe, at least for the moment.

Last March I had to put my dog of almost 13 years down.  It was so painful.  I loved her so much.  She went everywhere with me until she couldn’t get in the truck anymore.  I decided after she died that I wouldn’t get another dog, I would wait until another dog got me.

My friend and I went to the pound to see the dog.  It had only been about 15 minutes but she was so happy to see us!  We were shocked at the facility she was kept in and my friend immediately and graciously went home to get an old dog bed he had to put in the kennel at the pound.  At least she wouldn’t be sleeping on a cold concrete floor.  I stayed with the dog and pulled ticks off her, talked to her and continued bonding with her.  She was confused, and still scared, but she was safe with food and water, and soon a bed.  My friend has a huge heart, he produced a bed, boat set cushions to put under the bed, a rawhide bone and a stuffed animal for the dog.  It was then I knew he loved her too.  She cried, moaned and barked when we left.  It was awful.  I had to go home that day but my friend visited her throughout the weekend.  Today I will call the officer on duty to ask about the dog.

I could have a dog by the weekend, but if not, I’m at least happy that she’s safe and out of the wild. She would have never survived the winter.  I’m surprised she lasted this long with coyotes looking for food.

After telling my brother this story, he said Consider Yourself “Got.”

I think I’ll call her Lizzy…