The Great Dog Rescue
of 2007

Yesterday was a good day. I had my first successful individual hands-on dog rescue. I used to be the vice president of an animal rescue group and was part of a team in "rescuing" cats and dogs. But this was the first time I was able to successfully help a lost dog find his way back home.

I have tried to do this three other times but it didn't work out. The first time was when I lived in Nashville, Tennessee about fifteen years ago. I lived on the river and saw a dog stuck across the bank on a pile of rocks. My husband got him loose and we took him home to our very small house. Because I had a dog who didn't like other dogs, we tied the dog to our carport. My husband took him to the (no kill) shelter but they were full so then he took him to one of the other shelters in town since it was cold out and we couldn't leave him tied outside at our place. We told the workers to call us at the end of the dog's "time" in seven days if they hadn't found the owners or a new home for the dog. I called them back about four days later and was dismayed to find out that they put him down. I was very upset and angry. Come to find out, that shelter had been doing this sort of thing for quite a while. About a year later, many concerned citizens and country music stars got together and major changes were made to that shelter.

You could say that the experience with that first rescued dog was what led me into animal rescue and animal welfare. I guess I feel that I owe it to that dog to do what I can to help save the lives of the other innocent cats and dogs out there.

My second rescue attempt occurred in Traverse City right after I moved here. Apparently, I saved a dog from his own front yard. He was wandering too close to Three Mile Road without a collar or tag. After visiting a few houses in the neighborhood, I found out that the dog lived exactly where I had picked him up at. I put him back in his yard, gave him a lecture, and I left a note on the door for the owners asking them to at least buy their dog a collar and a tag.

My third attempted rescue happened up in the Holiday Hills area a few years ago. This dog did not want to be caught and I finally gave up after about two hours because it was obvious that I wasn't fast enough to catch him. From this lesson, I learned that if I (or you) intend to help lost dogs, you really need an "emergency box" in your trunk with three things - treats, a collar and a leash. These things will come in very handy someday. Trust me. You can thank me later.

And now this story leads us to yesterday. I was driving to work (my full time job) and ready to turn into the alley behind the building. A cop had stopped two cars near the alley which made me drive slower than usual. After I passed the cop, I saw a beautiful Golden Retriever walking through the heavy snow showers. I pulled off to the side of the road and opened my car door. He jumped in the back seat. He was beautiful and very friendly. He seemed to enjoy the warm place to hang out. I parked my car, took off his collar and then went inside to call the dog's owner. His name was Dexter - the dog, that is. The owner was out of town but he said one of his employees would pick up the dog for him. About twenty minutes later, Dexter left with his owner's employee and went to "work" for the day. My happy ending which has eluded me for years had finally come true. I couldn't have received a better Christmas present.