I love animals - I always have. I've had cats nearly all my life and in 2003, my husband and I adopted an incredibly gentle and sweet pup. The cats are still unsure of him, but we love him to pieces! Whenever there is a news story on TV about animal abuse, I have to change the channel immediately because nothing brings me to tears faster than hearing about cruelty to helpless animals.
Some past clients/friends of mine adopted a puppy two years ago and called him Diesel. Diesel was a crazy, zany, sweet black dog with loads of energy. He had a much different home life than our dog, and I feel that's what contributed to his wild nature. The main points of difference: he was never neutered; he lived outside in a cage and was seldom let inside; if let inside, he could only be on a blanket in one room; he was never microchipped; and he did not wear a dog tag & collar. What he did have in common with my dog is that he got to come to work most days with the man of the house, and both this dog and my dog are in love with my husband.
We were sad to learn that Diesel had run away last week when his owner accidentally forgot to turn on the electric fence. The dog weaseled his way out of his cage/kennel area and ran away from home. This has happened at least one time before but he was found and returned a day or two later. Our friends were hopeful that he would come back on his own, so they waited and waited six days for him to return.
My husband is also good friends with this couple, and on day six he asked if they had called the local vets, humane society and the pound. To our dismay, our friends hadn't thought of making those calls yet. I don't believe they posted any "missing dog" signs and from what I understand, they did not call any businesses to let them know their dog was missing.
Sadly, when the dog's guardian finally did call the pound, it was two hours after Diesel had been euthanized. The two year old pup had been with animal control for four days and they could not adopt him out because he was too nippy and rambunctious. His owners are sad and are coping with this in their own way, but my husband and I are crushed. It's difficult to even type about this because in our world, pets are family members and to us, it feels like our friends have lost a son.
It's going to take some time for my husband and I to get over the shock and sadness of this terrible thing that happened to an innocent animal. I urge everyone to get their pets microchipped so that you can be identified as the owner. Keep your address updated with the vet so when you move, you can still be contacted! License your pet and include a tag with their name and your contact info. Put those tags on your pet's collar. If your pet goes missing, waste no time and call the local vets, animal hospitals, humane society, and the local animal control center. If that's too hard to do, call ME and I will call for you.
Our dog was stolen from our home and went missing when he was six months old. I've been through that scare before. We took immediate action, notifying family and friends and took ads out in the paper, knocked on all the neighbors doors with flyers, and finally found him several miles and a few counties away from home.
Lastly, and most importantly, cherish and love your pet. This animal was chosen by you and you agreed to care for him. You provide for all of its needs and he relies fully on you for love, shelter, food, fresh water and care. I know we snuggled our pets a little tighter last night, and I encourage you to hug your pets today, too.
If you need information for another local county, just ask. Here's the information for a few places in King County - just follow the links below:
Seattle Humane Society - this is a great resource with phone numbers and what to do if you lose a pet. Click "Found Animals" if you have found an animal and don't know what to do.
Learn more about how and why to microchip a pet.