I suppose it's appropriate, because she has a lot of heart.

Huge thunder storm rolled through--- I was driving up to 7-11 when I saw a dog in the middle of road---soaking wet and scared.

I opened my door and he hopped in... Well what do dogs do when they are wet? He was a long hair shetland type dog---and he started shaking the water out something fierce... I got soaked, my interior of the car got soaked---but the dog was happy.

Fortunately he had a tag and I was bale to locate his owner.

As you know there are many heart warming stories there, also the heart breaking ones. When it comes to our pets, I do what I can for them. Like many I am happiest in the company of animals. Thanks for the great story, my morning pick me up.

There is probably a very worried family out there.

Are you trying to spoil a feel-good story? Read the article. She placed an ad in the paper and notified the local shelter. No theft, just a rescue.

It just seems like from the description given - that the dog was apparently very well cared for, there is most likely a person or family out there to whom the dog belongs. It is not altogether unsurprising that they may be unaware of an ad in the paper.

Also, seeing as how this woman appears to have formed a bond with the dog quite quickly, won't it be difficult to return the dog to its rightful owner when and if that owner materializes?

Though, there are a lot of folks out there who don't really read newspapers anymore. I can't remember the last time I put my hands on an actual newspaper myself. Also, there is nothing to suggest that the dog owners did not post online. Maybe part of the problem is exactly that - one party putting out information the old fashion way while another uses more modern techniques. It is quite possible that the two just have not connected. But, of course, this is all speculation. I just would feel sorry for whoever lost the dog and can imagine an unpleasant situation when and if they do attempt to reclaim the pet from this woman.

I would be checking in with the shelter several times a day. In fact, when my cats have taken off, that is exactly what have done. Of course, I also checked Craigslist and the newspaper and put up signs. But each and every time, I found the cat through the shelter.

you buy a paper and look for ads. You also call all of the local shelters.

I'd prefer someone take my dog in to having the dog running around in the road.

I just can imagine the POV of the dog-owner. The woman in the article notes that the dog appears to have been well-cared for, implying that there is probably a person or persons out there who may be quite upset about losing their pet.

Can you elaborate on the point you are making? I am still confused. Thanks in advance.

"I called the newspaper and placed a found dog ad and also left a found notice at the shelter. A week later, no one had inquired and she joined Cava pack."

Is it not more likely that the dog was lost in the storm and the owners(s) could not track the dog down due to the weather conditions? Or at least somewhat likely? Again, the woman in the article describes the dog as having been very well cared for.

Edit to Add: Since the dog was going up to different cars, that indicates that the dog probably rides in cars a lot. This, in turn, implies that the dog was perhaps riding with a person or family, left the car, and then could not find the right car because of the storm.

Lots of pets are chipped now, and no one should "acquire" a stray dog without having it scanned.

That is a tad disturbing!

I once adopted a well trained purebred dog from the county animal control. He had been wandering around for a while before he got taken in to the shelter, getting skinnier and weaker.
I asked if he was lost, and, isn't someone missing their dog? The woman shook her head bitterly and assured me that he had no home. Every animal shelter gets strays all the time, and their owners don't come looking for them.

But about this dog, I guess nobody knows. But chances are, someone would have recognized the dog and told the previous owners about it by now.

I do realize that dogs (sadly) get abandoned every day, but, as you point out, with respect to this dog, it's hard to know what happened. I commend you for adopting that abandoned dog.

Would you have left the dog out in the traffic?

One of my dogs was a stray who just showed up in my yard one day. She looked cared for so we called the pound, put ads in the paper and hung signs all over the neighborhood but no one claimed her. If someone lost her, they werent trying very hard to find her. Sometimes people just dump their pets and sometimes they get lucky and are taken in by some kind soul like this woman before their health deteriorates or they're hit by a car.

Unless, of course, they were out-of-towners visiting for the holiday, which is what the author of the piece suggests.

In any case, I do commend her for making sure the dog was safe, but I think it was a bad idea to develop a bond so quickly especially when it was possible that another family had just lost their pet.

I'm not sure what else could have been done to help make the connection.

Was that not also a possible outcome?

Not even any tags. Owners had clearly abandoned the dog.

Most likely outcome was death if someone didn't rescue the dog.

That was what the author of the piece speculated - not that the dog was abandoned.

Well, that settles it. She should have just let the dog get hit by a car.

I am just suggesting that there is a fairly reasonable possibility that there was a family who was looking for this dog but unable to find it. Perhaps because, as the author speculated, they came from out of town.

No owners in sight.

I was driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway--there isn't much up there except scenery--and saw a black lab trotting along the road. I pulled over, opened the door, and the dog hopped in as if expecting a ride. There was a diner-type restaurant at the next rest area, so I stopped and ordered a cheeseburger and water for the dog. A woman there thought he belonged to someone living downridge and took the dog with her. Sure hope he found his way home.

he just snuck out for a free ride and cheeseburger

similar story-we found an abandoned kitten where we camp
made multiple attempts to find owner to no avail
camp ground owners said this happened all the time......

after 17 years ms holly died a few weeks back
I think we provided her with a good life

over so he wouldn't get hit...tried to coax him into the car, what finally worked was me sitting in the driver's eat and he hopped right in next to me...obviously he'd done that with whoever had abandoned him...good ending...got into the Humane Society adoption program and a new home.

Also, that is a very pretty dog up there.

four lanes of stop-and-start traffic. I got out of my car to try to get the dog who was boxed in the median strip, but no luck. A guy in a truck got to the dog, picked him up, and put him in the back seat of my car. The poor dog was old and almost blind! I took him home, then to a local vet with emergency service. Fortunately, he was chipped and reunited with his family that night. My plan was to keep calling the vet and not let him end up in the county shelter, because that would have ended badly. Fortunately, his family was found quickly. Phew.

Mine wasn't chipped or tagged or anything...and was pretty dirty so he'd been on his own for a while...also not neutered. People make me nuts.

Love it.

Good story, and good on them for taking her in.

And more are needed.


Great story thank you