This Makes Me Mad!

[Leslie and Halas]

A couple and friends and I are in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri this weekend.  My friends went outside to get something out of the car, and they found a lost dog.  She had a collar and tags, but the info on the tags was for a vet and a home in Michigan.  The dog looked kind of old, she had a sore on her eye, some flies were hanging around her, she smelled pretty bad, and she was limping a little bit.  We gave her some water and some cheese, which she seemed to really appreciate.  She looked to us like she had been lost for awhile. She's a black dog, and it's already 84 degrees here with a heat index of 98.  So we call the numbers we can find on the tags to try to contact someone.  There apparently isn't an animal control office here, and the shelter doesn't open until a little bit later.  So we leave messages where we can, and we're just thinking about what to do next.  I decide to check with the neighbors to see if they've seen this dog before.  Turns out, it's their dog!  We're in a condo on a lake.  There's no fenced in area or anything for dogs.  She's 17 1/2 years old.  She was kind of in trouble because she'd pooped on the floor, so they put her outside.  Unattended!  At 17.5 years old! In a heat index of 98!  With no drinking water for her outside!  They obviously weren't watching for her, because we were sitting out there for about 30 minutes with her.  If Halas makes it to 17.5 years old, I'd like to think that I wouldn't be too angry with him if he accidentally pooped on the floor.  How long can a 17.5 year old dog hold it anyway?  So I'm angry that they just put her out there. But I'm also angry about the state she was in.  I understand that she's old, but does that mean she can't have a bath?  Based on her appearance, we were concerned that she'd already been lost for a few days.  She's lived this long, so they've obviously taken good care of her.  I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume that she's just kind of a mess because they're on vacation, and not doing their normal grooming, etc.  But it still irritates me.  They were nice about it, and we had a good laugh about how we saved their dog about 10 feet from her own front door.  And explained to them that they'd probably have some phone messages when they got back to home and work.  Also, the dog probably played it up a bit, enjoying the extra attention.  Overall, a good result, because at least she wasn't really lost.  All's well that end well, I guess.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

What horrible people. The dog tag thing is such an easy problem to solve. I have multiple tags on Gracie Doodle. No way is someone going to NOT find me!!! We have the home phone, my cell phone and also my husbands...along with our address. Yes, out of cell area can be a problem. But, usually you are coming back into it soon enough to get your messages I would hope. We were just in a bad cell area for 9 days without Gracie but every now and then we would be a a specific spot and the messages or e-mails would load in. No way would I ever put my baby out side in a strange place and not fenced!! Maybe you should pay them another visit and ask how the dog is doing and let them know your concern???? Like my husband says "what have you got to lose, you'll never see them again!"

[Leslie and Halas]

The owner must have ended up checking her voicemail eventually, because she did send my friend who had called her a nice text. She thanked us for taking the time to help her dog when we thought she was lost. So maybe she realized that getting lost or wandering off is a definite possibility for her dog, and she'll keep a closer eye on her from now on.

[shelly]

You know... EVERY day I am more impressed with the type of people we have as members on this wonderful site! All day today I have been reading about the greatness of all of you! I hope I can live up to the type of people all of you are! It just warms my heart!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Many old dogs do stink and get sores. I know my mom's Westie was bathed every month of her life and with special baths and by the next bath time, she stunk. And I know other old dogs who develop skin conditions. I think they were in vacation mode, got worried about messing up the rental, and just didn't think clearly. Not an excuse, but a possible explanation.

[Leslie and Halas]

Yeah, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on the grooming. They do own the place (so it's not a rental), but they are still probably on at least a short vacation, and I know that some older dogs just can't handle the stress of grooming. After thinking through everything, it was really just leaving the dog out without supervision in this heat that bothered me the most. We were sitting out there for at least 20 minutes, and no one had even looked out the window or stepped outside to check on her. I'm trying to think that they truly care about her, and they just weren't thinking about the heat or other dangers of her being out there alone. Maybe they will now, after seeing how concerned we were about her.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree, the leaving her out alone in the heat was the worst part. At that age, they can get disoriented even if they're in familiar surroundings.
Nancy, I'd forgotten about that business with some old dogs giving off an odor from their skin. It happened to my poodle the last few months of her life.

[Deirdre]

Leslie, I commend for showing so much concern for this dog. But........since I read this yesterday it's been eating at me so I need to tell a different perspective, non vacationer. Did the owners own the condo? Was the dog used to spending his summer at the lake?
We have a family cabin on a lake in Ca. Bear my 12.5 yr Chessie has grown up at the cabin during the summer. It gets to 95 degrees sometimes hotter. No matter how many times I put fresh water out for him to drink he always runs to the lake for a drink.
Bear's OLD and dying he stinks, reallly stinks............ my house stinks. I bath him and 2 days later he stinks. No matter how many times I brush Bear he looks like a Hobo. He's old and he's given me many years of love and companionship so my house smells I can handle that. When he goes to the rainbow bridge the carpets will be cleaned.
If he pees in the cabin I shove him outside always keeping a watchful eye on him while I clean it up. It puts smiles on my face when he meets someone new and they pet him and offer him treats (I'm watching) and he's eating up the attention and any treats he gets. I have my 800 work # + cabin # + Home # + other home # on his tags. Bears old he has sores on him I have sprays and goop to apply to them and the vet bills for them.
The owner's of the dog you found? love their dog, he's 17.5 yrs. old, he stinks and they allow him in the house. While you and your friends were playing with him his owners were most likely watching and smiling. If this is his summer home, 10 feet away from the front door is real close to home.
Compassion is a wonderful virtue.






joined him.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm glad you posted this Deirdre; I hope that's the case with this dog, it makes me feel much better. :)

[Deirdre]

Karen, I'm sure it is. Gee he's 17.5 yrs old he didn't get to that age without love and a lot of care. Look at it this way; they could have left the stinky old dog in a kennel and gone off on vacation with no worries of poop in the house, but they didn't.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yup, two sides to every story and I hope so, too.

[Kyoko]

It was really nice of you to help her out.... She could have heat exhaution....... I know my Chow Chow - almost 16 - can't take much of the heat.... To me, having a dog that is really old is like an honor.... He provided us with security when my kids were little, and taught them to be kind and empathetic. Yes, they do need special care, just like a 90 year old human.....
I hope your kindness got their attention to think about their dog, even while vacationing....

[shelly]

You are so right, Kyoko... having an elderly dog is truly an honor!