I Found Your Dog Today...
I found your dog today. No, he has not been adopted by anyone.
Most of us who live out here own as many dogs as we want,
those who do not own dogs do so because they choose not to.
I know you hoped he would find a good home when you left him out here,
but he did not. When I first saw him he was miles from the nearest house
and he was alone, thirsty, thin and limping from a burr in his paw.
How I wish I could have been you as I stood before him. To see his tail
wag and his eyes brighten as he bounded into your arms, knowing you
would find him, knowing you had not forgotten him. To see the
forgiveness in his eyes for the suffering and pain he had known in his
never-ending quest to find you...but I was not you. And despite all my
persuasion, his eyes see a stranger. He did not trust. He would not
come.
He turned and continued his journey; one he was sure would bring him to
you. He does not understand you are not looking for him. He only knows
you are not there, he only knows he must find you. This is more
important than food or water or the stranger who can give him these things.
Persuasion and pursuit seemed futile; I did not even know his name. I
drove home, filled a bucket with water and a bowl with food and returned
to where we had met. I could see no sign of him, but I left my offering
under the tree where he had sought shelter from the sun and a chance to
rest. You see, he is not of the desert. When you domesticated him, you
took away any instinct of survival out here. His purpose demands that he
travel during the day. He doesn't know that the sun and heat will claim
his life. He only knows that he has to find you.
I waited hoping he would return to the tree; hoping my gift would build
an element of trust so I might bring him home, remove the burr from his
paw, give him a cool place to lie and help him understand that the part
of his life with you is now over. He did not return that morning and at
dusk the water and food were still there untouched. And I worried. You must
understand that many people would not attempt to help your dog.
Some would run him off, others would call the county and
the fate you thought you saved him from would be preempted
by his suffering for days without food or water.
I returned again before dark. I did not see him. I went again early the
next morning only to find the food and water still untouched. If only
you were here to call his name. Your voice is so familiar to him. I
began pursuit in the direction he had taken yesterday, doubt
overshadowing my hope of finding him. His search for you was desperate,
it could take him many miles in 24 hours.
It is hours later and a good distance from where we first met, but I
have found your dog. His thirst has stopped, it is no longer a torment
to him. His hunger has disappeared, he no longer aches. The burrs in his
paws bother him no more. Your dog has been set free from his burdens,
you see, your dog has died.
I kneel next to him and I curse you for not being here yesterday so I
could see the glow, if just for a moment, in those now vacant eyes.
I pray that his journey has taken him to that place I think you hoped
he would find. If only you knew what he went through to reach it...and I
agonize, for I know, that were he to awaken at this moment, and (if) I
were to be you, his eyes would sparkle with recognition and his tail would
wag with forgiveness.--author unknown
If you feel as heartbroken as I do after reading this go to Help the Homeless Dogs!
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6 comments:
My eyes filled with tears while I was reading this ode to a poor sad abandoned dog.
Thank you so much for posting this on your blog. If it softens the heart of one thoughtless human being or brings comfort and a loving home for one dog than your mission will have reached the target audience
That's how I feel about it, too, Socratoad.
Thanks for posting this, Ginger. How heartbreaking but I know, only too common in this sick world of many heartless people which we live in. There is so much truth in the quote "A man's soul can be judged by the way in which he treats his dog" It's so true ...
i live in a dog unfriendly place although being in rural utah it should be go to platoonoffour for the history of this problem, but in a nutshell here it is....we have two labs who were owned by mean neighbors, they were always in chains tangled up never being able to move, never fed or watered, we adopted them and built a nice kennel for them, but because we live barely in city limits, we were watched by the cops, now mind you in the city they ran and i was called in court for DOG AT LARGE and wanted me to pay a fine of 50 dollars, well i offered my services to the local library(this is all documented on barlowputz.blogspot.com) well just before the week i worked at the libray they issued a warrent for my arrest...to any police officer in the state of utah, bring this man to jail day or nitght, the dogs aren't really even mine, my son cares for them and takes them in the hills for runs, and now see pltoonoffour for details on the deer adventures..really you can't miss this
ya my dad almost we willing to go to jail for my dogs
Putz and Daniel, I'm glad that you are concerned about your rescued dogs and are taking good care of them. It sounds like they got a raw deal from their previous owners. Now you have to confine them to a pen or keep them on leash so that they don't run loose anymore.
It's a terrible thing when dogs behave badly and hurt other creatures. I once had a beautiful big dog who felt such a need to dominate other dogs that she became too aggressive and began to attack them. She tried to kill my neighbor's cocker spaniel--and would have if I hadn't pulled her off in time. When she started harming other dogs I had to stop letting her run loose--she forfeited her freedom.
From then on she had to stay in her pen, in the house, or on leash. Even on leash when she saw another dog she strained and pulled, trying to get to it to maul it. It was horrible. With people she was as gentle as could be, but it was just her nature to be an "alpha" and she hated smaller dogs. In order to protect other dogs (and due to my own financial/legal liability) I had to do the responsible thing and curtail her freedom. It sounds like that is what you have to do with your dogs, too, even though they love to run. I wish you, and your dogs, well.
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