The Stray and the Ad

This afternoon I was taking Higgins down the street to the mailbox, it's a good short distance for an old dog to walk. As we're coming back to my front yard I see a pitbull type white/brown brindle dog with no collar on the corner 2 houses down. I make a kissy sound and say "hey puppy!" and he starts trotting over. I shoved Higgins inside and took the leash off before the dog came up, I've never seen the dog and I didn't want Higgins hurt. I crouch down and he comes right up and I loop the leash around his neck. Gotcha! He's super sweet, didn't struggle or give me any trouble at all. I crack the door open and tell the husband I have a stray dog on my leash and to please hand me my wallet so I can take him to the shelter. I take him to where I volunteer but they say dogs from my zip code have to go to the other shelter. So I take him over there and had to leave him in the car for about 10-15 minutes while I waited to talk with someone.. they need a better front desk, I was so worried I'd come back to a chewed up car or poop everywhere! Would be nice to have a fast check in, or a separate door for animal receiving like our shelter has. Finally my turn, I give them my info and his, where I found him, etc. and they give me a paper and send me around the side of the building to hand him over. I scurried out to the car to find him sitting nicely in the front seat. Got him out and handed him over, and asked if I could be contacted in case he wasn't chipped so I could put up flyers in my neighborhood. She said wait 2 seconds and she'd scan him. She came back and said he has a microchip!! I told her with my luck the dog lives just around the corner from me, and she laughed and said that happens all the time. As I was walking away I overheard her say to the other woman, "That lady handled that dog like he was her own." I took that as compliment to my leash handling skills and confidence. Made me grin! I sure do walk a lot of dogs. I'll probably call back tomorrow or Friday to make sure he was picked up- or at least that the chip info was current.

You can see some old injuries on his back leg ^

Once I got home I was checking my facebook and my friend sent me an ad from CL for a guy selling a husky puppy at 3 weeks old near us. He listed his cell and home number. I texted his cell, and explained my concern for puppies being adopted out that young, and why they need to stay with their mom and littermates. He said the parents are attacking the puppies. Ok, so you hand raise or get help from a rescue! You don't sell them!!! I ended it there (and had a trainer friend call too but they hung up on her) and I called a rescue foundation in that area and they said they'd take care of it. I also sent an email to the staff at the shelter to see what could be done.. I googled his land line so got an address I'd given to both of them. Shelter got back to me and said the rescue had no legal authority so tell them not to go or tip off the guy, they would send an officer from the shelter up there. So I called back and told them that. Whew! Now it's wait and see. If you sell puppies less than 8 weeks old in California, you face a fine of $250. Per puppy. Gonna try to sell puppies that young? I'll send Animal Control to your house! It is severely detrimental to the puppies to be separated so young. Of course sometimes there are special circumstances, but again you will then hand raise the puppies and/or seek outside help such as from a rescue to make sure they are being well socialized and can develop as normally as possible. You. Do. Not. Sell. Them.