To Ponder: Should Dumbasses Be Allowed to Own Dogs?
Monday, July 5, 2010 at 12:15 PM | Dena Harris 
Driving to the grocery store today, I saw two puppies cross the road in front of me (speed limit: 50) and start romping in some tall grass. I pulled into a side road and, seeing me, the puppies dashed across the street--ignoring traffic--and started jumping up on me.
There was a man at his house, fixing a tractor nearby.
"Excuse me, sir?" I called. "Are these your dogs?"
"Ay-huh."
"Okay, I just saw them cross the road and wanted to make sure they weren't lost."
He chuckled. "Nope." He slapped his legs and the puppies went running to him.
When I got home from the store, these two friendly beasts trotted up to greet me and tried to nudge their way into the house. They were panting, so I gave them water and a little dog food I keep on hand for strays. I've tangled with
that beige one before. I'm pretty sure the dogs belong to people nearby, maybe in the apartment complex behind us. But it galls me to no end to see dogs running up and down streets. Who knows who could grab them or what happens if a driver not paying attention comes along?
BTW, these two dogs are now conked out asleep in the shade of my front porch.
What's an animal lover to do?
9 Comments | Email | Print | Share | tagged Madison nc, animal shelter, stray dogs in Animal Rescue, Rants 
Reader Comments (9)
The picture of that one beige one perched at your front door with that "grin" on his face is adorable! That stinks that the owners are paying attention to them and taking care of them. Good luck!
He is so friendly too! Just a "happy-to-meet-you!" kind of dog.
I love that you keep spare food on hand for strays :)
And dumbasses shouldn't be allowed to do a lot of things...
I saw those dogs this morning during my run (about 9:30). Two town cops were trying to catch them and figure out what to do with them. They didn't have anywhere to keep them, one of the officers told me. The shorthaired dog was trailing a long chain at the time, but someone must have taken it off since it's not wearing it in your pics.
Iris - the cops came to my neighbors and got a chain on the short-haired dog. They told me he belongs to the house right behind the B&B. The long-haired dog had disappeared by that point.
These dogs OBVIOUSLY got word about what you did for Brenda...they're just coming by to thank you! Well...and maybe have a treat if you happen to have an extra... ;)
Sad thing is, you just know we'll see these two in the street again. Good fences make good dog owners—and good dogs.
I am the fortunate co-owner of Brenda. One of her new "sisters" looks a lot like the dog in your photo. The one we have is a rescue that a police officer found wandering. Why do people have dogs if they don't plan on loving them? I want to thank you, Al Walker, Ed Matthews, Sue Holland and everyone who was involved in saving Brenda. She seems very happy in her new forever home. We do indeed love her.
When I was a kid 30 years ago, there was no leash law and we didn't think anything was wrong with letting our dogs and cats roam. We thought our pets getting hit by cars (and most of them did) was a fact of life. Looking back, it seems like the dark ages. I can't imagine one of my babies getting hit by a car now.