A year ago this weekend, Amanda, Tether & I headed off to breakfast on an uneventful, rainy Saturday morning. As the rain let up and the clouds hung in, the three of us took seats among ourselves outside the restaurant. The calm and quiet was, suddenly, interrupted by a handsome stray dog, who appeared out of nowhere to introduce himself to Tether. While the two made their exchange, Amanda and I noticed that this dog had no collar/no tags. Surely, this guy got loose from his home, and someone was looking for him. I switched into "Hero-mode" convinced that some little kid was in the backseat of their parents car crying their eyes out, while Mom & Dad drove around looking for this lost puppy.
As if I knew all along that this day would somehow come, I scooped him up and we went to a nearby Pet Supermarket. There, we learned of a local Animal Aid shelter that could help us. So, back in the car we all went (with a leash and collar, courtesy of PS), and I began taking photos with the intent of posting "Lost Dog Found" signs all around the shopping plaza where we'd found him.
If you've ever been to a Shelter - and I had never - you, then, know that there's a controlled chaos among the volunteers, who work there. Our long wait to be helped began to take its toll in the form of my becoming attached to this little guy. Figuring that once our work was done, I'd never see him again, I asked Amanda to take a few pictures to remember the day.
Once we could get some assistance, we were able to locate the owner through an implanted microchip. Strangely, it traced ownership back to the Shelter. I thought, "Great. Check your records, and I'll take him to the family that adopted him." Only problem was, they'd see a lot of abandonments of adoptive pets from their shelter in the past year, as a result of the poor economy. Sure enough, when the dog's Custodian was contacted through their records, all indications were that this was an abandonment. Unfortunately, not wanting to face any charges - or, possibly, from mere embarrassment - the individual insisted he wanted the dog back, even when it appeared to all involved that there was a clear case of neglect.
A week went by, where I called the Shelter every day, hoping the guy had returned with the dog asking them to find him a new home. No such luck. So, the following weekend, I showed up with a donation, as a thank you for their efforts. My last shot was to reach out to the "Owner," myself, and try to convince him that we were most interested in giving this dog a home, if he'd - in fact - felt that the challenge for him had become to great.
After nearly two hours of searching files trying to find the right contact information, the Shelter's Operator had a revelation. "Follow me!" she said, and led me back through to the rear of the facility. "Is that him?" and she pointed at a cage three high above the others...There he was, and dare I say, he was happy to see me! "Take him."
Turns out, during the week, this guy was returned to the Shelter by his "owner" complaining about his health. In fact, the punk kid didn't know just how sick the dog was. Without proper treatment, he had only a few months, at best.
We made sure he got that treatment, and a new name - Troy. (Yes, as in Pittsburgh Steelers Safety #43/2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Troy Polamalu.) Safe to say, Troy is very happy in his home with his new family, where he belongs.
He and Tether get along great, and none of us can remember a day without him. I'd never "rescued" a dog before, but it's true what people say - he knows it. Every morning he wakes up with an enthusiasm for the day ahead that inspires me. He's grateful for every little thing and takes every opportunity to show his appreciation.
"It's good to be a Hero."
And, it's good to be Best Buddies.
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