So, hey, check out this little piece of awesomeness that just fell into our lives.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESv-03yX0AEsljq?format=jpg&name=medium
Here's the long-short version of the story:
Wednesday night when I got home from work, my wife said, "There's a dog at the back of the driveway, sitting against the fence." I went out and found this wet, shivering little baby cowering in the rain. I wrapped her in a blanket and brought her in, got her calmed down, dry and warm and gave her a little water and dry cat food.
We took her to our vet's office to get scanned for a microchip. They found one, and told us they'd provide our information to the chip tracking company. We went home and posted a "found dog" alert on several Facebook groups, Nextdoor, our city's "Found Pets" page on their website, and some other locations. We also talked to a friend, Anne, who works at the local Humane Society, and she brought us a crate, a dog bed, some toys and a bunch of donated dog food and treats.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESwEd-QXQAEEax8?format=jpg&name=medium
We heard nothing else Wednesday night. We checked her out health-wise; her teeth and gums are in great shape, and her coat is clean, with no "dog smell." But her nails had clearly not been clipped for quite a while, and she hadn't been brushed or had any hair trimmed. She's also a bit overweight, which for dachsunds can cause major spinal problems. (She appears to be a purebred dappled dachsund.)
Thursday we got a call from our vet, and the story started to get weird. After providing our info to the chip tracker and not getting a response, they called the company. Because the registered owner's information was listed as "private" they had need to call to confirm they were a veterinary facility. Upon doing so, they were given the contact information. They were called and were told by the woman who answered, named Elaine, that she used to have a dog but had to give her away because she lived in an apartment. She gave her to someone at another apartment building where she worked, who in turn gave her to a THIRD person. The dog is three years old and had been given the name Chrissy. Elaine told the vet that, if this third person "for some reason doesn't want the dog back," that she would be willing to take her because she is in a house now.
They gave us Elaine's contact info, and we in turn took it to our friend Anne, asking if she and the Humane Society would contact on our behalf. After being told the whole deal, they agreed it sounded fishy and full of red flags. Thursday, Friday and the weekend went by without our hearing anything else. We had bought the dog a collar, a food bowl, and some additional toys; and a dog-groomer friend of Anne's came over and clipped her nails, which she told us had not been done for months.
Yesterday, my phone rang and it was the aforementioned Elaine. She repeated the story she had told the vet's office, but which more details which, uh, did not help make her case. First off, she was really kind of snotty and hostile. She confirmed that she was the dog's original owner, but gave her away when she couldn't keep her in an apartment. She had given her away to someone in an apartment building about two hours from our house. For some period of time, this second person had both this dog, and a puppy that she had at some unspecified point. The puppy is apparently completely blind, which is what happens about 30% of the time when you breed two dogs who both have the dapple/merle gene.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESwDCknWAAA-lba?format=jpg&name=medium
This second person then gave her to a third person but, I believe, kept the blind puppy? Elaine had gone over to try to speak to this third person, and either nobody was home or the person was not answering the door. (This person apparently uses a wheelchair, which I'm not sure has any bearing on the issue.) Also, and this was the kicker that sets off a blaring red siren, she found the dog's carrier outside the building, sitting open with some dog food. That spells "abandonment."
She once again said that she'd like to have the dog back. At this point, with so many danger signals -- the apparent abandonment, being re-homed three times in three years, being let out with no tags or license, and no way of knowing if she was vaccinated or spayed -- I told a white lie. I told her we had surrendered the dog to the Humane Society, and that I would give them her contact information. In a way, it's true -- what we're doing right now is fostering on their behalf until this is figured out.
We contacted Anne again, and she consulted with the head of the HS (who is also an attorney) and the person who handles their dog placements. They all agreed on the following:
1. Even if they can reach the third person in this chain, under no circumstances will they return the dog to her, as the person is clearly unwilling or unable to care for the dog, and appears to have abandoned her.
2. Elaine has no legal claim to the dog at all. Whatever the microchip registration says, she never got the dog a license from the county and does not currently possess the dog.
3. Since the dog is in our possession, we are free to return her to either party if we want, to foster her on behalf of the HS, or to keep her.
We agree that neither of these people should get the dog, so right now, we are fostering her with an eye towards permanent adoption. If she can learn not to chase/bark at our cats we will be in good shape. She's bonded very quickly, and is both housebroken and well-trained on the leash.
She wasn't really responding to the name "Chrissy," and we just lost a beloved cat by that name last year. Traditionally, our pets get Star Wars names, so after some discussion we settled on Rose. (Which was also my grandmother's name.) She's a total sweetheart and I hope this all works out!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESwFY0RXkAI2xiH?format=jpg&name=large
― Bougy! Bougie! Bougé! (Eliza D.), Tuesday, 10 March 2020 15:38 (five years ago)