Finding Lost Dog

[brightdoglover]

I will not abandon her. If Lori for whatever reason absolutely will not keep her, of course I will take her (with trepidation). Lori hasn't said she won't keep her but sounds like she doesn't want to come out and say anything. Of course if she really won't keep her, I'll be thrilled to have her. Lori loves her so much and sees how much Brandy loves her. She didn't save Brandy "for me," she saved Brandy for Brandy. I certainly had no idea to what lengths one can go to catch a dog who is ranging in fear over 25 miles in radius and running from people and food. It was Lori who organized volunteers for a gazilion posters and came up here almost every night to try and see her and catch her. I was only a peripheral helper (both our phone numbers were on the posters).

I don't mean that because she worked so unbelievably hard to get Brandy back that she's now obligated to keep her. In fact, when she was captured, Lori had already told me that no one but her is to go and fetch her. I thought I'd be meeting them at the 24-hour vet in my area, and Lori just went and got her and when I called her, said she was taking her to her vet, which made sense since she had an understanding with her vet about rescued animals and thaat vet specialized in emaciation. When Brandy went nuts when Lori tried to leave her at the vet, the vet told her to take Brandy home and continue her care there. I could have done the same care- meds and tiny feedings- but my household isn't quiet enough and would have been stressful, since I'm a stranger to her.

I feel Brandy has made it clear whose dog she is and it will be unkind if Lori wants her to live *anywhere* else. I will not screw Lori and refuse if she genuinely wants me to take her. However, I do think that Brandy is frantic to stay with Lori and will not give me the chance to become a trusted person, but will want to escape again.

I am not a bad person who will stick Lori with the dog she went so far to save. We both want her. I think Brandy belongs with Lori, clearly. I'll wait for Lori to say so. You are right to point out my wording.

[brightdoglover]

Add: Correct that my taking other rescue dogs recently has no bearing on my taking Brandy. Several rescues had been sort of up in the air and came together at the same time. My new two are very calm and wouldn't present any problem except for being part of a stranger's household for Brandy.

[jenniferL]

Awesome news that Brandy was found!

[brightdoglover]

If you'd like, google "Lowell Sun wandering pooch" for the whole rescue story.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Add: Correct that my taking other rescue dogs recently has no bearing on my taking Brandy. Several rescues had been sort of up in the air and came together at the same time. My new two are very calm and wouldn't present any problem except for being part of a stranger's household for Brandy.

This isn't a bash. I'm posting this hoping it helps you as you continue to share your life with homeless dogs who are lucky to find your generosity. You clearly have a big heart. And plenty of other people with big hearts have taken on more than they can handle as a practical matter. Especially with "rescue". Even though you are not a rescue.

Read your own words.

In fact, when she was captured, Lori had already told me that no one but her is to go and fetch her.

Lori hasn't said she won't keep her but sounds like she doesn't want to come out and say anything

I thought I'd be meeting them at the 24-hour vet in my area, and Lori just went and got her and when I called her, said she was taking her to her vet, which made sense since she had an understanding with her vet about rescued animals and thaat vet specialized in emaciation. When Brandy went nuts when Lori tried to leave her at the vet, the vet told her to take Brandy home and continue her care there. I could have done the same care- meds and tiny feedings- but my household isn't quiet enough and would have been stressful, since I'm a stranger.

Lori has said she doesn't want to take Brandy away from me.

I feel she's just being diplomatic. How is she "taking Brandy away from you" when you only had her for 3 hours? The legal ownership is a mere formality. As you point out it's all about a calm healing environment where she is feeling stable.

I'm going to be honest here so you know what I meant. First, you WORK. And have INCREASED your work load with two more dogs. Brandy would need MORE HELP than before the escape. LOTS more. As you described. And part of that HELP is a STABLE calm environment with a pack leader.

Second, while you had good intentions and experience apparently, I would NEVER EVER in a million years bring a 14 year old special needs rescue home, put them in the back yard with other dogs to run around wild, and then compound that with taking my eyes off them. ANYTHING could have happened. And regardless, that's not a stable calm environment for a dog to GET TO KNOW her new OWNER. The pack leader. PLUS have to deal with other dogs there all at once. Dogs are individuals. Each with their own "thing" and personalities. They speak their own language and Brandy had to evaluate each one. Maybe she doesn't even know HOW to do that given her background. Of course she bolted. You describe the scene as chaos and you were merely an observer in her view. In fact she had no view because you left her out there. She had NO bond with you. She didn't know you only went in for her dog food or whatever it was. NO, I wasn't there but going by your explanation.

YES, I realize that you were interpreting her as "having a blast". But she's a dog not the one who knows what's best for her. Just when she was figuring out that YOU were the pack leader...you weren't.

I'm not surprised if you feel differently - this was a very traumatic, exhausting and upsetting thing that happened. You and Lori are obviously both rattled and given the discussion so far it seems you both need some distance. It's understandable; how could she NOT be upset/ticked off. But I'm just being objective. And I realize people don't all agree about stable packs.

For you to say that taking in yet two MORE dogs wouldn't interfere with your time and Brandy's recovery just doesn't compute with me. Except that you're using your heart not really logic. YMMV.

[brightdoglover]

If Lori's being diplomatic, it would be a first!
Brandy was in the yard with one other dog (a very small dog) and they were actually playing between her running around the yard. I didn't think of her as special needs, just that Lori said she could be shy. (There's an understatement, but she hadn't seemed shy when I picked her up). But no, it's not a calm environment. I tend to think it is because there are no other people, especially children, here, and most of my dogs are old and not very active, but you're right.

My way of taking in a new dog, especially a shy one, is to let them be themselves without putting pressure on them to respond or not be shy. Just try to act normal and let them settle in.

If Lori is being diplomatic and really wants to keep Brandy, I'll be relieved. I certainly assume her care and bond take full precedence over any formal agreement, although she did ask me to take Brandy (I'd adopted other seniors from her and she knew my household). She doesn't have to be delicate, whether it's because she knows Brandy is so bonded to her it's the only thing to do, or she doesn't trust me or even if she's angry. We're both blunt people and I'm a big girl. I thought she was dancing around the subject of Brandy's home because she felt it was incorrect for her to take her home and keep her. I'd be thrilled if she would just come out and say it. It's not like her to be so careful, so I wondered what she is thinking.

My original adoption from her was the late Artie, who she dearly loved and brought back from abuse over a year and he couldn't get adopted because of his fear growling. He did very well at my house. Lori came up and visited him once and I took him down a few times to say hello. He was a joy and lived to be 16. I also got Georgie from her, a snaggle-toothed ancient shepherd mix who lived 3 1/2 years when he was sort of a hospice placement. Then Lori asked me to take another dog, a presumably abandoned-outside old female. Turns out she was quite young, not spayed and climbed the fence and ran through the neighborhood over and over. She was quite the merry ride for 14 months until she attacked my senior and opened my ankle up to the bone when I went to protect him, and I had to put her down.

Just saying that Lori knows my household and asked me to take Brandy, but I have no issue if she wants to keep her, for whatever reason, and I firmly feel it's the right thing for both Lori and certainly for Brandy.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Maybe it's unfair to jump to conclusions, but considering how Brandy was captured, this seems like the way one should NOT try to capture a dog. Poor pooch:
10News - Dog stunned by Taser remains on loose in East County neighborhood - 10News.com - News

Since I brought up the story of the poor stray in SoCal who was stunned by cops and escaped, here's the happy ending to that story! She managed to escape over to a neighboring town which is managed by San Diego County, not the city of El Cajon where she was stunned, and the county uses more humane methods to catch strays. But it was a local "Lori" rescuer who tracked her down and caught her, and now she's safe, and will be rehabilitated and put up for adoption . If you click on the link, you'll see her, a lab-terrier mix.
10News - Stray dog stunned by stun gun found in Santee - 10News.com - News

[brightdoglover]

Another dog that knows how to get from place to place! Thanks for posting a good story.