Funny how the Universe works!

Sometimes, (actually for me it's a lot more frequent than sometimes) I wonder what would I do if...  And, one of these "ifs" is if I find a stray dog on my way to work. Do I stop and try to get him to come to me and corral him in my car? Do I just watch and see where he might have come from or is going as I've done in the past? Do I stop, hop out and divert traffic? Some of this also rides on whether it's on a highway or in a residential area. Is he hurt and do I now take him to an emergency vet and then call work to say I'll be delayed? 


Well, this morning this wondering kind of got a response. As I turned onto the main road out of our hamlet and was making my way up the hill and curve, there in front of me was a large work truck in the oncoming lane stopped dead and a beautiful Bloodhound I've come to know by sight on the property, and his little black and brown companion, greeting that driver and each car and its occupants as it joined the line by barking and jumping up. These guys would've gotten hurt or killed for sure, especially since the little guy had a walking leash on, and you can't really see them until it's too late around the curve.         

Photo courtesy britannica.com. Not the dog from this story.

The Universe came into play in that I had called the town's dog wardens regarding this Bloodhound the week prior because he had been tethered to a big shade tree in a two-day torrential rain without shelter. He told me to contact the sheriff because it sounded like neglect bordering on abuse. I now have a great contact with a nice deputy who investigated the situation and straightened things out. We know the owner is a young, nice guy who loves his dogs, but my perspective of this type of behavior that I've had to get used to is a passed down generational thing that is accepted among country folk - dogs are outside animals. I just wanted him to know that people are watching and that there are Ag and Mkts laws that were created because of, and to prevent, neglect and abuse, and tethered dogs require adequate shelter. I also wanted to meet him in some capacity so I could offer some education and assistance should he be willing to accept it, without stepping over boundaries.


Well, here it was! That opportunity presented itself when I woke him up by honking when I pulled in and up the long driveway, calling the dogs off the road from his driveway (the Bloodhound looked like Marmaduke coming at a full gallop), and loudly calling to see if anyone was home and awake. He came out and I told him they were in the road and almost got hit twice (they were actually having a real ball!) and that the big guy looked like he broke his cable, and handed him the lead of the little guy (I still don't understand where he came from with a leash). We talked briefly and then introduced ourselves. He is a nice guy and I hope to go back and talk with him again since these furry fun makers were wet, gritty, dirty and very stinky. I didn't notice whether they were neutered and it wasn't the time to ask questions about shots. We'll leave that for another day. 


So, I left and went on my way to work a little dirtier and stinkier than when I left my house, and now I had an additional aroma reminiscent of skunk...oh yeah, I'll be visiting again :)


I smiled, though, as I drove away because I was happy with the answer I received to my wondering and content knowing that those two were safe. I still get whiffs of skunk and my own big boy loved all the smells I brought home on me and my car.