Taking in a Lost Dog

Hello Brigitte,

I whole heartily agree with you about the reasons for having a dog.

My spouse had commented a few times about having a dog but we both agreed it wasn't time because of our work schedules and the fact we have 4 cats ( total of 5 in the winter time since we babysit her for those months ). They are all indoor cats and seems like each one of them wants to be the "boss"!!

But last June we were visiting his parents in upstate New York when a neighbor down the dirt road approached me in the driveway asking if anyone was looking for a lost dog. He had found her walking in the busy highway by his house! I looked in the truck and there she was "cowered" by the gas peddles looking so pathetic. So I thought maybe this was a "set up" between my spouse and neighbor because coincidentally we were just talking about a dog the night before with his parents! But it wasn't .

The neighbor already had 2 dogs of his own and certainly didn't want this one so I thought if we brought her back to Vt. I could find a good home for her.

Before we left we had posted a picture of her in the area and left our telephone number. When we got home I also posted her on a site for lost and found animals to which I only got 2 calls. 2 months had gone by with no luck and we had ourselves attached to her so she's been with us since!

The vet feels she might be as old as 10yrs. She has a sight and hearing problem and is often incontinent so we buy the puppy pads.

One of the cats uses it as well at times. This cat has been peeing about a year on the floors and scatter rugs!!! She's been treated twice for UTI, and I have invested a lot of money into "products" to deter and clean cat urine!!! I don't have the heart to put her down . I think it has now become a behavioral problem and we are continuing to solve it.

So back to the dog. She has a good life with us even though we've discovered her bad temperament at times and will bite if front paws are touched or try to groom her!! She doesn't mind a bath and seems to enjoy having the blow dryer on her and runs like a puppy all over the house when we're done with her!! That's the only time she's playful.

She has her own "log bed" that my spouse made and a comfy bed downstairs. She's very fussy with the food. Lots of trials and errors!!! Not to mention money. It has altered our life a bit with walks and taking responsibilities that goes with having a dog so we "adjust " our lives around hers so to speak.

We're giving it our best shot!!!

Judy Moscatello