I guess the best way to introduce this is to say that above and beyond anything else, I’m a stray dog magnet. When dogs on long leashes round the corner I perk up and start walking faster – “HE HAS AN OWNER!” Mister will shout, laughing. And I have to slow myself down and laugh at myself.

My family has a German Shepherd/Huskey mix  who we’ve had for about 6 years, we got her from the humane society and delivered her into our home and eventually our back yard, only for her to jump the fence. Upwards of six or ten times. She would dart head first into traffic, running blind and terrified, covering 30 blocks or more in no time flat. I remember coming home from school and racing to the back yard, praying that she hadn’t found a new way to get out – and the panic of driving up and down streets shouting for her.

The relief that the whole family would feel when we finally got the phone call from one of many elderly couples in the area who had found her sleeping in an exhausted stupor on their front steps made me cry every time. We built the fence higher and higher, extending it with makeshift additions, and worked with her until she calmed. Five years later she is a normal girl, and is one of the most carefree dogs I know. A total testament to my mom’s commitment to responsive animal handling. And fence building.

I know the emotions I’ve gone through when a pet has been lost, so finding someone’s pet? It’s just about  winning the lottery for me. I get to take them home!

About a month ago I took the boys for a walk and when I got about seven houses away from home I saw a boxer-looking guy trotting towards us with his head low. No leash. No people around.

JACKPOT!

I tied up the boys, took a few casual steps away from them and then dropped down and called him over. He just about turned inside out with the excitement of making a new friend – young dogs are so much fun. I grabbed him and we went back to the house to play in the back yard until Mister was home and we could drive to the humane society.

He sat in my lap the whole way and bounded with out abandon into the arms of the veterinary assistant when we arrived.

The thing that amazes me about finding stray dogs is that they’re all so different – some are thrilled to be found, others have been close to busy streets long enough to be completely rattled and skittish. Watching The Dog Whisperer has been great for tips on how to approach different kinds of dogs. If someone is hiding out under a truck, shaking & scared I don’t make eye contact anymore. I’ll walk sideways towards it until I’m 8 feet away and then turn completely around and crouch down. After staying like that for some time I’ll back up until I’m 4 feet away, and suddenly there are little paws coming out from under the truck to see who this person is.

It’s surprising how quickly fear gives way to curiosity. It’s surprising to me that they so honestly just want to be found, almost no matter what they’re coming from.

You can’t get a better reminder about being open to change than you can from a dog, hey? My little guys remind me of that always, along with reminding me that I have a lot to learn from them in that respect.