Kids Say the Darndest things...

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Lol. Today we had a family get-together in a local park, and were joined by a stray dog. Well I'm a sucker, and he was skinny, and it was a hot Texas day........so yeah, I tossed a burnt hamburger patty his way, and a bite or two of a hot dog, and gave him a good drink of water. (Yeah okay, so that's not healthy--it was the only meal he'd had in a loooong time by the looks of it, and around here...well, not everyone is as generous to stray dogs. Don't jump me and accuse me of trying to kill the dog by giving a strange dog scraps who could quite possibly have a food allergy. If this is your intention then please discontinue reading this post and leave me the hell alone. Thank you.)

Ahem...as I was saying, he stuck around the whole time he was there, and he was awful cute. He had the markings and body of a Catahoula, with a Pit Bull head. And a sweetheart! I fell for him. Of course, I couldn't take in another dog, and the shelter was closed. But I decided I'd return tomorrow to check on him, and if he stayed, then I'll keep an eye on him till I can get him to a shelter or a home. Anyway...
My cousin's daughter is 3, and very outgoing---to everyone, dogs and people alike. They have a basset hound who happily serves as her pony, and a boxer. So of course, she's used to dogs that don't care about her snuggling them and sitting on them and the like. So when I glanced over to find her with her face leaned on this strange mutt's head, arms around his neck in her very best version of a puppy hug, I freaked. I carefully and calmly pried her away, keeping the dog calm(who was already calm) and telling her, "Hope, don't get in his face honey, he doesn't know you." She stared at me just baffled, shrugged it off and replied, "He doesn't know me???" She stared down at him, and serious as can be, told him, "Well I'm Hope!" and proceded to stroke his ears. I couldn't help but laugh and love the patience of this stray, but cautiously redirected her attention elsewhere just in case.

It made my day and our good-natured little friend stayed relatively close while we were there, rewarding me with an appreciative wag of the tail and a kiss for the meal and drink. I just can't understand why some people can abandon or simply not keep up with such wonderful dogs, knowing they can get poisoned, hit by cars, shot, and Lord only knows what else. I was rather surprised by his wonderful personality with a million kids around. Course, I suppose anybody with an empty stomach will be quite friendly when there's a good meal in sight. :dogtongue2:
Thanks for the entertainment and looking after the kiddos, my friend.
 

dat123

Experienced Member
I must say, I always look forward to your posts, you always have interesting stories.
Just wondering what happened to the stray, could it be taken to a shelter for homing ?

Thanks for the story Tx_cowgirl.
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Aw, thanks a bunch Dave!!! That really means a lot. ^^ Well I simply can't just leave him...I'm going to go check on him later tonight, and if I don't see him then I'll come back the next day to see if he's around. It's a small town, with most of the town near the park we were at. He won't go far. ^^ I would really like to take him, but with a house(and barn) full already, plus gas, food, and all the other life necessities...well, I simply can't. But I am going to keep track of him as best I can for the next day or so until I can get him to the shelter, which will most likely be Monday. If I have to I'll keep him tonight and tomorrow and get some good meals and a bath in him, then send him to the shelter. He could definitely be rehomed. He didn't seem to have any problems with anything(some dog-walkers passed by while he was there, and he showed no aggression whatsoever), no food aggression, obviously tolerant of children, just a bit shy. I'm going to keep a close eye on him. There was a house nearby, but the homeowners seemed to be shooing him away... Poor little guy.
 

scearcegsd

Well-Known Member
Perhaps Hope new that more than anything the little dog needed a hug. I would have reacted just like you did but I'm constantly amazed at the understanding they share. Hope the little guy is okay. It's a great story.
Robin
 

l_l_a

New Member
aww...what a heartwarming scene that must have been! if the stray had knew how to shake hands, that would have sealed the formal introduction! :)

maybe the dog just escaped his yard (without a collar, hmm...?) If you find him again, maybe you could first take him to the vet to scan for a microchip. However, if he is so skinny that may suggest that he really is a stray and not just lost, but you never know...
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
I was able to get him to a shelter, where he was scanned--no microchip. :( But, a family showed a lot of interest in him as soon as he got there. =D YAY! So, we'll see. He shouldn't be there long, being fairly young and having such a great attitude. They told the shelter worker that they wanted to talk about him as soon as she got him checked in, and the way they talked they were lovestruck already. ^^ Lucky dog!
 
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