I Feel Like Such A Horrible Person!

[Spontaneous Smile]

Whenever I find a lost dog on the streets I try to return it back to it's home. I'll go around my street (every few houses or so) and ask if anyone knows where it might belong.

Today I found a bird dog and no one knew who it belonged to, let alone knew the dog.

I brought it up to my Grandparent's house to keep him in their yard for a while. My cousin and I went door to door a little, asking who he might belong to. No one knew.

We tried keeping the dog at my house, but we already have a puppy and an old weenie dog. They weren't getting along well with him. We couldn't keep him outside because he'd tear the doggy door down! We couldn't keep him inside because our dogs were acting up with him. Then I put him in the cage, but he kept barking a lot and my dogs were barking at him too!

I tried calling the pound (Shelter, association, whatever) I called them like 4 times, but they didn't pick up. I left them 2 messages.

My Grandpa and Aunt wouldn't take me to the shelter to drop him off, because they kept telling me, "You shouldn't have picked him up in the first place!"

We couldn't keep him over night because our dogs would act up. My Mom wouldn't get home until after the shelter closed, so I had to do something!

So I had to call Animal Control. I told them that he was a friendly dog and that I just couldn't get him to the shelter and that my dogs wouldn't tolerate him.

So they came and picked him up and said that he would be given 3 days until they euthanized him. And I was like, "Three days?!" But then they said that he would have more like 5 because of the weekend (They don't put down dogs on the weekend)

They told me that he looked well kept and was well fed and well behaved- so he must have a good owner who was looking for him. So he would most likely get out before the euthanization date.

But once they left with that sweet dog I started crying, because I couldn't believe that I had to do that! I can't believe I had to give a dog over to the pound on my own decision and have the chance of him being put down.

I started bawling.

Of course I called my Mom who only made things worse! Telling me, "Well now you know that you should leave a dog on the street- because it will probably go home on it's own!" And of course, OUR dogs wouldn't do that. They'd decide to run all the way to Canada.

I told my cousin (who had interacted with the dog) and he said that his little sisters had a right to know- since they liked the dog a lot too! So he went and told them that he had only 5 days to live and that he had a good chance of getting picked up.

But I still felt rotten because my little cousins loved that dog for just the few hours they knew it. D=

So I'm bawling- then my cell phone rings. I tell my Mom to answer it. She answers it. It turns out that it was the Shelter calling saying that there was a man looking for a Bird Dog that fit the description on the one we found.

They called him back and left a message. They won't put the dog down. So I'm relieved at this point. But I'm still feeling miserable because I had to make such a decision. And the fact that I actually folked over a puppy to someone who had the ability to kill it (Even though they can't really help it. The Shelter is very full right now) But still! I felt so bad, because I know that my little cousins (who supposedly look up to me) were heart broken.

I told their brother though via text message that the dog was going to be okay. Lol but it all happened so fast that he might think that I'm just pulling his leg and trying to make the girls feel better.

I feel like such a bad person. I mean, I just gave him to the pound! I mean- I almost always find the dog's home on my own and get them back home, but this time I couldn't because the dog didn't have any tags!

I hope this goes in the right section. I mean it is about a dog. And it just really upset me (I was bawling and sobbing and everything) So if it's in the wrong section then feel free to move it.

[~CourageousSurvivor~]

Hey,

I know you feel terrible and if it had happened to me I would to but you did everything possible to keep the dog from the pound and that's something. Also, if the dog would have been left on the street who knows what could have happened? He could have been hit by a car or something; you helped keep that dog safe. I know how horrible it feels to put a dog in the pound but the upside is that the dog is okay. You did the best you could and you can't be mad at yourself for that.

Hang in there because you won't feel horrible forever.

~Jenna~

[udontno]

Sometimes, this is how the dice rolls. In the end, you can't save every animal. It sucks that animals have to be put to sleep and I hate that it happens, but most people can't afford to keep every stray they find on the street. The owner of the dog is also at fault here. You should not have a dog without identification (as in a collar with tags).

Luckily, everything worked out for the best. :-)

[Spontaneous Smile]

Idk why he didn't have his tags. There are a lot of people moving in and out of our town at the moment. So they might have just moved there and hadn't put their new phone number and address on a dog tag yet. Also, last time I checked, the only dog tag maker in town is out of order. (lol it's in Walmart and it's a little machine.)

But then I started to question myself. "Why didn't I take it to the shelter sooner? The owner must have been worried."
Answer: No one would take me. I didn't even think of animal control until around 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

"Should I have just left him to wander the streets? Maybe he would have gone back home, just like my aunt had said?"
Answer: My own dogs don't even come back home. The last two dogs we had didn't come back home. What makes you think that this dog is any different? He was so hot and tired when I found him- he might have been running around for a long time. Who knows (Though we might have found out where his owner lives) Also he could have gotten hit by a car (God knows mine almost have in the past)

But I feel like there were things I could have done differently. I hate it when I get scolded when I pick up dogs off the street. I don't want the dogs to get hurt and I'd hate to know that there might be a family somewhere who is missing their dog!

[~CourageousSurvivor~]

I am glad you are thinkng about all the different scenarios. I know the situation sucks but you definitely did the best you could. You know, lots of people don't ever pick strays up they just leave them on the street so in my book your a hero.

I hope you are feeling better about the situation.

~Jenna~