My dog Pink became a member of the household when she was 2. She had a few bad habits—getting lost, fearing hunting guns and eating pastry. Actually, that’s why her former owner gave her to me.
We didn’t hunt and didn’t cater, and I had a fenced yard, but she managed to wander off. My new neighbors called, “We have your dog. Is she dangerous?” Humm, “Only if you have pastry.”
My sister’s greyhound left her fenced yard and tracked my sister to the voting precinct and was later found near the law school. Another neighbor moved across town, but Buster the Cat didn’t want to move. By the time he made his fifth trek across town (4.5 miles) to return to his former haunts, his owners agreed--Buster was happier in his old neighborhood where he now lives.
Some lost pets like Sassafras the beagle receive national attention (at least, his story was carried in the Washington Post). Others are featured on utility poles. In my Duck Pond neighborhood, there’s Annebell, a white Maltese, and Jack, a happy-looking, black dog, and an assortment of cats. . . . They are still lost.
Many of our pets have tattoos or microchips, or at the very least, tags with a current address. But not always. I found a greyhound wandering a beachside community after a 2004 hurricane. The dog had tags from a North Carolina shelter. The local police and vet helped me locate the owner. Apparently, Rico was a repeat offender.
Our pets are always happy to return home. But they don’t say much about their adventures.
BTW—if you happen to see Annebell or Jack, please tell them their owners are worried.
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