The Dynamic Duo strikes again!  This time we saved a fellow Golden Retriever!  On Saturday we went to a race to cheer on Potsie and Thurston’s Mom.  After finding a good spot to watch the runners, all of a sudden darting across a very busy road came this Golden Retriever headed straight for us!  What was he thinking?

He was a rather excitable fellow, and was growling and snapping at us in a very menacing way.  Even Mom and Dad weren’t sure what to make of him.  I positioned myself safely between Dad’s legs, and Asa laid down.  All the while this rambunctious Golden growled and snapped at all of us.  But then we realized he wasn’t a threat.  Instead he was bursting with the excitement of his grand adventure, and trying to get us to play!

We waited in that spot for over 15 minutes thinking his owner would be along to claim him.  But no one did.  Being a rather bouncy fellow and oblivious to the cars, Mom and Dad moved us away from the busy intersection to the nearby finish line.  That’s when Mom realized he didn’t have a tag on his collar!  This poor guy was lost, but he didn’t seem to notice or care.  By the time Potsie’s Mom crossed the finished line, our new companion, although still trying to get us to play, was calming down.  Mom started working the crowd, alerting the race officials, an EMT, and onlookers to the plight of our new friend, and asking if they heard of anyone missing a Golden Retriever to send them our way.  But no one came.  Where was his family?

As the race finished and the cleanup began, we headed back to the safety of the parking lot with bouncy boy following.  Seriously, he had no clue he was lost.  Dad loaded Asa and myself into our car.  Then slipped an extra leash on our new friend.  As luck would have it, there was an emergency animal hospital in the next plaza.  Dad took him inside to have him scanned for a microchip.  No microchip either!  They also checked him for a tattoo id, but to no avail.  That’s when Dad called the local Animal Control Officer.

While we waited for the ACO to arrive, Mom and Potsie’s Mom continued to work the slowly dispersing crowd to see if anyone heard of someone looking for a Golden Retriever.  When the ACO arrived, he also scanned for a microchip, took the details of where we found him, and said he would post an alert on Facebook.  It was sad to see our wayward new friend loaded into the animal control van, but we were confident that he was in good hands to find his Mom and Dad.  Four hours later, his owners contacted the local police and they were reunited!

Paws crossed I hope we never find ourselves in that situation, but at least he did the right thing and went to fellow dogs for help…even if he didn’t realize he was lost!  I’m just glad we were there to lend a helping paw.

Lessons Learned When Helping a Lost Dog:

• Determine if the dog is friendly.  Call the authorities if the animal is acting aggressive.
• Secure dog in safe location.
• Check for id tag.  If there isn’t one, and there is a veterinary office or animal shelter nearby bring him to be scanned for microchip contact info.  They can also check if the hind leg area is tattooed with an id number.
• If owners can’t be easily located, contact the Animal Control Officer by calling the local police’s business line.  Do not call 911 unless there is an actual emergency.  ACOs work with local shelters and have established procedures on how to best reunite the dog with his owner.
• Share! Share! Share! Post the dog’s picture on social media with ACO’s or shelter’s contact info of where he can be found.