Thursday, April 16, 2009

Moral Dilemma

Before I start on my post for the day, can I just say that since my last video how to was apparently such a great hit, I'm thinking of doing one once a week. Or maybe once every 10 days...depending on my lazyness factor and if I have time. So for those of you who liked the tutorial, check back every few days for new ones.

And for my loyal followers, NO this is not gonna turn into some girly chic blog LOL. Well, at least not everyday!


On to the real topic at hand.


Now that the weather is getting nice (or should I say NICE-ER for Seattle) I've been jogging outside instead of the treadmill. I have seen this dog walking around the same area of my neighborhood maybe 5 times already and everytime I see him (or her) I haven't been close enough to see if it had a collar. Even though it looks pretty well fed and fluffy (yes, I use "fluffy" as an indication of good health...applies to dogs, cats, babies and people) it's always walking around so dejected looking. I don't know if it's lost, homeless or just old.
I was walking to the store yesterday and it was there again! I ran back home and ran back with a camera to take a pic and thankfully it was in the same spot.
So I'm thinking my options are this:
1) Take it home with me and love it forever. It looks like a Husky or possibly an Alaskan Malamute?
2) Call the owners.
3) Call the pound.
Now here's my problem. All of these options rely on me getting close enough to see if it has a collar or to look for a chip under the skin. If I knew for sure it was a friendly dog I wouldn't mind calling to it, or running right up to it...I've had dogs before and I'm not scared of them. OR...In my quest to be all PETA, get bitten, get rabies, and die a painful death.
Anyone?

10 comments:

carolyn said...

I volunteer with a local Humane Society. When we get calls like this we recommend you call Animal Control. If you don't know the number you can usually get connected by calling the non-emergency number of the police department. Wanting to check for a collar is a great thought, but you don't know what the pup has been through and it's not a good idea to put yourself at risk. Animal control will check for a collar, tags and a microchip, and they'll try to contact the owner. Good luck!

SkylersDad said...

Animal control is a good option, I have always been able to approach dogs, they seem to sense I am OK. I always try and return them home.

The Unbearable Banishment said...

How about none of the above! I am uber-cautious of strange dogs. He looks perfectly well cared-for so I'd just leave well enough alone.

Girl Interrupted said...

Aww! He looks so sad! :(

I'm totally the wrong person to ask this question to. I'm not at all sensible when it comes to animals and am the biggest softie to boot, I have alot more faith in animals than people. So I'd be tempted to try to approach it and if it let me, take it home and love it. But I'd probably get my face chewed off too ... so maybe best to go with Animal Control.

Hope it all works out for the best.

Gwen said...

Emotional answer: Lure him home with cheese and name him George.

Sensible answer: Leave it alone.

words...words...words... said...

Please don't get your face bited off. Call Animal Control. Thank you :)

Also, your new design rocks. It looks like new design season around here.

Amanda, the Conqueror said...

The responsible thing to do is call animal control. Ignoring it is not responsible as it puts the animal's life in possible danger and if it is unfriendly, puts others at risk as well. Taking it home and keeping it is also not responsible. Think of it this way: if you had a pet that accidentally got lost, wouldn't you hope that whoever found him would at least make some effort to return him to you? Of course I know there's the argument that a responsible pet owner keeps their dog at home, but animals do get out from time to time. And it's really up to animal control to decide if he has a good home or not.

FYI: "Running" up to a dog is not a good idea ever. A dog will see this as a threat and even a friendly, familiar dog will take a defensive stance. If you want to see if you can "catch" him somehow, the best thing to do is to call him to you. Doing this puts you in control. An animal that trusts will approach. An animal that doesn't trust will avoid. If he doesn't come to you, you wouldn't want to be approaching him, anyway.

Call King County Animal Control (206-296-7387) - see I even looked up the number for you so all you gotta do is call.

Felisa said...

Aww it's cute! I think it's an Alaskan Malamute. Adorable!

Yeah, I'd definitely call animal control if I were you. It doesn't matter if you haven't checked for tags or whatever... I think it wouldn't be a smart option to approach it just in case it perceives you as a threat... especially if it's either a husky or an Alaskan Malamute, I wouldn't dare!

Chris said...

That's White Fang! I saw da movie!

Kidding. I let dogs approach me if they want instead of vice versa. They seem to know I'm ok and if they want to check me out, they will.

He's got a weird looking step, is he injured or was the photo just taken mid-stride?

~E said...

Great Advice from everyone! Thanks a bunch! I just feel so bad for it, and I guess I'm feenin to get another dog too, hence the wanting to steal it and love it.

Amanda: Thanks for the number, Ive saved it on my cell in case I see it on my next run.
Chris: I think I caught it mid stride, but at the same time it does walk around kinda funny. Like its really tired or really old. If I had to guess I'd say it might have hip joint issues.