Gotcha!
This hardly ever happens.
Well, I take that back. Actually, in the past two years it's happened to me 4 times now, but each time it's felt like "what were the chances of that?!"
I was leaving a house on a call I'd just finished up when out of the corner of my eye I saw two biggish dogs romping around on a front lawn down the street. No fence, no owner in sight. A woman nearby was flagging me down. She looked anxious. "Are those your dogs?" I asked her. "No, I wanted to ask you about the crow's nest in my tree. Can I take it down?" she asked me idiotically, while the two dogs (a boxer and a border collie) continued to run loose down the block. "No" I said. A man across the street was looking at the dogs, who were now running across the lawns away from us. "Are those your dogs?" I called to him. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'll try to get back to you, but I have to go catch those dogs" I said to idiot crow woman, and I took off down the street.
The dogs ran into a T-shaped alley and disappeared around the bend. I followed them in the truck, but by the time I got into the alley they had disappeared. I went slowly down the alley, looking into the yards on either side. Most were fenced, a few were not. No sign of the dogs. I came back around the block again. Crow woman was still standing in front of her house, waiting for me to come talk birds with her, I guess. The guy down the street was still in front of his house too, doing some yardwork. I looked at him and he spread his arms wide, shrugged,and shook his head. At least he understood what the priority was!
I thought I'd make one last sweep of the area and then go talk to crow woman, who was still waiting. I went two blocks down and came back up slowly, looking into all the yards along the way. When I came back down the other side of the T-alley I saw a flash of black and white at the far end. The border collie was there, sniffing something on the ground. His buddy was there too. Both dogs were wearing collars with tags hanging from them - a hopeful sign. I drove halfway down the alley and jumped out of the truck with two leashes in one hand and an open can of cat food in the other.
Maybe I should have had the catchpole or the snare, but you know what? I really stink at using both of these tools of the trade. Do you ever notice how, on all those "animal cop" shows, they show the dog running loose, then they show the officer with the dog on the catchpole, but they never actually show the moment of capture? I want to see them do that! I want to see how it's done! I couldn't catch a half-asleep geriatric heffalump with one of those nice doohickies.
I hit it lucky. The boxer was friendly and inquisitive. He came right up to me and I had no trouble slipping a leash onto his collar. The border collie was more leery, and wouldn't let me get close. He started walking away down the alley. The boxer and I followed down the alley, though an open gangway, down the sidewalk, across the street, and on down the block. "Come on, handsome" I said to the border collie. "Show me where you live. Let's go home!"
I didn't have a chance to read the boxer's tags - I didn't want to take my eyes off the border collie. But I hit it lucky again. The border collie took us right back to their house, where the panicking dog owners had just discovered the open back yard gate, and were on the verge of getting in the car to search the neighborhood.
This never, ever, ever happens.
Well, hardly ever.
But it sure is fun when it does!
Well, I take that back. Actually, in the past two years it's happened to me 4 times now, but each time it's felt like "what were the chances of that?!"
I was leaving a house on a call I'd just finished up when out of the corner of my eye I saw two biggish dogs romping around on a front lawn down the street. No fence, no owner in sight. A woman nearby was flagging me down. She looked anxious. "Are those your dogs?" I asked her. "No, I wanted to ask you about the crow's nest in my tree. Can I take it down?" she asked me idiotically, while the two dogs (a boxer and a border collie) continued to run loose down the block. "No" I said. A man across the street was looking at the dogs, who were now running across the lawns away from us. "Are those your dogs?" I called to him. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'll try to get back to you, but I have to go catch those dogs" I said to idiot crow woman, and I took off down the street.
The dogs ran into a T-shaped alley and disappeared around the bend. I followed them in the truck, but by the time I got into the alley they had disappeared. I went slowly down the alley, looking into the yards on either side. Most were fenced, a few were not. No sign of the dogs. I came back around the block again. Crow woman was still standing in front of her house, waiting for me to come talk birds with her, I guess. The guy down the street was still in front of his house too, doing some yardwork. I looked at him and he spread his arms wide, shrugged,and shook his head. At least he understood what the priority was!
I thought I'd make one last sweep of the area and then go talk to crow woman, who was still waiting. I went two blocks down and came back up slowly, looking into all the yards along the way. When I came back down the other side of the T-alley I saw a flash of black and white at the far end. The border collie was there, sniffing something on the ground. His buddy was there too. Both dogs were wearing collars with tags hanging from them - a hopeful sign. I drove halfway down the alley and jumped out of the truck with two leashes in one hand and an open can of cat food in the other.
Maybe I should have had the catchpole or the snare, but you know what? I really stink at using both of these tools of the trade. Do you ever notice how, on all those "animal cop" shows, they show the dog running loose, then they show the officer with the dog on the catchpole, but they never actually show the moment of capture? I want to see them do that! I want to see how it's done! I couldn't catch a half-asleep geriatric heffalump with one of those nice doohickies.
I hit it lucky. The boxer was friendly and inquisitive. He came right up to me and I had no trouble slipping a leash onto his collar. The border collie was more leery, and wouldn't let me get close. He started walking away down the alley. The boxer and I followed down the alley, though an open gangway, down the sidewalk, across the street, and on down the block. "Come on, handsome" I said to the border collie. "Show me where you live. Let's go home!"
I didn't have a chance to read the boxer's tags - I didn't want to take my eyes off the border collie. But I hit it lucky again. The border collie took us right back to their house, where the panicking dog owners had just discovered the open back yard gate, and were on the verge of getting in the car to search the neighborhood.
This never, ever, ever happens.
Well, hardly ever.
But it sure is fun when it does!