Let it be

So I was perusing the pet ads on Kijiji in my spare time this morning, again.  (It's become a bad habit - and no, I'm not going to get a dog right now.)  I came across this ad:

FOUND: Black & Tan hound dog.
Under it is a picture of a poor dog, tied up with a rope, and looking scared out of his mind.  The ad says that he's 'sad' and wants to get home.

AUGH!!!  That makes me so ANGRY! 

Imagine for a second the life of the dog:  Dog has a great home, lots of big open space, and a great family that feeds him and pets him and lets him sleep in the house once in awhile.  Dog loves life.  The best part of Dog's life is that he's trusted with freedom; he's frequently goes for little runs through the woods doing what he loves best - chasing bunnies.  He's not a particularly smart dog (no hound is) but he's streetwise; doesn't growl at people, doesn't chase cars, and always goes home after a long day running in the woods.  Dog's owners enjoy having him around are happy that he's faithful and trustworthy.

And then one day, Dog's life goes to crap.  Dog gets kidnapped!  Right off the side of the road!  After a particularly long run through the woods (it's spring, the snow is almost gone, and the bunny chasing is awesome), Dog tiredly limps out to the side of the road for a bit of a rest before he heads home. His feet are sore from all that running; he's thirsty and tired, but in a good way.  That's when a vehicle pulls up beside him, and before he realizes what's happening, a couple strangers hop out, grab his collar and drag him away!  Now he's headed to God-knows-where with strange people and he's scared out of his mind!  (I personally hope that he peed on their car seat.) Over time, he slowly adjusts to these new people who feed him table scraps and let him sleep on the couch, but he also gets fat because they don't walk him and they don't let him chase bunnies.

Dog's owners currently aren't worried about him because they know that he'll be back before long.  After all, it's not unusual for him to go off on his own for hours at a time.  Later tonight, or maybe tomorrow, when his owners do start to worry, the first place they'll call is the local animal shelter to see if someone turned him in - but Dog isn't there.  They'll check the lost ads in the paper, but don't own a computer, and have never heard of 'Kijiji'.  Then they'll really start to worry.  They'll go searching the roads for him, hoping that he hasn't been hit by a car.  Three or four days from now, when they still haven't found him, they'll assume that Dog was on the losing side in a fight with a bigger animal - probably a wolf.  They'll give up hope, mourn for his loss, and continue on with life.  They expect that they'll never see Dog again.

The kidnappers on the other hand, think they are doing a great service by picking up this poor, tired, hungry, lost dog, taking him home, feeding him, and then advertising that they've found him.  They're city people who have moved to the country to 'get away from it all' and don't quite have a firm grasp on country living.  They tend to humanize animals and view Dog more as a lost child rather than a competent adult dog who can find his own way home.  Three weeks from now, when no one has answered their Kijiji ad, they'll assume they've saved the life of a neglected stray and have done the right thing by taking Dog into their home and giving him a better life.  Six months from now, they'll be cursing Dog for chewing up yet another boot because they don't allow Dog to chase bunnies anymore and he's bored.  Dog will end up at the pound where he'll be sent to a foster family before he is finally adopted out to his 'forever' home - where, one day, he'll be tied up in the back yard, slip his collar, and head for the nearest forest to chase bunnies.  And the kidnapping cycle will start all over again.

I've been the country kid who's dog has gone missing.  We've had to call the pound to bail out a hunting dog after someone picked him up and turned him in.  I've had to stop someone from picking up my dog after he simply followed me to the mailbox to get the mail. I know how frustrating it is to have a stranger meddle with your dog.

The moral of the story is: It's normal for country dogs to be running loose; leave them alone!  If you feel you must interact with the stray dog, (for the betterment of society, or maybe just for your own personal gratification), using your angriest meanest voice, yell at the dog and tell it to go home.  But for the love of all things good and holy, do not pick up a stray dog!