This was THE SWEETEST dog I've ever met. It just happily trotted in circles around me, brushing up against my legs occasionally wanting to be stroked. I stopped in my tracks and looked around for an owner. No sign. No tags. Snow DUMPING down. I realized I couldn't just walk away like my first inclination tempted me to do. So with several prompts, kissing noises and slapping my knees, I was able to coax the dog into my apartment. Yep, hide yo' dogs, cause the snatcher is about!
I grabbed a towel and dried him off well right before he started bolting around every square inch of our 2 bedroom apartment. It was entertaining and yet anxiety-provoking at the same time. What is he getting into? Wow! He can clear the couch in one bound? Not the garbage! Somebody's friendly! After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to sit by me while I stroked him and waited for Jake to get home. He walks in with a bewildered look on his face...
We try calling around, using several different numbers, to contact Animal Control. Apparently they're closed on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m., which I found kind of surprising. I guess I expected someone to be available 24/7. Finally I got connected to the Shelter in Denver and was told we could bring the dog into their facility. Jake picked him up, put him in the back of the car and we made the what-should-have-been-a-half-hour-but-really-an-hour-and-fifteen-minute drive just to find out there was only a Night Drop. Literally a cinder-brick room with one wall lined with locker-like compartments you stick the animal in and leave... Really? I mean, really? Couldn't do it.
I am one blessed woman, with an amazing, merciful husband. As soon as I told him what was inside, he agreed to keeping the dog for the weekend and putting up some flyers to hopefully find the owner. Worst case scenario, we don't find the owner by Monday and end up taking to a shelter after all. Relieved, I climb back in the car and we voyage back into the snow storm, headed home.
Throughout the drive both ways, we both fell in love with this silly mutt. He loved sticking his head out the window despite the cold, snowy and windy conditions. At every opportunity he would try to jump up front into our laps. If he couldn't get through, he'd lay his head on our shoulders. He managed to dodge our attempts to block him a few times and we ended up with a full sized dog on our laps-- sometimes while stopped at a light or when he just needed extra attention and love. S.O. incredibly A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.
After another hour and fifteen minute snowy crawl home, we stopped over at PetCo to stock up on food and a leash for bathroom breaks to get us through the next 24 hours or so. We got back to the car and the windows were completely covered in fog. Who knew a dog could fog up windows in 10 minutes? Haha! He was so relieved we were back!
As soon as we returned to the complex and started up the walk to our apartment, we heard a man calling out. The dog stopped in his tracks and stared at the man across the courtyard. We called out to him and sure enough, it was the dog's owner! So bittersweet! We had really fallen in love and were looking forward to keeping him a few hours and then it was kinda pulled out from underneath us... But overall we hope he is happy in this guy's care.
We absolutely loved caring for a dog for a short time. Looking forward, anxiously, to that time in our lives when we can finally have one of our own!
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