bmatson Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Okay. So, I know I haven't posted on here in for at least a couple of weeks (raise your hand if you noticed!!). And now here I am making a post about, surprise surprise, a dog!! You might well know by now that I have a great passion for dogs. Not only my 2 babies, but for all dogs in general (with the possible exception of dogs that are just plain mean). Anyhoo. About a month ago, my husband Jess came home from work one day and found a dog just laying in our front lawn. We called the dog in the house, and he came right in, tail wagging and all. He is such a sweet, friendly dog. Luckily, he had a tag on his collar that said his name is Zendo (??) and had 2 phone numbers for his owners (a must have for any pet owner!!). We called one of the numbers, and less than 5 minutes later, his owners were at our door (apparantly they live close, though i'm not sure exactly where). 3 days later, pretty much the same thing happened!! We found him just lounging on our front lawn. We called his owners and left a message. They came for him about half an hour later. They said that they found how he was escaping from their yard and had fixed the problem. When Zendo didn't show up for the next few days, I figured that was the last we'd heard from Zendo and his family. Well tonight, guess where we found him?!?! We welcomed in the house, and of course he came right in. The only problem, though, is that he does not have the tag that identifies him and gives his family's number. And I do not know the people's names, phone numbers, or where they live, so I can't get ahold of them at all. I figure he's going to be with us at least overnight. My theory is that it won't take his family long to figure out what's going on and they'll come back to our house since they know he's been there before. Like I said, he is such a sweet boy. I just mention his name and he is by my feet in an instant with a smile on his face (really!) and his tail just wagging away. More importantly, he gets along with my 2 babies, Max and Jezebel, just fine. They have all spent the evening blissfully chewing on their own rawhide bones. I have no idea what kind of dog he is. He's about the same size as my Max (about 70 pounds). He has a beautiful cream colored coat. I know he is a mixed breed because he has the wavy fur down his back (oh I hope someone knows what I'm talking about). He has the face of a lab, and his fur is medium length. He is a beautiful boy. And sweet!!! My husband thinks tomorrow I should call radio stations to put the word out that we have him. He also thinks I should kind of let him roam and follow him to see if he goes home, since we know it's close. Personally, I think his owners will eventually figure out he's with us. If they come for him, great. If not, then that's great too. He is such a sweetheart. Do you think I should put the effort to find his owners, since it will be almost no effort for them to come to me???? Anyway. Tomorrow I am watching my friend's 3 children and I thought I would take them and the dogs to the park to run and play and bark (the kids probably won't bark though). I decided to do that when I still only had 2 dogs. But I'm thinking 3 dogs isn't much different than 2. Hmm. 3 dogs and 3 kids. Please check on me in 24 hours to see if I survived the experience!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newt Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 hope all goes well for you, zendo and those non-barking kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenlaine Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Oh Betty, that's a tough one! I question why the name tag is gone, it's almost as though they didn't want you calling them again. Also, you would think if he was well treated, he would want to go back before too long. I would be torn, I'm also a dog lover. My first thought is getting him to a vet but then the owners may resent your interfering. I think I would just let him stay and see if they finally do come and get him. But please don't let him out without a lead, he could get hit by a car. Good luck and let us know what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 It's a good thing that Zendo found you!! I'd wait a day or two to see if the owners stop by to see if their escape artist has shown up at your door...if not, I'd probably put an ad in the local paper or hang some "dog found" signs..Ya gotta wonder why Zendo keeps taking off tho??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachpeach Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Zendo sounds very smart. he knows what he likes and apparently thats Your house! i'd just let him stay for a few days. the owners have collected him from you twice now so they know he's probably over there. if he keeps escaping, it makes me wonder if he's neutered and if so, then maybe he's just bored. dogs are intelligent and social animals and need stimulation, otherwise they create their own fun by making escapes and checking out all the world has to offer. as for the collar, those can come off easy enough. you're not supposed to keep a collar too tight because they can hang themselves if it gets caught. i would make a note of the owners name and especially address when they do get around to knocking on your door. and be careful of the "found dog" adverts. there are people out there that respond to those and then sell the dogs to research labs, but then you do know what his owners look like. i'm sure they will be at your door shortly. and i agree with Wenlaine. don't turn him out without a lead in hopes that he goes home on his own. too many are hit and killed by cars. enjoy your visitor and keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Animal communications is a very interesting thing. Sounds to me like he's happier with you than with his former owners. And while indeed the collar could come off..seems odd that it didn't before, but did now. I'd probably wait a few days for them to come claim him...and then if not....he's yours. Assuming you want to keep him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Ya gotta wonder why Zendo keeps taking off tho???Some breeds just have a wanderlust, sort of a "greener grass" thing. Also, since this started about a month ago, it could be that the family is new, or that Zendo is new to them. He may have arrived at your house "naked" because they confined him while they were at work and he played Houdini to go wandering. Assume his family loves him & are trying to cure him of his wandering ways, please attempt to reach them. If they haven't shown up by now they may not remember exactly where you live any better than you remember their phone number. Because we've had beagles, who are notorious explorers, we kept them on a trolly tether or in a fenced yard, but they found a gap under the fence and my worst nightmare was that a car would strike and injure or kill one before I could find & bring the errant rascal home! And my Beautiful Melody did get shot by a hunter! & almost died by the time she did get home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Congrats on the temporary or maybe permanent resident of your home. They know where he is..if they were all that worried they would be back to you house lickety split to collect him. I know I would! I would give it a week. If they are a no show...I would give take him to the vet and see if he has one of those microchips in his back. Plus have him get a once over. I personally wouldnt be mad if I lost my dog and someone was caring enough to take him in and make sure he is safe! In the long run you may just have a furry vacationer or a new life long member of the family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymew Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I'd leave it to the owners to get in touch with you. As this he's escaped to your house a couple of times before, they know where he's likely to be. That is, unless, he gets out more often than you're aware and they habitually get calls from various neighbours to come and retrieve their dog. It sounds like he's better off with you. I've a similar problem with a neighbour's cat. Ginger (what I call him - he doesn't have a collar) has been coming over to our house for about 9 years now. He was an unneutered male, so I took him to my vet and paid to have him neutered, tatooed and vaccinated. I was going to advertise to try and find him a home, when I noticed he was fattening up. I'd been feeding him, but he didn't come every day. Then I noticed that someone else had also been grooming him. So, I figured he had a home. Anyway, Ginger comes over most days. He comes in through the cat door - snacks - plays with our cats toys - sometimes takes a nap - and then heads off. Sometimes he comes back 2 or 3 times during the day. Some days he doesn't come at all. I have no idea where he lives. I tracked his footprints during the winter after a fresh snowfall. But the tracks became hard to follow after he'd left our cul de sac. He's a mystery. But, Ray and I keep an eye on him. Ginger was also a good friend to our neutered male cat - Dudley. My 2 female cats are so-so with Ginger, but he is very calm and just ignores them. -Susanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmatson Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 Thanks for all your replies, everyone. I suppose I should specify that Zendo has his collar and everything else in tact. The only thing he is missing from before is his actual ID tag. So I find that strange, especially since I know he has one. But he has his actual collar. When I got my 2 babies, the first thing I did was buy them a tag. Of course, you never want to lose your dogs. But you must prepare for that, and protect your dogs. They can't do it themselves!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakyshaky Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Sounds like you have made a friend at the least. I do know that my dog used to regularly lose his tags. I have no idea how he got them off the collar but he did. It got to the point now that I keep them on his harness. ( it clips in the back so he can't reach them anymore. ) It could also be that they clipped his chain ( or whatever ) to the tag loop instead of the collar loop. He def sounds big enough to undo those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmatson Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 Okay so about an hour ago, this kid I have never seen before knocks on my door and says I have his dog. Apparantly, Jess called the radio station saying we found him. Boy did that work quick!! About 10 minutes later, the kid was at my door. So I am glad that he is back with his rightful owners. And as fun as it was having him, I really hope this does not become a usual thing. Maybe the dog just doesn't like to be home....I don't know. But anyway, my saga is over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Did you get the family`s information at least so that if he pops up again you know where to call? They must live very close if the kid was able to walk over. I still think it is curious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I still think it is curious...I don't, some dogs just have the urge to go visiting and here was this family with other dogs to go socialize with. Dogs are pack animals and extremely sociable, or they would never have been domesticated. When we lived in Jacksonville we almost were adopted by a magnificent black chow (no ID tag on her collar). The kids loved her and I finally told them to take her all over the neighborhood to see if she belonged to anyone, since whe was wearing a collar with rabies tag and might have gotten out to go calling. They came back dogless but smiling, the people were frantic to find her and made the kids feel like superheros. Our nextdoor neighbors kept a big container full of dog chow on their back deck for years and all the neighborhood dogs would go over there for snacks. I asked her nicely to please not do it, as our old beagle would go over there and then her bratty grandkids would try to tease him (or worse). Of course it did no good, but he stopped going because of the kids. Then one day they tried coming into our yard to tease him and I came out and told them that teasing a good old dog was stupid and cruel and I thought their parents & grandparents had taught them better manners (knowing full well they had not) and that they were not welcome in my yard. I also told them not to complain to anyone if the dogs they teased turned on them and bit them, because what they were doing made me want to sic my dog on them (which was lie, poor old beagle didn't have a mean bone in him!). Never had another problem with the kids or their grandparents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmatson Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 Did you get the family`s information at least so that if he pops up again you know where to call? They must live very close if the kid was able to walk over. I still think it is curious... Oh Heidi I think it's curious as well. But yes, I finally did get the woman's address (3 doors down) and phone number (personal cell) so we can get Zendo back to his owner sooner. The woman told me the night before, they spent several hours driving past our house, looking for him. Something told her to stop at our house, but for some reason she didn't. Hmm. Go figure that one! :wub: Anyway. All is well now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 I tell ya what..If The Crown Prince of CT (that is my minpin Tyson) ever got loose, I would be banging on the neighbors doors like a lunatic. Drive past..no way sister..I would be ringing the doorbell. I am a city girl and a pessimist. If a dog kept showing up and had id, and then showed up after the 3rd time with no id. Plus you didnt hear anyone screaming for him ..I would be thinking someone was trying to get rid of someone... Kinda like 3 strikes. But I am trying to do better at not thinking the worst of people lately. That is why I said it was curious. A neighbor up the top street has a dog that is always going AWOL. You can hear them kids for miles screaming "Barkie!!" I have their number so if I see them, I can call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmatson Posted May 13, 2007 Author Share Posted May 13, 2007 Okay. Well since my last post, how many times do you think I have seen Zendo?? Anyone??? Not once, not twice, but three times!!!! He scared the daylights out of us last night. We were watching a movie at night. All of a sudden, my two dogs just start barking their heads off. I was sure someone was in the house, because of all the ruckus they were making. As it turns out, it was NOT, in fact, a murder who walked into my house. It was none other than Zendo. Apparantly DH had left the back gate AND our back door open. So he took it upon himself to just walk in. Once again, I was just glad it was the dog than some ax murderer. So I call his owner (again) and she says she can't help cause she's out of town all weekend. So we've kept him until this morning, when Jess had finally had enough and we went to his house to put him in the backyard. I didn't think it would work, since no one was home and he obviously found a way out. Sure enough, 10 minutes after we left, the dog was back on our porch again. Yikes. I am convinced now that the dog does not like being where he is. But I don't know what to do since the owner shows no intention of giving him up. Even if she did, Jess has made it absolutely clear that two dogs are enough. Plus, the dog is not being abused or anything. Hmm. Anyway. Just thought I'd vent and share my frustration. Maybe someone is reading this and is not bored with the whole thing yet!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa_F Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Just had to tell you Betty, that tonight's the first I've read this thread and I loved the Zendo saga Our family is a dog-loving family - and reading this thread put a smile on my face, picturing Zendo waltzing on over to you home for a visit. But I don't know what to do since the owner shows no intention of giving him up. Even if she did, Jess has made it absolutely clear that two dogs are enough. Hmmm... You know and Jess knows that "two dogs are enough" but it kinda sounds like that's gonna be a hard sell to ole' Zendo! Please keep us updated on this, I just love stories about dogs with minds of their own! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Obsession Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Here's my newest "GRANDBABY"!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Here's my newest "GRANDBABY"!! ADORABLE!!!! It will take a little while until he/she grows into thos paws... Hugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Here's my newest "GRANDBABY"!! Attached thumbnail(s) Reduced 88%How adorable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 I just love the new baby! What is his/her name? Looks like Zendo has adopted you as his new family, whether you like it or not. Wow, they were out of town and left the dog.. Did he escape from the place he was boarded? Did he catch a flight from where ever his family is staying? No, they left him home alone and he decided his new Mama would take care of him.. Smart dog! (not bored with saga...I am waiting for the happy conclusion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Beagles are notorious escapees. We had a lab that would show up in our yard once or twice a day. I found out where he lived (no collar) and would return him. The family could not figure out how he was getting out of their fenced yard. I finally told them if he showed up again, I was going to call the pound. They found the escape point real quick and fixed it and I never saw the dog again. Mine have also lost tags and collars. Expecially the border collies. They kept losing their collars and I'd have to go look for them. I couldn't figure out why or how they kept coming off. One day I was watching them and they actually unbuckled each others collars and would take off and play with them. So now they have special collars that they cant get off and I had them microchipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 They kept losing their collars and I'd have to go look for them. I couldn't figure out why or how they kept coming off. One day I was watching them and they actually unbuckled each others collars and would take off and play with them. So now they have special collars that they cant get off and I had them microchipped. ROFL! I would have loved to see that.. America`s funniest home video winner for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninky Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Ohhhhh my! She is sooooo cute!!! And I can tell she loves to have her picture taken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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