LOST and FOUND?
I got an enormous chuckle out of one of the latest threads on the Great Pyrenees List Group....it was entitled, "How to Catch a Loose Pyrenees".
Since we all need a good laugh now and then, here are some of the ideas these silly humans have for catching a loose great pyrenees dog like me, or any dog for that matter!
1) PLAY DEAD OR INJURED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
Haha! OK, since I am protective of you this might work a time or two, but after that, do you really think I would fall for this trick a third time?
2) ACT LIKE YOU DO NOT CARE IF YOU CATCH THE DOG
Well, if that is supposed to make me care......I don't see how, because I have Places To Go and People To See.
3) GET IN THE CAR AND PRETEND YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE THE DOG FOR A RIDE
Again, you might fool me once or twice, but then you're toast!
4) GET A DIFFERENT PERSON TO GRAB THEM
It would have to be someone I really love, and that someone would have to be armed with a LOT of my favorite treats!
Does all this sound ridiculous or what?
The bottom line is that the absolute best way to catch a dog is to keep that dog from getting loose to start with! Of course there are some dogs who are more obedient and will come when they are called, or never even wander off to start with. (Or so I understand.....)
It really does not take much to keep a dog contained, and it is so much safer for all concerned. Having been hit by a car, I can vouch for the importance of safety! Keeping a dog either on a leash or in a fenced yard can prevent the dog from getting lost (and maybe never coming home), getting injured, or worse, getting killed!
There are a lot of lost dogs coming into the Foothills Shelter right now.They often have no ID tags on their collars, or no collars at all, and they are not microchipped. It is so easy to put a tag on a collar with his or her human's phone number on it! You can buy these at Little
Mountain or the hardware store, or at the vet clinics. They are cheap (a few bucks, tops) compared to the cost and anguish of losing a dog!
Many of these dogs never make it back to their owners because they cannot tell anyone who their humans are, and I find this very sad. You can also get your human to have a microchip inserted in the dog or even a tattoo. Both of these have national registries to help with getting lost pets back home. I personally am holding out for a "No Fear" tattoo but it probably won't happen in this lifetime.
And PLEASE, if you humans lose a dog or cat, call Foothills Shelter at 863-4444 right away and let them know, so they can be on the lookout for your lost pet! They will make out an index card with your pet's description on it and add the information to a master sheet that they look over each time a new animal comes to the shelter.
Please, please........make sure your furry family members have a way to get back home!
By the way, note the picture of me this week: I hate the stupid bunny hat. Can you tell?
Woof!
CHAMP

