By Janet McAfee
On Sunday morning, July 27, I was driving my dogs to the community park when I saw my neighbor Scott walking his dog. He motioned to me to stop. Scott reported there was a loose Pitbull running down a nearby street. I headed in that direction and spotted the dog with a man crouched down checking his collar. The intact male dog appeared friendly and happily greeted the human. The man told me he didn’t live here but was a pet sitter for someone on the block.
There was no engraved ID tag with the dog’s owner’s phone number on the canine’s collar. I snapped some photos and told the pet sitter I would try to find an owner on social media. Scott posted the photo on the Rio Vista Village East www.NextDoor.com. I put him on the Verano Community’s Facebook page and my Facebook page, tagging people who lived nearby. The pet sitter mentioned he intended to call Riverside County Animal Control. I was concerned because their Thousand Palms shelter is extremely overcrowded and dogs whose owners don’t retrieve them during the stray hold may be euthanized for behavior problems, medical conditions, or lack of space.
Upon checking the comments on www.NextDoor.com we learned that the pet sitter took JJ to the home where he was working and put him in the garage. As the morning and the summer heat progressed, he arranged for the dog to go to the Riverside County shelter in Thousand Palms, the Coachella Valley Animal Campus. An owner named “Judith” had commented that JJ belonged to her. I tracked down her local address on another website and drove to her home late that afternoon. Her daughter’s car pulled up at the same time and she had also located her parents’ dog on www.rcdas.org.
I met Judith and Marco and heard JJ’s story. They are wonderful pet owners, unlike the “careless” stereotype of people whose dogs escape. The couple suspect their gardener may have left their side gate open on Saturday. When they returned home from an errand, their little Chihuahua girl was sitting at the front door. Their other Chihuahua was inside the home. JJ was nowhere in sight. I told them where and when to go on Tuesday to pick up JJ (the shelter is closed Mondays). Their Chihuahuas are spayed. However, they were on a long waiting list at a local vet clinic to get JJ neutered due to the shortage of vets. We discussed how unneutered male dogs will run as far as 5 or more miles seeking female pups in heat.
I arranged to meet Judith and Marco at the shelter on Tuesday where I do a weekly drop off of needed donations (linens, dog beds, pet toys, newspaper, etc.) While they were waiting for JJ’s release, Mario inquired about volunteering to help the shelter dogs. JJ was overjoyed to see his humans! Several days later Judith reported, “Everyone is so happy JJ is home! Our entire family missed him. I would like to find out more information on where to get him neutered in the near future.” JJ is registered for the upcoming low-cost Coachella Animal Network spay/neuter clinic housed at the Fantasy Springs casino.
What can you do to keep your cat or dog safe in case they ever go missing? Keep an engraved ID tag on their collar or get a collar with your phone number on it. Get your pet microchipped with your current phone number and address. Take current photos that you can use to make flyers and post on social media. There are numerous local Facebook pages including “Lost and Found Pets in the Coachella Valley” where you can post. Get your male dogs and cats neutered! Sterilization helps prevent them from escaping and running away for miles.
Gardeners and other visitors may not be careful about closing gates and front doors. There are many reasons to keep an eye on your pets when they are outdoors in the yard. Cyotes can jump over fences and pose a serious danger. Thieves have been known to steal animals from yards intending to “flip” them for drug money or other evil purposes.
JJ is happy to be back with the family he loves and is on his best behavior. Enjoy the remaining summer days with Fido and Fluffy!
