The Dog House

Now that is a cute dog! he's a keeper. ours are two big hound dogs but lovable hounds.

I fell in love with Leo, a dachshund who showed up in our front yard, in the few hours we got to know him. After our call, Leo's people got came and got him. I've liked dachshunds ever since. Leo led the way...

Tags are good.

Snowface is adorable..

I've had a friend who had a Wheaton (I pay no attention to all that show stuff), but she really liked that dog.

I think. Anyway, very involved with it. This is a friend who liked everything the best, very interested in showing.

To separate the dog from all that, a nice dog, I never saw it for itself, even though it was at my house, blando. I'm a dog liker, and didn't get that one.

So, either that was a trained bland wheaton, or typical of the breed - I've no idea. It's pretty rare I don't just want to hug a dog, if not at the time in some circumstances, but foreseeable.
Before I condemn all wheatons for the behavior of this one, I should do some research.

Oh, I've seen photos of your dogs and they're pretty darn cute I've sort of been on a mission to get a second dog for a while now, but honestly, I didn't plan this lol.

OSSO: I'd never heard of this breed before, but now I'm reading a lot about them. We're all pretty exhausted lol. Poor Jack is just worn out, but they've kind of settled down a little now.

I drove through the neighborhood a while ago looking to see if anyone has put up 'missing' posters. Nope. I saw a few people out walking and stopped each time to ask if they were looking for a dog lol. Nope. I think I'll do the same tomorrow in a couple of nearby neighborhoods.

She has such high energy, we were shocked when the Vet told us she's at least 3 years old. She has puppy energy! That, or we're so used to Jack, who has been so lethargic lately because of his hip problem. I'm trying to not get too attached...she's lovable, though.

Haha...it fits her. Some friends gave us toys for Jack for Christmas and he just looked at us like, "And???" -- but Snowface loves them. A squeaky hamburger and a squeaky sock monkey. If we have to give her up, I'll send the toys with her.

Our setter, Kelly, romped to the beach and through the marina and many miles to Redondo Beach. He was fond of joggers...

The jogger called us re his tags. That was a lot of miles.

He was found originally by my husband in a lumber yard, so that all makes sense.

When I first lost Sandpaw (the valiant venice shepherd), I called all the pounds in the area to find him, multiple times. I don't know if those places keep records of calls.

We dropped off photos at the shelters and also emailed them to our HOA. She's fairly clean, so we didn't think she'd been on her own all that long, but then the vet said she's thinner than they like to see, and thinks she may have been 'wandering' for a while. I would love to know her story.

I am naturally hoping you can keep the snow (holds breath). Or, if the owners are found, they are good people.


Er, I might not advertise the breed, that could get complicated re claimers.

Good point. We decided against putting up fliers with her photo. I'm not really sure how this will work since we haven't gone through it before. Jack has a microchip and wears his tags at all times. I guess we'll just have to make sure if someone claims her that they are who they say they are. Maybe a lie detector test lol.

And I'm not sure re an endpoint. I suppose possible claims wain. (wane?)

Probably, but I guess it all depends on her circumstances (what happened). So far, we've been wrong on just about all our guesses lol (age, breed, etc.). I really hate to think there's a family somewhere missing their beloved pet, so all I can do to stop myself from nervousing over it is to give her the same attention and kindness that I'd want someone to show Jack. She's a happy little thing, so if no one is able to claim her, for whatever reason, I'm hoping she can find a happy home here with us.

Agree. And she seems raised happily, thus sane owners.

Terriers have a lot of energy. A lot of energy.

My parents had a terrier who would escape from the house every once in a while and they would have to chase her all over the neighborhood. It was awful for them, but the dog just loved the adventure of running full blast until she knocked herself out.

She really is a cutie, Irishk. If she has an owner who is looking for her, I hope they can find out that she is with you. If someone does call you about the dog, I would think her response to the person would let you know whether they are her owner. Do you think the police would know if anyone in the area is looking for a lost dog? People also put notices in the paper or sometimes post them in supermarkets or vets offices when a pet is missing. Have you checked the newspaper?

If she's found a new home with you, I'd consider it serendipity--for both of you. She definitely went to the right place--smart dog. And she looks like she'd be a great addition to the family. How is your other dog reacting to her?

Our vet did mention that female terriers, in particular, like to run given the opportunity (as in, dash away and keep going). We're still trying to piece together what may have happened that she ended up in this predicament. After chasing each other around the house endlessly yesterday, she and Jack finally settled down, exhausted. Mr.Irish fixed a bed for her on an easy chair we have in the bedroom (mainly to keep Jack from annoying her), and after she jumped in bed with us a couple times, she finally settled in the chair and slept through the night. She's a lot calmer this morning, but still wiggles with excitement when we talk to her. She's never barked or made any kind of sound. Jack barks to get our attention, so maybe she'll pick that up from him.

Good tip on the newspapers. We did report her to Animal Control, who went into all the legalese about our rights after a certain amount of time. I didn't pay much attention to all that and I think they just wanted us to know about the laws concerning abandoned dogs. Still, if her real family shows up after the deadline passes, I don't think we could morally keep her. Too much of an emotional toll. Unless it was like years or something.

Our vet is a hoot. After going on and on and on about the history and quirks of terriers, he said, "By the way, her name is Abigail.". Mr.Irish asked how he knew that and he said, "She told me".

This picture is in today's San Francisco Chronicle -

How much is that doggie in the window? This is one of Luna the Tibetan mastiff's favorite spots to crash at Art Sutch's photography shop in Juneau, Alaska. And since you ask, Art's not selling him.
Photo: Becky Bohrer / Associated Press

She's adorable, and honestly, I wouldn't do more than notify the animal shelters and look through the newspaper if someone is looking for a lost dog.
Putting flyers up yourself and/or an ad in the paper might encourage people
to get a nice dog for free. If she is really missed, her owners would put flyers up, call all shelters and put an ad in the paper - I definitely would do so!

Our Lilly was wandering the streets for quite some time until someone picked her up and brought her into the shelter. We got her from there, and no one ever came looking for her - which of course was our luck. She's micro chipped now and I think every dog owner should do that, just to be
on the safe side.

Good luck with Abigail (Abby), Irishk - I think she'll like it at your house.

I love your vet. Abigail isn't a bad name either.

I'd also have such mixed feelings if I were in your shoes. I'd be very troubled by the thought that someone might be frantic and missing their beloved pet, but, at the same time, it would be difficult not to start getting attached to such a sweet and appealing dog.

Not everyone does make an effort to find the owner when a dog without ID follows them home or suddenly turns up on their doorstep. Many years ago, I had a neighbor who found a dog sleeping on her front porch one morning. It was a cute small dog, a well cared for mini schnauzer, who had obviously wandered away from her home, but neither I nor my neighbor, nor the other dog owners in the immediate area, could remember seeing the dog walked by anyone.
My neighbor said she'd wait for someone to come looking for the dog, and she began referring to her as "a freebie" which got me very angry and I told her that, if she didn't try to find the owner, I would. I was really appalled by her selfishness, and pretty dumbfounded that a dog owner would be so cavalier about wanting to hold onto a dog that was obviously someone's pet--this was before the era of microchips, but the dog was wearing a collar without tags, and she obviously hadn't been on her own long at all. I finally convinced my neighbor to call the police department because we have a small local police force that does often get involved when people are searching for missing pets and, sure enough, they gave her the name and address of the people who were looking for this dog. But, I really think that if I hadn't pressured my neighbor, she would have just held onto that dog. I have a hard time understanding people like that.

I've known people who did not keep their dog's collar on in the house, they kept it attached to the leash and just put it on when they took the dog out. I've known others who never put a collar on the dog because they always walked the dog with a harness. If those dogs suddenly bolted out of the door they'd lack a collar and tags. So, I can think of possible reasons why a dog might be wandering around without a collar, in addition to the collar possibly having opened or broken while the dog was out being walked or even tied in the backyard. Those things are all possibilities in Snowface/Abigail's case.

I'd call all the local shelters to see of anyone is searching for her, and if you think the police could be helpful, as they are where I live, I'd call them too. But, there are limits to what you can do. The owner would have to be making similar efforts to find her. I think it's unlikely that someone would just abandon a three year old pure bred. well behaved, dog, but you never know.

I think if an owner is going to materialize, through some channel, that it would happen relatively soon. Meanwhile, it sounds as though everyone involved is enjoying each other's company, and you are certainly taking excellent care of her. If, heaven forbid, my dog were ever lost, I'd fervently hope that she would be cared for in just the kind and loving way you are doing with this dog.

Thanks, CJ and Firefly for the well-wishes and especially all the good advice. Both our veterinarian and the authorities we've contacted have been helpful, as well, along with letting us know that we'll have some decisions to make in the near future as far as her immediate and continuing care are concerned. In the meantime, we're really enjoying her cute personality. I got her a pink collar today lol...it's her color!