Another challenge

As if my life isn't hard enough right now, I took in a stray. Temporarily, I say! Temporarily. Right? Right!

I left work yesterday. It is very difficult pulling out onto the major highway near my office. I turn left onto a two lane street and the cars are nonstop. As I waited and mumbled under my breath for a break in traffic (preferably both lanes at the same time) I was very angry because to my right all traffic seemed to be stopped.

What is the problem?! Then I saw him. A beautiful reddish boxer leaping out of the highway into a yard and running behind a house. I used to live over there. I thought "People! Do you know that your dog is running loose?!"

The traffic continued. I figured I was already going to be late. I had company coming to see the pups, but I couldn't help but worry about the boxer.

Since I used to live around the area where he ran, I decided to drive the alley ways. There he was just nosing around a bag of garbage. I thought maybe that is where he lived. Nobody was around. I stopped my car and the sweetest dog I have ever encountered ran up to me, dropped on the ground and started rolling around on his back in a playful manner.

I crouched down to cautiously pet him and rub his tummy. "Where do you belong?" I asked him in a soothing voice. He was so happy to see me. I got up and looked around. Nobody. I opened my car door and he jumped right up into the back seat. I drove around asking everyone who happened to be standing outside if they knew where he lived. Nothing.

I went behind the alley ways at work. Nothing. I had no choice but to take him home. He had no collar. He was panting as if he had run a great distance.

My daughter said "He is ugly!" when she first saw him. I didn't think so. My sister came with her grandson. We were very careful. Of course the grandson paid no attention to the pups or Sable (the coffee table) and wanted only the new dog. I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof.

There were no incidents. The boxer could not have been friendlier. He does have a shrill bark to him and he developed a rash on his neck where Sable's choker chain rubbed it, but he is very sweet. And very slobbery. We have another leash for him that does not irritate. I am afraid to take him out without a leash, but he runs right back inside the house with the rest of my clan.

I was going to post at all our local radio stations and stores but my daughter told me to wait and let someone report him or just post "Found Boxer." She said let them tell the details of what he looks like because someone will say he is theirs and then turn around and sell him and the real owner will never get him back.

Huh. I thought. How does she know this stuff? She watched a dog show where handlers warned of this happening. Slimy, filthy dirt bags who would do this.

He has been very well taken care of. He is clean. He is well-fed (not over fed). He had his tail docked (my daughter said recently). He is house broken and very mannerly. He does not bark in the house. He was playing with the pups until he became irritated with them and tried to get away from them. He wants to play with the cats but he is very cautious of them. I was so glad he didn't chase them or torment them. He and Sable could care less about one another. He is probably the most mild mannered pet I have seen in a long time.

He didn't seem to know what toys were or rawhide chews. Once he figured out the rawhide chew he was in heaven. He walked on a leash very well. He did pull me a little while trying to investigate our yard. He did not devour his food. He is very noisy when he drinks water, we laugh.

Oh, and sleeping arrangements? Of course I was worried about him. My daughter took the pups into her room with her. I couldn't leave him out with the cats. Sable was no help. I put a rug on the floor of my bedroom. Did he stay there? Nope. He is a big bed hog and he snores.

I will be sorry to see him go. Maybe.