Protecting Our Furry Friends

So I own a dog. I tend to think of her more as an employee than a tool. She protects my family, my property providing security and peace of mind. In return, I provide room, board, health coverage and all the cheese and chicken strips she wants.

She's a stray, or a rescue, if you will. I found her wondering a park in Los Banos. I put out fliers but no one responded and as a 3-month-old puppy, she was the cutest thing, so I kept her.

First thing I did was take her to the vet to get a check up, her puppy shots, had her checked for heart worm, had her dewormed and have her chipped. I know how almost all Huskies will take off if given the chance and I wanted to make sure I got her back.

Of course, I wind up with the only Husky that won't run off. Since then it's been regular trips to the vet, had her spayed at 6 months old, just before her first cycle. My experience is that after the operation, if the dog is past its first cycle, it tends to wind up looking like a beer keg with legs.

She's now 5 and she loves going places. That could mean anything from going to the store to going to the park. She just doesn't care, as long as I take her with me. No, if it's hot out and I have to go to the store for groceries where I'm going to be in for a while, I leave her home; otherwise she goes. When I get out, both windows rolled down completely, she sits on the seat and waits patiently for me to return.

So, I'm at the park on Oct. 14 when what should wonder up was a French Bulldog. No leash, no owner. I looked, but it was all alone. It was typical of the breed and extremely friendly.

After the formal sniff and greet, he came right up to me when I called him. He had a collar and an ID tag with a phone number. Well, me being the responsible pet owner that I am, I scooped him up and put him in my truck. I went home and immediately called the number. According to the recording, no such number. Great, nice work, I thought. So I took him to the San Jose Animal Care Center on Monterey Road, with whom the town contracts for animal protection services.

Now I think this dog is a French Bulldog. Last time I checked, these are like $2,500 dogs, so I assumed that the owners would probably want their dog back. Once at the animal care center, it was a painless experience. I had to fill out one some information and they took him in.

Later in the day, quite by accident, the center called me. The woman on the other end of the phone thought the dog was mine because she called my number rather than the one on the tag.

In talking with the woman, I found out that the dog had an ear infection and some kind of a skin problem, and genetic issues with its sinus area due to inbreeding of the species. But most disturbing of all was the fact that there was no chip.

Somebody spent $2,500 for this great little dog and didn't spend the $15 it costs to chip him. I was floored. How someone could pay that much for a dog and then just ignore its medical needs is beyond me? How anybody could be that irresponsible I haven't a clue?

People, I don't know about the rest of you, but I value my animals as I do my children. They're part of my family and I need to do what it takes to keep them healthy, as should we all. They provide, comfort, companionship, protection and unconditional love. We have a responsibility to keep them safe.