March 27, 2007
Tuesday PM

Friday March 16th around 2:00 pm I went into Lighthouse Grocery Store when a beautiful Irish Setter appeared in the doorway. I naturally thought the owner was inside. I made comment to the clerk at the front register when she replied that it had been there since 6:00am and they were going to call the pound to come get it. I told her that this dog belongs to someone since it is so well mannered and it is so well kept. She said it just needs a warm place to sleep tonight. I told her it could hang out at my house with my two large dogs until the owner calls. She told me to take it home. I left my information, went home and immediately called the pound with my information and the dogs information (at the time I thought it was a golden retriever). I then called the vets office to see if they had received any calls from someone looking for a golden retriever. I called The Dog House since he appeared groomed to see if they knew him. The nice lady called her client and that man said he had his dog, so she told me that the lady who owns North Shore Gardens had a golden retriever. I remembered one of the real estate agents whose home is near Lighthouse Grocery had two golden retrievers so I called him and he had his dogs and he was with a person who is greatly involved with dogs and she couldn't think of anyone but would put the word out.

I then took several pictures of this beautiful dog and made many flyers. I called Groomingdales and left a message that I would be leaving the flyer with them in a few minutes. I took the dog in my car and began the distribution. First stop was Groomingdales, second was N. Shore Gardens. The man there looked at the dog and didn't know him. I gave him the flyer and he told me that a neighbor had two golden retrievers. I went to her house and she had both her dogs but said she'd help me by calling her friend on S. Point Higgins. Talking to her the next day, she had also made other calls to other dog lovers. Continuing my drive, I put a flyer up at Lighthouse, then Ward Cove Market, ending at the Veterinary Office. I took the flyer and the dog inside, hoping that someone there would recognize him. They did not and then they scanned him for a microchip identification. He did not have one. They told me some basic information that he was fixed, liked rocks because his teeth were worn down and that he was 9-10 years old. I took care of him by giving him glucosomine tablets and vitamins, taking him on walks and to the beach. I kept him leashed when we were near the roads. He was very good. He listened to me and never ran away. I called the pound 5 times in four days. I took the dog driving in my car through neighborhoods looking for a reaction from him, at the same time I was looking for someone looking for a dog. I checked the newspapers everyday, my friends checked too. We all checked Sitnews. I went to the Lighthouse and Ward Cove markets everyday looking for any information that someone had lost a dog - just in case they missed my flyer. After four days of putting my self out there and nobody was looking for this dog, my emotions got the better of me. I took down my flyers at the two markets and I decided I would just look for lost ads. I looked and I looked. All my friends looked.
Friday afternoon on March 23rd, while looking at Ward Cove Market, my friend approached me because his truck just broke down and he and his buddy needed a ride.

You might be wondering why I am telling you all this. Well that night on March 23rd, after spending the afternoon at the beach with the beautiful lost dog and my two dogs. Then spending time in my yard with them waiting for them to dry. The Alaska State Troopers showed up at my house accusing myself and my husband of dog napping. The Trooper advised us that there were legal procedures we had to go through to keep the dog and that advertising the dog was one of them. I was so stunned, I just couldn't believe it.

As it turns out the dog owners said that they called the pound every day. They said they gave a flyer to Lighthouse to display and they don't know why Lighthouse never put it up. They said that someone from Lighthouse told them I was keeping the dog and that was why I had taken my own found flyer down.

Now that I have had a couple days to try and get over it and digest this unbelievable occurrence, I am disturbed on many levels about this. I know my emotions may still be getting the better of me. It bothers me greatly that these people thought we stole their dog. The woman was thankful to have her dog back and she gave us her and her sister's number because she thinks it is likely that her dog will run away again and possibly it will try to come to our house. I have re-united several dogs with their owners in the past. Strays tend to come to me because I am out and about with my dogs and then they won't leave. So, in the future I will add the Troopers to the top of my list above all other phone calls.

Sincerely,

CJ Hoggard
Ketchikan, AK



Received March 26, 2007 - Published March 27, 2007

 

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