Thursday, August 7, 2008

Setter on the Loose!


Of all the roads in the world he had to come running across mine...
It was Wednesday night about 8:30 and I was doing what most people in my neighborhood do on Wednesday nights - dashing out to get garbage stickers for the cans for Thursday morning pick up. While I love the fact our town has a great pick up and recycling service, it seems I am forever dashing out last minute to purchase stickers to place on the can handles. Hence I was coming home from such an exciting excursion when a frightening sight unfolded as I turned my blinker on to enter my neighborhood. A dog racing and weaving in front of cars on the busy main road that leads into our subdivision. Any dog would have made my heart sink, but adding to my panic was the fact this was an English Setter. Being a setter-mom I recognized the look I saw in this spotty guy's eyes. It was the dreaded "Heyyyy! I'm freeeee!!!!! Whoo-hooo!!!!! Is that a rabbit I smell? Let me dart over there and find out! Whopppeeee!! Car? What's a car? Wheeeeeeee!" Thankfully he zoomed into my subdivision and off the busy main road.
He was an orange and white fellow and looked a lot like my pet sitter Jane's setter Luke - just for kicks I even yelled out "Luke" and to my surprise Speedy Gonzales froze and tilted his head at me. Strange. I attempted on foot and in vehicle to catch up with him. He was in full setter-mode, following his nose into yards and around houses. I could track him by the dog barking of others who were objecting to him entering their yards. Once in sight I threw the car door open a few times and invited him in and he did the same thing my own beloved dogs have done when they have gotten loose - he threw his head in the air as if to mock me and ran in the opposite direction. Finally I noticed his manic pace seemed to slow down a bit and it occured to me he was getting tired! Finally! I drove ahead of him at the top of a cul-de-sac using my Jetta like a corralling quarter horse, threw it in park and hopped out. I had one trick up my sleeve that every desperate dog person has done and I was growing desperate. I outstretched my hand with an imaginary treat in it and beckoned him over. "C'mere sweet boy - want a treat?" Tongue hanging to the ground he walked over to me and in super slow mode I reached over and grabbed his collar. Sweet success.
Under the glowing street light I saw an ID tag and his address and name..."Lucas" So when I yelled "Luke" I wasn't too far off from his real name! I plopped him in my car where he promptly sprawled out in exhaustion and drooled lovely ribbons of saliva on my front seat as I ran him back to my house to look up his street address. My husband was not the least bit fazed when I called ahead on my cell phone and said I had an English setter in the front seat. I guess after years of rescuing dogs and being a lost-dog magnet I have jaded him somewhat. Once in our driveway Alex got him a fresh bowl of water which he polished off in 2.3 seconds and then another. Lucas was just a very sweet boy and I knew somebody must be frantic looking for him.
My husband called the number on the tag and got a woman who said we made a 7 year old very happy and they'd be right over. Alex and I were all smug in our good deed for the day and looked forward to the Disney-like "dog and his boy" reunion about to take place in our driveway.
Except after all was said and done it didn't feel like a Disney movie.
Lucas' Dogmom and two young boys pulled up a short while later and they were thankful and polite. She says she's impressed we knew he was a setter and how these type of dogs just catch and scent and take off! "Yes we know, we chorused! We have setters too!" She mentioned Lucas was a rescue 3 years ago from a local humane group we know very well. How wonderful! Just like Fiona - a rescued setter, we stood and nodded and smiled. She mentioned he's been loose before and picked up by kind motorists....what? ummm, how often is this dog loose? (red flags start fluttering across the screen of my Disney scene) She mentions the last person that found him had no cell phone on them and took Lucas home to a town that is over an hour away and she had to go all the way out there to pick him up.(red flags now canvas the screen in my Disney scene) She mentions she thought Lucas was finally learning to just stay in the neighborhood when he's loose. (warning bells drown out the dramatic score playing in the Disney scene in my head)
My husband and I smiled politely and petted Lucas goodbye, still filled with questions why he is loose so much. We gave his Dogmom a Lucky Fiona collar since his looked a little ragged. His Mom mentions she's been meaning to get him a collar since he's still wearing the one they adopted him in...3 years ago. (Disney scene is officially shut out of my mind)
Now I know we can't judge and I know these people obviously love the dog. I just wonder why he gets out and how they can be satisfied if he "stays in the neighborhood"? I know the group they adopted Lucas from with is very strict about having a tall fence before they will adopt out to you, so I am sure they are fenced. I also know how devilish a setter can be in the need to escape. This is why we have had to tear down our first fence and put in a new taller one (so a spotty Fiona cannot jump over) lined with river rocks and landscaping (so a spotty Fiona cannot dig under) Setters are not an easy breed to contain. I guess this makes me bothered even more so - as hyper-vigilant as we are about keeping our gate locked and being careful coming in and out of doors, we have still had dogs get loose. When they do we are heart sick and out searching and getting everybody we know to help. Our reunions are the Disney scenes with tears and emotion and thankfulness.
I just hope if Lucas gets out again he has another dog-lover watching over him and keeping him out of harms way. I also think I should have given his Dogmom a leash...and told her to keep a hold of it. Tightly.

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