Doggy Dundee

Stray Dog Ruffles Doggy Dundee’s Fur

G’day Mates! Not feeling too proud even two days after this event. Guess it was was only a matter of time before the fur on our (well, ‘my’) back would get ‘roused about finding stray dogs.

Chase and I were out walking late on Friday night, and, on our way home, met a friend walking her Lab-X , Arrow; so instead of turning into our driveway like normal, the dynamic duo of Doggy Dundee kept on strolling along the (very) dark street with our friends – Be careful about which path you take in life.

We all finally turned back, but a half block from the Doggy Dundee driveway, we spot (in the darkness) a bicyclist doing crazy loops and crashes and tottering – all accented with grunts and (’nuff said) thanks to a wild stray bulldog whose running crazy off-leash.

This dog’s bats – running all over the biker, into the street and caused a car to swerve in the dark as the flash of white fur dashed across. There’s no collar so there’s nothing for us to grab onto as she’s leaping and ramming and jumping all over and around Arrow and Chase acting like a wild dog on drugs. I’m royalty upset coz I know this pooch belongs to one of my neighbors, and I’ve returned the stray dog to her a couple times already (The drongo owner’s usual surprised response: “Oh, did she get out?” – Duh!)

Left Holding The Bag

We’re all trying to tackle the pooch, but she’s running circles around us and even got Chase aggravated and growling to warn off this nippy, jumpy nutcase. The stray bulldog’s also ramming and leaping on and under Arrow too – an older dog who’s fearing for his life and tries to attack this bulldog – and the owner’s fearing for Arrow’s safety (and that Arrow doesn’t get his teeth into the pooch). Arrow’s owner finally extricates her dog and races down the street calling back, “Gotta go!”

The biker finally jumps on top of the bulldog, but to use a football analogy, there’s about 50 yards to go before we score. “I know this dog,” I explain. “Can you carry him up this driveway?” The biker looks at me like I’m nuts, then nods towards his bicycle that’s been dumped into the street.

“Okay, just hold her, and I’ll run up the drive and get the dog owner to help us, ” I say, racing off with Chase before the bicyclist can protest. It’s pitch black around the bend (black night, blacktop, and black -Chase-dog) when suddenly the bulldog is under my feet, tripping me, leaping at Chase and I can’t-see-a-thing.

“Help,” I yell, hoping the biker comes racing to my rescue. Instead I hear, “Gotta go!”

Home Is Where the Bad Dog Owners Are

Long story short – and much cleaned up - we made it to the stray owner’s porch, by which time Chase has begun to get into the spirit of the evening and is also starting to run circles around her admirer and so now there’s two of them tripping me. Sigh! When a billion increasingly angry door bell rings and lotsa door knocks – followed by door poundings  - brought no one to the door, we three tripped ’round the back (no lights as we made our way through another neighbor’s rear patio area  – except the light’s shining through the bulldog owner’s sliding rear door- grrrrrr!)

I pounded on the glass slider while the stray dog played like a linebacker into Chase and I. No answer, no answer, no answer. Finally, not knowing what the heck I was gonna do if the owners were out for the night, I wondered what the chances were that the door was open and, “what the heck,” pushed at the slider. Unlocked. “Get in!” I’m screaming at the dog that’s still leaping all over us. “Go home. Get IN!!!!!”

Just then the wife – holding a cell phone to her ear – rushes towards us from the direction of her stairs. “Oh, did she get out again?”

So Why Am I Feeling Badly?

Well, I could have handled this better, and I could have seen and accepted our placement there for the good it provided. Instead, lots of my fury, even on the street, was caused by my inner dialogue about what I thought about this doltish doggy owner, as well as my personal aggravation about being abandoned by other people who give up on helping or finding  stray dogs.  

Yet, the obvious fact is that if Doggy Dundee hadn’t happened to be there – taking that unusual extra stroll with Arrow’s owner – this crazy, maniac of a friendly stray would have been out on a dark road late at night without a collar or ID or any way for the biker or anyone else to take her home. It could have ended badly for the lost dog. So, in the end, I’m glad Doggy Dundee was there. Any votes for where the bad dog owners (Dolts!) should get tossed?

(FYI, the bulldog photo used on this posting is courtesy of www.pictures-of-dogs.info/tag/photos/ )