Why Is This Puppy Tired?
Posted on June 6, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 30 Comments
Could it be that last night he ran away from the house and disappeared and then spent all night outside, lost and confused, until we tracked him down this morning? Yes, that might be it.
If indeed he’s a lost puppy rather than an abandoned one, I don’t blame his owners. This one is trouble.
Speaking of which, off to the vet now to see if he’s chipped.
to: COMMAND CENTRAL
fr: PUGSLEY
Cat tried to stare me down. Laughed my ass off watching him beg for food. Last night’s meeting productive. Target suitably concerned. Used the Puggle Mind Trick to take get him to give me a ride to reconnoiter the area more efficiently.
Reviewed invasion plans. Who’s idea was it to use the racoon? Brilliant! Will retrieve microchips from birdseed when back from ride.
—the pugster
p.s. working on turning the little one.
Running off is a hard thing to train out of a dog.
Before he died, my parent’s large outside dog, Harry Houdini, (who had been a stray) used to escape so often and spend the night wandering the woods that my dad eventually gave in and would let him out to run on a Saturday morning, and he’d come straggling back in Sunday morning, with a terrible doggy hangover.
Oh my god, cutest puppy face EVER.
Welcome to the wonderful world of having a temp dog that is part beagle. As cute as they are, beagles are intense flight risks. If he picks up a scent, he’s gone. I’m not sure that centuries of breeding can ever really be trained out of a dog – or if one should try.
I would hazard a guess that someone is looking for him. I know I’ve spent the last 11 years planning against or recovering from escapes. It’s definitely a consideration if you end up in a position to convert him from temp dog to perma dog.
Out partying, was he?
Yeah, Justme is right. It’s probably the Beagle in him. I’ve got a little Dachshund/Beagle and I’ve never even considered taking him outside without a lease. The Beagle thing makes them love to just run off to investigate the slightest change in scents. When mine catches a smell, the next thing you know there’s a little Looney Tune doggie dust outline where he had been standing next to me. If you do end up keeping him, have fun with this.
those look like big paws.
I blame the cats. Obviously they are somehow implicated.
I think the Scalzi house is listed somewhere in the “Lost Pets Guide to the Soft Hearted Human.”
He is a cute little dude. Although you need a better name than “temp dog/cat”. It’s not accurate. More like “temp to perm”.
Here’s hoping he is chipped and you find his owners.
He’s not chipped, and a scouring of the local newspapers and shelters find that no one is missing a dog of his type. He seems to be genuinely abandoned, which, alas, is a common thing to happen out here in rural America.
Fortunately, we’ve got people lining up to take him. We’ll probably hand him off by the weekend.
If he’s the runaway type, the concerned owner would probably have put a collar with ID on him.
Years ago my cat slipped away and I was frantic. I called the local shelter and left a description. The next day they called me to say they had my cat.
Since the smug cat had been on my lap when the phone rang, I told the shelter guy that he was back already. He sounded very disappointed.
Awww he’s SOOOO cute!!!
Chipped? What, don’t tell me you dropped him already! I hate it when I break stuff I just got.
…Do you have a large neon sign in front of your household shaped like a doggy dish that Whatever readers should know about? The number of pets that wander into your household seems to be above the number laid down by statistics for our guidance.
Well, it’s a shame (in some regard) that you’re not keeping him. I think Shenanigans.would have been an appropriate name.
Keri:
Well, the cats are not thrilled with him. And four pets is enough by any standard. But I’m happy we know people who will want and love him.
King:
I have no doubt we’re outliers, in part due to the fact that out in the middle of nowhere, where we live, is the perfect place for folks to drop off their unwanted pets.
I’m a bit disappointed you can’t keep TempPuppy, but the cats must certainly be appeased. I feel confident you’ll pick the perfect home for him though.
I agree with Janet (#11) that dogs prone to run away really ought to have a collar with their name and phone number. Both of our dogs have this, and have ended up using it several times.
We’ve got one of those underground radio fences to keep them from running off, and it works better than 99% of the time, but that still translates to a couple of escapes a year. The beagle just occasionally gets to chasing after something and forgets herself, but the other dog only goes over when something really freaks him out, like distant fireworks, gunshots, or thunder. Or getting skunked and porcupined in quick succession on a single day, that seemed to freak him out quite a bit.
One of the downsides of the radio fence is that, once out, the fence keeps the dog from *coming back* with equal effectiveness.
Anyone who would abandon a puppy or kitten is only human by biological designation.
Taking care of that stray is not only good karma, but it’ll also save you from annihilation when the malevolent, space-faring dog-men from Canidon take over the planet.
That puppy looks like I feel.
So there will be a contest for the dog? May I suggest prospective pet-parents run an agility course on your front lawn? We’re talking YouTube comedy gold, man!
Gads, this reminds me of the time my cat Myrddin got out…he HAD a collar and tag, but as we had just moved, it was to our old place. Fortunately we found him before I had to call our old number and explain, “Uh yeah HI…if anyone calls for the wee beastie, here’s our new number…”
After recovery, we went immediately out and got a new, updated tag. Scary!
Taking care of that stray is not only good karma, it’s good dogma.
It’s the beagle in him: beagles’ brains are basically all olfactory and no self-preservation. :)
Oh criminey, he’s a cutie.
…. he’s soooo cute though! I say keep him. At least he won’t be a boring dog.
Erin,
“boring” is not a bad thing when it comes to dogs. “Boring” is good. “Boring” means fewer vet bills, weekly search parties, unfortunate dog/vehicle interfaces, and lawsuits from neighbors.
I’m with Jeff on the testing and videotaping thing. You could have you FIL chase folks with the rider-mower.
Are you all young enough for me to pull out that old chestnut,
“My karma just ran over my dogma”?
Be careful Mr. Scalzi, I really think it is the fact that you put lovely pictures of your “temp” pets on your blog that brings them to your house. You know, the traditionally handsome dogs and cats simply go to Hollywood to be famous but the quirky, off-beat dogs and cats who crave fame must go to the homes of well-read bloggers who can’t resist taking pictures.