IT HAPPENS IN AN INSTANT
A Tale of Lost Dogs
Note: This article was written in early 2008 by an adopter from GreySave.
Trust—it’s no longer in my vocabulary. The whole thing was over within an hour, but I am still not going to believe in trust anymore. I thought I could control them, but I was wrong. I’m speaking about the recent disappearance of my two beloved greyhound boys. It seemed innocent enough. I mean, I don’t usually let them go off-leash outside of a fenced dog park or my backyard, but there’s this open field near my home, and it seemed safe enough for them. It’s far from busy streets, pretty flat, with good visibility, and no wildlife to chase. I thought that would be enough to keep the two of them in my sights. I was wrong.
I walked them to the field and unhooked their leashes to let them do their business. The boys stayed close and all seemed OK as we proceeded along a long dirt path. But then they decided to challenge each other to a race, and off they went. It all happened in an instant. Apparently they could not decide where the finish line was, so they just kept going and going. I called for them as loudly as I could, but it was in vain. In a matter of seconds they were out of my sight, heading towards who knows where. I tried to follow them, but it was no use. I made the mistake of not taking my cell phone on our walk, so I was unsure if I should keep looking for them or run home, call GreySave to alert them to the disappearance, and get into my car and circle the field to look for them. I wasted a half hour searching on foot without luck and then, discouraged, headed home.
By the time I got back to the house, they apparently had traveled about two miles to a strip mall near a main road north of my neighborhood. Fortunately, they had been spotted and held by two good Samaritans (my boys are very people-friendly) before they got into the street. They had their tags on and their saviors had left me a phone message and called GreySave. I rushed over to get them and thanked those nice people and the stars above that my boys were OK. Then I called GreySave to let them know that my boys were found and safe. It could have turned out much worse.
Although I’ve had these guys for two years now and have walked them every day, their disappearance taught me an important lesson. Don’t trust them off-leash in an unfenced area. Period. I knew better, but I believed I could control them. I was wrong. I also knew that I should always carry my phone with me--with the GreySave contact number programmed into speed dial--but that day I just forgot it. No more. I even have a lost dog flyer on my computer ready to go should I ever need it. (Ed. note: see If Your Greyhound is Lost on the GreySave website for flyers you can download as well as other useful information.) And, of course, the boys are micro-chipped, just in case.
I won’t stop walking them (we all enjoy those walks!) but off-leash, never. It’s just too easy to lose them in an instant, and I know I won’t be as lucky next time.
~Anonymous
Note: This article was written in early 2008 by an adopter from GreySave.
Trust—it’s no longer in my vocabulary. The whole thing was over within an hour, but I am still not going to believe in trust anymore. I thought I could control them, but I was wrong. I’m speaking about the recent disappearance of my two beloved greyhound boys. It seemed innocent enough. I mean, I don’t usually let them go off-leash outside of a fenced dog park or my backyard, but there’s this open field near my home, and it seemed safe enough for them. It’s far from busy streets, pretty flat, with good visibility, and no wildlife to chase. I thought that would be enough to keep the two of them in my sights. I was wrong.
I walked them to the field and unhooked their leashes to let them do their business. The boys stayed close and all seemed OK as we proceeded along a long dirt path. But then they decided to challenge each other to a race, and off they went. It all happened in an instant. Apparently they could not decide where the finish line was, so they just kept going and going. I called for them as loudly as I could, but it was in vain. In a matter of seconds they were out of my sight, heading towards who knows where. I tried to follow them, but it was no use. I made the mistake of not taking my cell phone on our walk, so I was unsure if I should keep looking for them or run home, call GreySave to alert them to the disappearance, and get into my car and circle the field to look for them. I wasted a half hour searching on foot without luck and then, discouraged, headed home.
By the time I got back to the house, they apparently had traveled about two miles to a strip mall near a main road north of my neighborhood. Fortunately, they had been spotted and held by two good Samaritans (my boys are very people-friendly) before they got into the street. They had their tags on and their saviors had left me a phone message and called GreySave. I rushed over to get them and thanked those nice people and the stars above that my boys were OK. Then I called GreySave to let them know that my boys were found and safe. It could have turned out much worse.
Although I’ve had these guys for two years now and have walked them every day, their disappearance taught me an important lesson. Don’t trust them off-leash in an unfenced area. Period. I knew better, but I believed I could control them. I was wrong. I also knew that I should always carry my phone with me--with the GreySave contact number programmed into speed dial--but that day I just forgot it. No more. I even have a lost dog flyer on my computer ready to go should I ever need it. (Ed. note: see If Your Greyhound is Lost on the GreySave website for flyers you can download as well as other useful information.) And, of course, the boys are micro-chipped, just in case.
I won’t stop walking them (we all enjoy those walks!) but off-leash, never. It’s just too easy to lose them in an instant, and I know I won’t be as lucky next time.
~Anonymous
