so i'm going to rant about dog owners this morning - you lucky readers.

I have a problem with lots of dog owners.

Now, it's no secret here that i ADORE my dog. He is the exact dog i need - he matches my personality perfectly, is a constant and wonderful companion - in fact i want to find a job where i can bring him with me ..... in addition to being a wonderful pet ... i'm a wonderful dog owner .... he's on good and expensive food, never misses a dose of Frontline or Interceptor, never misses his annual exam, walked twice daily, and goes to the dog park pretty much every weekend.... and at times most importantly HE WEARS TAGS. Maybe too many - but he has a tag with his name and my phone number on it, one that says "if i am alone, i am lost, call allison" and lists my number, and i have doggie lojac for him. He's microchipped and registered so that if by some nightmare he's lost and goes to the shelter or a vet's office - they can scan him, and contact me, my parents, his vet, and the rescue group i adopted him from.

i say all this to say, a dog is work. everyday. it's a serious obligation, and worth all the time and money invested if the dog is a match, good with your kids if you have them, and what you want as a member of your family....then take care of them.

and yes, this is going somewhere. i am the dog lady of the neighborhood. i cannot TELL you the number of dogs i have seen outside, lured into my house, looked at the tags, called the owners, loaded the dog in my car and driven home. i do this because i believe i karma - and if somehow mike got lost - i'd hope someone would do the same for me .. and although i live in a quiet neighborhood - it's off a pretty busy road - and i always have the fear of him being hit.

so last night - i'm home from a really long and trying day at the office, after stopping by the grocery store, ( and getting the mail where there was a HYSTERICAL card from #5 - which is now in my office ) anyway - i'm starting to cook dinner, and mike starts barking and crying...now he likes to announce EVERYONE that comes in the cul-de-sac .. and has a crush on my next door neighbor... so when he comes home - mike goes nuts - but sometimes he'll come and "get" me ... like if sees a kid without an adult or if the jackasses from accross the street are playing frisbee in the cul-de-sac..and running in my yard ...... ok anyway...

he's doing the bark whine cry thing - so i go look out the front window and there's a dog wandering around out there - so i turn off the stove and head outside. There is this massive bassett hound/beagle mix who's been lost before - i've seen him around several times and recently saw a sign in the neighborhood when he was missing. so i'm outside and call the dog over to me - he comes to the yard to get some hugs and kisses ....and i see that he has a collar on BUT NO TAGS. he's really friendly but scared of mike so he won't come in the house - i go in grab the car keys, open the garage door and get the dog in the car ... and off we go to look for mom and dad. now my neighborhood is made up of about 5 mini-neighborhoods, and we drove in all of them - thinking for SURE i'll see someone out hollering for their dog ... um, not so much. So i go to the tennis courts which is where the bulletin board is for the 'hood. and nothing is posted ... so i start looking in the individual sections again and stop a woman walking her baby - and asked ... do you know this dog - or where he lives ..... she goes on a mini rant ( as she's a dog person too ) about how the dog is out all the time - but thinks she knows where he lives ....

so i go to the house, knock on the door and a CHILD answers the door ( WHO FUCKIN LETS THEIR KIDS OPEN THE DOOR - HE COULD BE SNATCHED LIKE "THAT" ) anyhow - i ask for his mommie or daddy and ask the mom if she's missing a dog - i head a loud dog barking in the backgroud so i think maybe this is the wrong house.... she says no ours aren't missing - i say - are you sure he's a really big basset hound-y / beagle, and she asks is he with you now - and we walk out to the car ( now for her defense, she had an young kid, a middle schooler, a wee tiny baby, and was in the middle of packing for moving .. i'm sure things were hectic - THIS TIME - but this dog has been out before.... many times ) so we get to the car and she says - oh that's max... max what are you doing out.

then she says to me - i didn't know he was out ... we have an electric fence that he just runs right through....

and i'm thinking ... DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS OUT!?!?! and ELECTRIC FENCES DON'T WORK IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE ELECTRIC FENCE COLLAR HIM!!!!!

and 3 - get a fuckin' tag on this dog.

but she thanked me profusely and i went back home to my well tended dog.

and dinner - cause i was starving at that point!


~and scene~


ps. i'm you're in the metro atlanta area and in the market for a dog or a cat - this is an amazing rescue group. Forgotten Paws this where i got mike...and where i'll get my next dog.