Found a dog yesterday! Of course it had to be an Australian Shepherd

[KatnipCrzy]

On our drive back from my workplaces summer party- we went on a kayaking trip down a river for 3-4 hours- We saw a dog running along side the road.  I saw it was an Aussie (we have 2 Aussies and I volunteer for Aussie Rescue in Michigan)- so I told my husband to stop the car.  He ran right up to me when I called him.  The poor dog was muddy, wet and full or briars.  That I can excuse as that could happen in a day or 2.  He is severely matted and has not been combed anytime recently- so he has matts and “dreadlocks” all over his body- including him tummy/chest and back of his legs which is the hardest to get to.

I spent an hour grooming him yesterday.  Today he went to the self bathe dog wash and my sister in law and I were there for 2 1/2 hours bathing and combing/dematting him when the shampoo and conditioner was in his coat.  Poor guy!  He is a sweetie- timid but sweet.  And he is starting to warm up to us- I have seen some wiggle butt from him when we walk him.  For now he is in a crate in our garage with a fan blowing on him to keep him dry and cool.

We are not keeping him but I have to give the owner a chance to claim him- but Aussie Rescue is interested in taking him into the program to get neutered, up to date on vaccines, etc and get him into a foster home.  I do NOT want a 3rd dog- and I have a feeling he was somebody’s farm dog (we were in farming area) and that I nabbed someone’s farm dog that does not deserve to have a dog anyway.  But I am cautious about bringing him in the house- he is OK with my dogs so far.  I might get his reaction on the cats.  My cats are dog savvy and will let me know right away what kind of vibes they get from this dog.  But the bunnies- that worries me- so he will not be allowed near the bunnies at all.  They are in NIC pens and that will not stop any determined dog.  But obviously he will never be unsupervised- and if he lifts his leg in the house that is the end of all house/cat/bunny testing.

Here are some pics of the poor guy that we named Dyson……..  (Those are my husbands legs in the picture- he got his legs sunburned quite badly, and my legs, top of shoulders are pink- but the back of my left hand is burned, red and swollen.  who knew you could sunburn the back of your hand and fingers?!?  I didn’t)

[KytKattin]

He’s so pretty! I bet something as simple as neutering him would have kept him at home. Though obviously they didn’t bother to take good care of him anyways! Matting like that takes a long time. How are you advertising that you found him?

[jerseygirl]

Ooh! Two different coloured eyes! We had a dog growing up with that. I can imagine that coat could get into quite a mess. Un-neutered farm dog….probably run off to meet all the local lady dogs.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

What a wonderful thing you did taking care of that dog, cleaning him up and going to all of that work. You are a good person! I hope he ends up in a happy place.

[Alicia]

Awww he is beautiful!  I’m so glad you rescued him and I hope he finds a great forever home soon!

[Sage Cat]

Just to be Devils Advocate – how do you know he is not neutered? Will the Rescue check for a microchip? You never know – someone out there might be devastated over his loss.
I remember having a family dog get lost when I was little. Luckily she did have her collar and tags on. But it was 10 days before someone found her and called us. She was in terrible shape by the time she was found. But, when the person who found her saw her reaction to my family – they knew we had not neglected her and were very glad they had contacted us.

He is beautiful & I am glad you took him in and are looking to get him some help!!!!

[KatnipCrzy]

I know he is not neutered because it is obvious he still has “the boys”.  I don’t find it gross to check since I work at a vet clinic and years ago worked at the Humane Society- so I am used to going a quick eval on age, sex, temperament and any obvious life threatening medical conditions.  The first thing I did was to stop by my work and get the scanner out and scan him while he was in the car.  I did not want to bring him in as the floors were clean and I would have had to clean the floors everywhere he walked. 

I am unhappy about the condition his coat is in- but I am giving the owners a chance to get their dog back- I posted on Craigslist- both major lists in that area, ran an ad in the newspaper that starts today and filed a found report at the Humane Society.  Maybe I will be surprised- but more often than not owners that could not be bothered to brush their dog will not try too hard to find him.  I have to agree there could be circumstances that could explain this situation- illness in the family, another family member watching the dog not caring properly for it and the dog gets away.  He had on a huge, filthy nylon collar with a large rusty caribeaner clip on it.  The collar was so wet that 18 hours after finding him when the collar came off it was still damp.

We have named him Dyson so that we have something to call him- he deserves a name.  This is not great timing since I leave next Monday to go pick up my new English Lop, plus I am afraid to let him anywhere near my bunnies especially since they are in pens and not cages.  I will just have to take baby steps with him to see how he reacts to the cats- and I will probably block off all access to the bunnies.  I am sure he was a farm dog- so that is what scares me.  He has the recall of a doorknob- he was in our fenced yard last night and he did not even look at me when I encouraged him to come to me- he completely ignored me he was so busy sniffing.  But he is a sweet, gentle dog and I will do what I can to get him back home (yuck!) or into the rescue group program.

 

[Sarita]

He’s pretty! I doubt he has a microchip too if he is not neutered.

Did you name him Dyson after the Dyson vacuum cleaner cause you would definitely need to vacuum after combing him :~)

[Sage Cat]

CatnipCrzy – Thank you for responding to my questions!!!! I agree that if he is not neutered, no chip & unbrushed – they won’t look hard for him.

Dyson is a cool name.
The recall of a doorknob – ha, ha, ha!

[Barbie]

He is so handsome!

[KatnipCrzy]

  I am pretty sure he is not deaf or blind since I have seen him look at dogs across the road when they are being walked.  And I saw him lift his head and look when a loud motorcycle went by.  He is starting to bond to us a little more- wag his tail when he sees us.

  I named him Dyson because my husband and I joked around that we would name our next male Aussie Dyson- because the way our dogs are cleaning up after the bunnies and any crumbs in general.  I never see him eat though- I give him a bowl of kibble- he will let it sit there- but when I come back later it is gone.  So ironically he does not “vacuum” up food they way my dogs do.  But it was still a good name since yep- it takes a Dyson/vacuum to clean up after a grooming session with this guy.  I am about to head back outside to take him onto our deck and groom him up there.  His whole underside and rear end is chunks of clumped fur.  I can’t really shave him at this point since the owners could still claim him and I would hate to return him to an unknown situation with way less hair to protect against the sun, bug bites and outdoor elements.  Plus, he really is quite patient with me- even though he does not come when called.  He barely acknowledges my presence if he is sniffing in the yard before walking the other way. 

[jerseygirl]

Katnip, any update on “Dyson”? K&K posting about Mikey eating bunny poop reminded me of your dogs and then Dyson.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

AWWW i’m glad you found the post Jers-THAT dog is gorgeous! I love the one blue eye

I agree Katnip-you don’t want to give the dog back to an owner who can’t be bothered-but a rescue group can get in trouble for adopting out a dog if the owner did not get a chance to claim him so it’s good your doing that. Hopefully someone who so neglected his coat and neutering doesn’t have the internet and/or won’t bother looking.

Sooo Updates!!!!

[KatnipCrzy]

Dyson was never claimed by his owner- even though they easily could have found that I had him if they had tried. I had posted on Craigslist, ran an ad in the paper, and filed a report with the 2 local Humane Societies and local animal control.

Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline (ARPH), that I volunteer for- agreed to take him into the adoption program.  So on the day that he was legally mine he was neutered, had a lipoma removed, microchipped and updated on vaccines.  He went to a foster home 2 days later.

He was an absolute sweetheart and really came around for us.  He would get “wiggle butt” when we approached his crate- and he would give kisses.  It took a couple of days- but once he seemed to realize the routine and how dogs SHOULD live- he seemed very happy.  He was with my 2 dogs so he quickly learned to come when called, go in the crate to be fed, etc.  And he started to look at my when I said “Dyson” or “Dice”.

We had him almost 3 weeks- and I was sad to see him go to a foster home.  But I did not trust him enough to let our parrot out and the bunnies were just getting to return to normal freedom- although Dyson had to be crated if they were out.  Both Cotton and Schroeder hopped right up to Dyson in his crate and sat just a few inches away!  And Dyson was a good boy and just watched them.

The poor dog never expected attention or affection and seemed surprised and then happy when he realized it was offered all the time. 

[mrmac]

He is adorable! That’s so good what you did for him, he deserves a better or at least a home, and people that will love him and take care of him and give him the attention he needs. I hope he finds his forever home soon!

[MimzMum]

Aw poor puppy! I am just incensed that people don’t have more consideration for dogs, right now I’m battling neighbors who seem to think their backyards are good places for sighting their rifles for hunting season. My dogs are practically killing themselves trying to find places to hide from the noise. But that doesn’t stop people around here from shooting. I’m lucky I have a strong enclosure for them, or they’d both be running around loose in complete fear and I’d probably never find them.
I hope Dyson finds a good home to go to. I can see why it would be hard to give him up, he is a beautiful dog. My husband loves this breed because of their high intelligence and ease of ability to train.

[jerseygirl]

Thanks for the update. It’s so heartning he started to respond to the positive attention. I’m sure he’s getting plenty attention at the foster home. Hopefully soon in a permanant one. He was lucky to have crossed your path.

[bunnytowne]

Awe  lucky dog he has a place to stay and a nice clean coat now.  Food affection.  HE is living the life.  Hopefully he will get a home of his own thru the rescue.

AN enlish lop how cool.   Don’t yo just  love those ears they have.

[Author]

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