Me, Myself, as Mommy: Doggone it, our pets deserve better attention
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- This white, blue-eyed Australian cattle dog, found in Meg Sanders’ neighborhood, is now in the care of the Weber Animal Shelter.
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- This white, blue-eyed Australian cattle dog, found in Meg Sanders’ neighborhood, is now in the care of the Weber Animal Shelter.
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- Meg Sanders
My 2023 started with a puppy, which wasn’t as great as it sounds. As I was scooping ice cream New Year’s Eve, I saw a white object zip down my deck stairs just as I glanced at the window. It bolted as dogs tend to do when they’re frantic after loud objects burst in the sky above. I didn’t think much of the pup as dogs aplenty dot my local landscape, so it could be from any number of yards. I was reminded of the wild dog once more as I literally ran to my truck to pick up my daughter, worried it would try to eat me. Obviously, I have very little experience with dogs. I didn’t have one growing up, being a strictly cat family — the same cat for 18 years, as a matter of fact.
This has recently changed with the addition of “Molly,” my sister’s Min Pin, who is the best little creature and whose hyperactivity is only matched by her absolute adorableness. She’s just like a toddler — unpredictable poops, putting things in her mouth she absolutely shouldn’t and the high-pitched whining when she’s ignored. Dog life is an adjustment as I have to slither into my sister’s house through a 4-inch gap so Molly won’t get a taste of sweet freedom. This lesson was learned the “hard way” when my neglect led to an hour-long chase of one speedy Min Pin not interested in listening … kind of like a toddler.
Being responsible for my sister’s dog, I sprinted, begged, crawled, bawled and prayed that Molly would slow down. It took a long time, a truly humbling experience, but I finally caught the escape artist. My sister signed on for a dog, I signed on to dog sit, so now I’m responsible for this irrational animal no matter the circumstance. For some dog owners, this doesn’t seem to be the case.
If you’re on social media and you want to feel further depressed about the state of people, check out the lost animal pages. Based on the number of posts, no one knows where his/her dog is, nor do they have the proper fencing in place to keep said dog secure. This isn’t the case for everyone; most owners take the task of being a dog caretaker very seriously and Fido is simply related to Houdini. If you went off the plethora of Facebook pet posts on “Lost Northern Utah Pets,” these responsible owners seem to be the exception to the rule. This as animal shelters are currently very full. In just the last day, Ogden’s community social media page has six posts with “found” dog posts. If there’s an average of six posts a day, seven days a week, we’re looking at 42 dogs running wild at any given moment.
Attempting to combat the number of unwanted pets — now surging because people think a pet is the perfect Christmas gift, forgetting that it’s actually a gift that keeps giving for the next decade — shelters are offering discounted rates. Shelters like ours here in Weber County are either at capacity or near to it, triggering a crisis that’s literally life or death. We’ve all heard the statement that you can tell a lot about a place by how well they take care of their most vulnerable. This isn’t only true for human beings but also four-legged creatures with a tiny frontal lobe.
Imagine if those who lost a pet, which I understand can happen if you dare to open your door more than a foot, continued to look until Fido was found? Turnover in our shelters would be so much better if pet and owner could be reunited. I recently ugly cried watching a now viral video of an Ogden dog owner hiking through waist-deep snow to get her dog, Nala. This tiny dog was lost in the mountains during a hike. Did this owner simply shrug, or think a simple social media post would find her dog? No, she went looking. Frostbite was not going to stand in the way of this dog-mom and her pet progeny. She set the bar high here in Ogden.
The bar is in the basement for the person who I suspect dropped his adorable dog off in my neighborhood on New Year’s Eve. The frantic, terrified white object darting through my yard was actually the sweetest dog I’ve ever come in contact with in my dogless life. She actually made my neighbor’s porch her home, setting off her Ring camera continuously. The neighbor was out of town, so she drafted me to handle the dog. It was the most bittersweet couple of days. This dog, I now know to be an Australian cattle dog, took a piece of my heart when I dropped her at the shelter. No one has been looking for her. I posted on every social media page, made fliers for the grocery store and now I’m writing a column about her in hopes her owner will find her. Although, it’s now been two weeks, so it’s clear to me this owner does not deserve such a pure soul.
Weber Animal Shelter is her temporary home, where the good people who work there are now taking on the job of caretaker for these abandoned, scared and precious animals. Thank you to Genesis, Brandon and Breanna for watching after this little dog.
Through Jan. 31, our local shelter is offering reduced adoption fees of $25 for dogs and kittens, and $5 for cats. My house is already overrun with my rescue cats, creating a tad bit of resentment as I’m constrained from getting this dog. If you’re thinking about welcoming an animal in your life and you’re prepared to trudge through deep snow to rescue it, now is the time to adopt. If you’re looking for a kind, white, female cattle dog with stunning blue eyes, I know just where to get one.
Meg Sanders worked in broadcast journalism for over a decade but has since turned her life around to stay closer to home in Ogden. Her three children keep her indentured as a taxi driver, stylist and sanitation worker. In her free time, she likes to read, write, lift weights and go to concerts with her husband of 17 years.
