OK, so maybe like six years back, when I was living at 26th and U I found this "stray" dog with a tag that said "Iko" with a number and (if I remember right, which I probably don't) an address on like, let's say 26th and C. I corralled Iko (a friendly chow) in the house and called the number. I left a message. Then for some reason I ended up driving Iko over to the house and knocking on the door. The person who lived there was like the ex of the current owner and told me where the current owner lived which was....two doors down from 26th and U. I was later to learn that Iko frequently hung out on that corner without the owners around and never went more than a block. When I returned him the owner was brusque and not amused.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was walking on a bike trail behind my work and found a "stray" large tabby cat. He meowed plaintively and aggressively approached me for pets. He had a collar that the tag had obviously fallen off of and it was starting to rain and I agonized over what to do. Over the course of the next hour I coaxed him to remain by my side as I placed various calls for someone to help me (all while AWOL from work). Over an hour in I was sitting by him and petting him and he started to give me a weird look and crouch down. I think he thought it was my fault he was getting wet. Suddenly, he lashed out with the speed of a cobra and bit my arm, luckily, through my puffy coat. He bit me so hard I had a small bruise there later. I waited on, now keeping him at arms length. The SPCA workers finally arrived. I made flyers and posted them. Later in the day I found out he would be at a no-kill facility, which was a relief.
Now, here we are, in the present, and I'm walking on the trail by my work again (behind murder burger). I see the exact same fucking cat, this time WITH a collar and he lives....at a house quite near murger burger. He wasn't lost at all.
look, a boring personal story, exactly the kind of thing i try to avoid. i'm truly scraping the bottom of the barrel this time.
ReplyDeleteI've had the same frustrating experience of finding a seeming stray dog, putting up fliers in the hood only to find it lived two doors down from me and the neighbors seemed somewhat annoyed with me for making such a big deal about it. I now see the same dog about once a month wandering around the block alone without a collar, still, and ignore it.
ReplyDeleteMiss B
a fellow dognapper.
ReplyDeleteIt just occurred to me that I know the names and addresses of all the pets on my block, but only know a few of my human neighbors names. I guess I will continue naming them by their hobbies...Kayak Lady, VW/Scooter Guy, Asshole with the 'vette....
ReplyDeleteUrton
Do you remember that you and I went to Trader Joe's and when we got back you got a call from the owner saying that he had Iko with him? You had put him in the backyard and he managed to escape and go home, which was to walk 3 houses down. But you didn't know that he had gotten out and that he lived so close when you got the call and you were very perplexed at the moment. Ah, memories.
ReplyDelete-GW
And FURTHER memories, do you and GW remember the Pit Bull with the bloody asshole that stumbled onto our porch?
ReplyDelete- Patrone
speaking of cats, here are some new Luba pics (NSFW!!!)
ReplyDeleteIt is so typical that I would forget the best part of the story.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, the pitbull. I remember you were waiting with the dog on the porch for animal control. I started to pet the dog as soon as I saw it and you were like, "Um, you might want to be a little more cautious about petting an injured pitbull." Of course, it didn't even occur to me that the dog might be scared and would attack me. Thanks for keeping my hand from getting bitten off.
ReplyDelete-GW
and of course I don't remember the pit bull. Did I see it? I forgot my other pet rescue story, when me and Charles found the roaming rottweilers that we named father and son and I corralled them in my small Q st. apartment until animal control came. And they stole Charles sandwich! He blamed me.
ReplyDeleteIt was so aweful! I tried to tell her it was a bad idea. I was different then, and i still had the stay-out-of-other-peoples-bizzness mantallity. I still blame her. Damn you Father and Son!
ReplyDeleteCharles
I am the owner of IKO. I hope I didn't seem upset. I appreciate the thought and the effort that you put into rescuing him. I remember being ammazed at how much effort you had put into trying to find his home and I felt bad since the tags were misleading.
ReplyDeleteThank you.