It had already been a busy spring day with multiple calls. Late in the afternoon I received a call about a dog laying in a horse pasture seemingly injured and unable to move.
This was not a pasture in the countryside however, it was a piece of land in city outskirts zoned to allow the people here to keep horses. The horses were elegant, white Percheron, used to pull carriages through our downtown city streets. The property behind the pasture was a church and someone in that parking lot had noticed the black dog laying among the horses.
I arrived at the location and determined that no one was home at the main house. I met with the caller who pointed out where he last saw the dog and I climbed over the wooden fence into the pasture to make my way to the far corner. As I walked, boots heavy with mud, I noticed six curious, enormous white horses following me, nuzzling and sniffing me. These giants stood at twice my height, and if it weren’t for their docile and friendly demeanor it would have been quite unnerving.
I located the dog and found her to be an older female Labrador mix of some kind. She made no attempt to stand as she lifted her head to look at me and her back legs appeared to be of no use to her. I spoke softly to her, stroking her head and getting a sense for her personality and pain level before attempting to move her. I was puzzled as to how this dog had managed to end up so far back in a pasture given her current state. Perhaps she was hit by a car at the busy road in the front and managed to limp herself back here before collapsing. Now my only goal was to get her out of here somehow and the help she so desperately needed.
As I knelt next to her, I had several huge horse heads bowing down next to me, sniffing me and sniffing the dog. They sensed something was amiss and were curious and definitely not afraid to get close. I had a rope leash which I wrapped around the muzzle of the dog. Even the friendliest dog will lash out when confronted with pain and it is safer to secure the teeth when attempting to move a fractious animal.
She must have weighed around 50 pounds and it was no easy feat lifting her and carrying her towards the fence. The muscles in my arms were beginning to spasm and I had to make a conscious effort to keep my feet moving. As I slowly made by way across the pasture I notice the horses all following us. It must have looked like quite the funny sight to anyone passing by.
At the fence I took a break before lifting this poor old dog one more time and finally reaching my animal control vehicle.
She seemed relieved.
I was relieved.
I spread a large woolen blanket out in the back of the vehicle and placed her on it so that her legs and pelvis would be cushioned just enough to keep her from experiencing more pain. I scanned her for a microchip hoping to be able to locate her owners this way, but unfortunately she did not have a microchip or any other identification.
I left a note on the door of the residence just in case she does in fact belong to the people who live here, and then made my way back to our animal shelter. I called our veterinarian, hoping to catch him before he leaves for the evening. He assured me that he was still at work and will wait for my arrival to asses the dog.
At the shelter the dog again made no attempt to get up and appeared to be painful as the vet manipulated her legs. Due to her age, and the severity of her injuries, the most humane outcome would be euthanasia. It kills me that we didn’t know whom she belonged to and that these owners of hers will be out there searching and will never know what happened to her.
Endings like these are all too common and makes me feel so helpless. It also makes me angry that the dog didn’t have a collar or a tag or a microchip. Especially older dogs will at times wander and forget where they’re going or how to get home. Having some type of identification on your pet can be the difference between being able to properly say goodbye and never knowing what happened.
I did receive a call from the horse owners where I left the notice, and they confirmed the dog is not theirs and unfortunately don’t know any neighbors missing theirs.
I sincerely hope that a story like this will inspire a pet owner to get their animal microchipped.