Well, I certainly wasn’t planning on this.
I received a call this morning. Someone had found a black Lab puppy two months ago. The dog just showed up one day. They looked for the original owner for two months. Animal control said they could not take the dog because they had no place to put her. The person who found the dog said that she was a good dog, but they just weren’t equipped to handle a large dog. She asked if I could help. I said I might be able to help. I asked a few more questions and then asked her to send me a picture.
Black Labs can all look alike to some people, but to me, I see a lot of differences. This puppy looked very much like my Kelsy, perhaps more so than any other black lab I have seen. I have missed Kelsy terribly for these 7 years. No dog could ever replace her. On the other hand, my youngest dog is now 7 years old. Mu might retire at any time. Raphael is 2 years old, and he is a great search dog, but he’s not my dog, even though I can use him for a search any time. Do I really need another dog? Not exactly, but it couldn’t hurt to have a young dog training and getting ready to work. Most importantly, we could provide a home for one of the many dogs in need at this time.
There is a huge need for foster homes. One of the main reasons I haven’t fostered is because Sky can get very cranky around other dogs. I think she probably wouldn’t accept most dogs into our house. I thought she probably would accept a puppy. You can’t really get mad at a puppy, after all. Maybe you scold a puppy, but nothing too serious. I could see this dog fitting into our lives in a way that very few dogs would.
I went to pick her up, and of course, she is gorgeous. She is a very happy girl and loves everyone. Tino didn’t quite know what to think when I got into the car with her, but maybe we were just giving her a ride. We quite often pick up stray dogs and Tino is used to having stray dogs in the car. He settled down quickly and seemed casually interested in her.
We went to a nearby park so we could walk around and the two dogs could get used to each other. Tino was excited to go for a walk, and the puppy followed him around with interest. We went deep into the park and found some sticks. I let Tino off leash, and threw his stick for him. Before very long, the puppy seemed to get the idea of the game. I had a 30 foot leash attached to her harness, and I let her chase after Tino. She liked to chase him, but she always came back to me.
They had been calling her Bird, or Birdie. I didn’t mind that name, but I started to think of other names I might call her. Because she is pure black, I started to think of black birds. Crow didn’t quite seem like a name for a dog. Then, I thought of Raven pretty quickly, and that seemed to suit her. I love ravens. I tried to get pictures of her, but most of them were blurry because she moved nonstop. Raven and Tino and I played in the park for about an hour.
When we left the park, I was following the navigation app to get home, and I saw a dog trotting down the street. He was a young dog, a black and tan shepherd mix. A woman was following him at a distance. I asked if it was her dog, and she said no. She was just trying to keep him safe. I followed him for a while, to see if he would go home. He didn’t seem to be going anywhere in particular. After several blocks, he came up to a woman walking a dog on a leash. He seemed interested in this dog. I pulled over and asked if she knew the stray dog, and she said no.
I got Raven out, to see if the stray dog would be interested in her. He came to check her out, and she was very friendly with him. All three dogs got along pretty well, and the stray dog started following us. The woman walking the dog said she lived at the end of the block. She walked her dog and I walked Raven, and the stray dog followed us to her house. She unlocked the door, and she and I walked in with our dogs. The stray dog hesitated for a few moments, but then he walked in behind us. He came far enough into the house that I could close the door. He was safe. I told the woman I would walk back to my car and get the chip scanner that I always have with me. He didn’t have a chip. She posted him on social media, and within a couple of hours, the dog was returned to his family. Raven didn’t exactly do it all on her own, but she was a magnet dog, and helped lure a stray dog off the street and into a safe house. For her first day on the job, it was excellent work.
After that, I took her to my vet, to get her weighed, and see if we could get an appointment for a quick checkup and vaccinations. She loved everyone in the vet’s office, and of course they all loved her. We were able to get an appointment for later in the day. We went home and met the other dogs. I can’t say they were exactly happy to see her, but they weren’t unhappy. She was interested but cautious around them. It went as well as could be expected. We went back for our vet appointment. She is 38 pounds and about 5 months old. She is very healthy.
Raven is not Kelsy. There will never be another Kelsy. Raven appears to be an excellent dog, and I see no reason why she couldn’t be a good search dog. We will certainly test her out and see how she does. Currently, she is asleep beside me. She has a nice little puppy snore! I love snoring dogs. She is gorgeous and healthy, and she seems to fit in with our pack. I will give her every opportunity to become a search dog, if that interests her. Whatever she decides to do, I’m sure she will be a great dog.
What a great story! She is a keeper!! All the best to you and your pack! 🐾♥️🐾
Awww… what a sweetheart! Congratulations to all of you!