Wolfie
I know we can catch him, but then what?
I absolutely love Valentino. I’m sure people get tired of me saying it. I’m always bragging about how wonderful he is and posting pictures of him. I have at least 50,000 pictures and videos of him. He is a magnificent dog. Also, he is not better than any other dog. Any dog can be as magnificent as Valentino if he can find that person who sees him that way.
Today, Tino kept me company as we tried to catch a German Shepherd who has been living in a swamp for at least a month. This swamp is adjacent to a freeway, and there is no barrier to keep him off of the freeway. I just learned of him a few days ago, and when I asked around, I learned that he has been in the swamp, and wandering the busy road by the swamp, for at least a month. I first saw him with my own eyes yesterday. I named him Wolfie. Today, we set a trap for him, but he was too cautious, so we will have to set a different trap at a later date. I am absolutely certain we can catch him, but then the problem becomes what to do with him after that.
As we were waiting to see if Wolfie would go in the trap, a volunteer was able to catch another stray dog in the area, using Calming Signals. She took the dog to the shelter, and the shelter said they are full, and can’t take the dog. So, what are we supposed to do with him? Although I do run a small nonprofit for stray dogs, and we have helped many stray dogs like this one in the past, we are full, and all of our fosters have dogs. We are trying to get several of our foster dogs into permanent homes, but it is a difficult time to find a home for a dog. Shelters have budgets in the millions of dollars, and they are supposed to be there just for this exact situation. Shelters all across the nation are over capacity. This is a problem for Wolfie and the other shaggy stray, and a million dogs like them. Even before our current crisis, 360,000 dogs were euthanized in shelters in 2023. This should not be a difficult problem to solve. We are the richest nation in the world. Depending on how you measure it, we are #1 in education. Why can’t we help Wolfie? And a million dogs like him?
Wolfie appears to be young. He ought to have a great life ahead of him. He could be just as loved as Tino. If my Tino was lost, I could not rest until he was safe. I would not be able to sleep if I knew he was struggling to survive in a swamp near a freeway. I go to sleep every night with Tino curled into my chest, where he belongs. Wolfie needs to belong to a family that cherishes him and lives to keep him safe.
If you have ever thought about fostering, or if Wolfie seems like the kind of dog you could provide a home for, please let me know. Please share this with someone you know who might be able to help Wolfie. Based on past experience, I am highly confident we can catch Wolfie, soon. I hope we can figure out what to do with him next.
Thank you for helping him at this stage. Finding homes for the homeless has become so difficult and you’re correct, it shouldn’t be this way. We’ve come far as a society in not viewing animals as disposable, but not far enough. “Don’t Breed or Buy While Shelter Pets Die”
should stop people in their tracks when looking for a pet. Every dog needs a home, including those intentionally bred, but we must stop feeding the dragon and make it socially unacceptable for backyard breeders.
It’s not helping that many shelters have maintained reduced hours since the pandemic and have other policies that end up discouraging potential adopters. Shelter management in many areas have worsened the problem with regressive policies that make it more difficult for rescue organizations to intercede.
A shelter turning away pets in need is never the answer.
I volunteer with an animal welfare organization in northern Minnesota. They took in their first adult dog surrender in over 6 months - not because they had placement but because the dog was entangled in a domestic violence situation. Placement will be found somehow, but so many others have been left like Wolfie to manage winter on their own. Thanks for bringing this forward!