This morning, as I was preparing to leave for work, a cacophony erupted from the neighborhood dogs. Peering out the front window, I saw a Monrovia police officer and a woman with a dog.
The long story short is, a 5-month old mixed-breed puppy had been left chained overnight on a light post on our street. He was a bit scared, but friendly and affectionate. It looked like he had stretched the chain and spent part of the night under a car parked on the curb to get out of the elements.
Who would do such a thing, and why? I cannot say.
My wife and I have a reputation for welcoming and fostering homeless dogs, and sense that perhaps the pup's owner assumed we'd take him in. Who knows. Unfortunately, we are at capacity.
But what's for sure is that a really sweet, loving creature was dumped like garbage by those whom it loved most.
There are so many better ways of handling a dog whom you can't handle. There are lots of rescue organizations who would rather take him in than let you take him to the pound (or leave him tied to a street light). There are no-kill and low-kill shelters (Pasadena being one of the best locally, by most accounts) which will keep them safe and fed, at minimum, for as long as they can. There's lots of better ways to handle a dog you can't handle any more.
Perhaps while he was tied up, cold and worried about his future, he dreamed of a loving home with a retiree to snuggle with on a couch. Or maybe it was a couple of kids to chase around a yard. Or perhaps it was a young man with whom he could stroll around town, chill-out under a sidewalk table at Sena and act as a chick magnet/ furry wing-man.
But, if he looks like your kind of dog, my guess is he was dreaming of you. He's at the Monrovia police station right now. Maybe you should find out.
