dog gone lucky

This weekend we visited my dad and mum out in the country. On Sunday when we came home from church, there was a dog on their property just hanging out that wouldn't leave. It has been around my dad's house hanging out in the yard off and on for weeks. He was a dirty dog but he was still beautiful! He was so excited to be around and was amazing with the kids, even Devon whom was pulling his hair. We tried to run him off but it was no use!

We checked all of the lost dog sites and left info with animal control and the sheriff. We spoke with the neighbors who validated our opinion that he had no owner because they were chasing him off of their properties for weeks also.

 I had a really good feeling we should bring him home and to my surprise, Patrick was on board with very little persuasion!  My mum and dad helped encourage our choice since they were certain he was homeless. We had just decided the day before to start looking for a good dog that is good with kids and chickens so it was perfect timing!

I couldn't help but think of how it was meant to be.

We borrowed a kennel from my dad and took him home. He traveled perfectly. The next day, just to make sure, I took him to get scanned to see if he had a chip since he had no tags.  I just couldn't get over his amazing temperament, obedience and manners. I just had to make sure he didn't have an owner who was missing him before we got too attached. They swiped the scanner over his back and to our dismay, he did! Pet finder told us that he was a 2.5 year old golden retriever named Walter. Why hadn't I thought of doing that BEFORE coming home!?!?

I called the number to inform the owner that her dog was now hundreds of miles away from home, instead of 3 miles! She initially thought we were the pound because he had been brought there before. She was a understandably shocked but told us about how he lives with no fence.  I apologized, told her that we really thought he was homeless, and told her that I would let her know when we would bring him back. She was very understanding considering the situation!

We were more than disappointed and I regretted having taken someone's pure bred  dog. Now I would have to return him! My kids were crushed and so was I.

I was trying to look on the bright side and use the experience to realize that we really wanted a Golden Retriever just like Walter, but I still really had a bit of hope that they may be willing to sell him. I researched how much he might cost and I started to search for another dog to ease the disappointment. Then, when I called back to make arrangements to drive him home in a few weeks, to my surprise, she said that we could buy him from her for what they got him for! I just couldn't believe it!

We are beyond thrilled! He is our first dog so I am researching how best to feed him and what shots are required. Do we fix him or not?  I am trying to figure out how cold it should be before he has to sleep inside so he doesn't freeze. Should we build a dog house, have him sleep it the house or have him sleep in the shed? And then there are the deliberation about if we should rename him or not.
He sits, lays, comes when called, just looks at the chickens while we train him, is house trained and rarely barks. He's a keeper for sure.

We are so glad we found him...and even happier we get to keep him, but I think we will just use Craig's list to find a pet next time!