Puppy on Campus
It's another beautiful day in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, as a small animal veterinarian, I don't get to be outdoors to enjoy it. On the other hand I do get to make a difference for the animals in people's lives. Come to think of it, I was outdoors yesterday around the UT Campus and I got to make a difference for a poor lost puppy. An 8 month old chocolate lab approached me and my son, Jeremy, as I was dropping him off at his apartment. The pup was looking for someone to play with. I was sure the owner was near by until all the people in the area disappeared and the pup remained, wanting to play with my water bottle. I gave her a drink and checked her tags. She had a city Rabies tag and a yellow (HomeAgain) microchip tag. There was also a well-worn Longhorns scarf around her neck. I called HomeAgain to find out who owned her but the only registered owner was Town Lake Animal Shelter. This means that whoever acquired her from the Shelter did not register her with HomeAgain. Jeremy asked some neighbors if they knew who might own the pup but no one knew. He then called the Shelter but they are only available limited hours during the week.The only solution to reuniting her with her owners was to return her to the shelter so they could track her to her owner.
It was sad to leave her in the dungeon-like drop-off cages that are provided at the Shelter for after-hours, but it probably saved her life.The moral of the story is: If you have a pet, be sure they are registered with the Microchip Company. An I.D. tag with a phone number would also be helpful.
Will let you know how it turned out.
