We had a sad evening, night and are now having a sad morning. Beauregard, the collarless dog we found in the street in town last October and reported to the bylaw officer, the dog no one looked for and who settled in so readily with us, the dog we quickly came to love dearly, was taken away yesterday by a guy who claims to be his owner. I was away in North Bay when it happened. Toad was doing chores outside, with our sweet Sadie and lovable Beau playing in the yard as they always do whenever one of us is outdoors. Toad came in the house for a few minutes. When he went back outside Beau was gone and didn't return when called. He sometimes would go to visit Sheba, our neighbors' dog, and then return (Sheba, likewise, visits us frequently), so Toad wasn't worried. When he didn't return after an hour or so Toad walked to the neighbors' house to fetch him. Beau hadn't been there. Now Toad was worried. After a while he got a phone call from a guy who drives the recycle truck, telling him that when he drove the truck past our house he saw a dog he recognized as his, opened his door and the dog jumped into the truck with him. Off they went, not saying anything to Toad at the time. This guy calls the dog Digger. I don't know why he finally called or how he got our number, but at least he did call. Toad was so shocked and grieved that he can't recall much of their conversation, other than the guy telling him that 'Digger' appeared to have been well fed and in good shape, and that when he drives the recycle truck by our house in two weeks he will stop and talk to us. When I got home and heard the news I talked to our neighbor to see if he knew who this guy is and learned his last name and that he lives in town and that he is a "good guy". The neighbor surmised that 'Digger' had slipped his chain (!) and collar to escape and run loose, which is how we came to find him, all panicked and desperate to get in a vehicle on Main Street last October 4th.
We are heartsick, having come to love Beau so much. He is a big lump of a dog, very loving, very easygoing. He loves us, too, and woke me every morning by putting his front paws on the bed and sticking his big face into mine, wanting a hug. Soon after coming to live with us he began lying on the sofa, something no one is allowed to do--not even us! He was so amusing and so obviously comfortable that I couldn't bear to ban him from it. Every time I look at the sofa now I grieve for Beau. We hope that he is indoors and comfortable, not chained outside in the cold. He hates the bitter cold so much that he didn't even want to go out during that cold snap, and when we insisted that he go out to do his business he immediately headed under the porch to get out of the wind. I have a feeling that he is not a house dog, even though he was when he lived here, because he did pee on our kitchen floor fairly often, next to the table leg, and occasionally pooped on the entry floor, as if he hadn't been housetrained. That was the only problem we had with him. He was doing better, though, learning (albeit slowly) that he was supposed to do his business outdoors. He was good with the cats, who quickly accepted him and would even lie next to him on the floor. Whenever he came in the house he always headed straight for me to greet me, no matter what room I was in. His absence has left a big hole in my heart. I hope that he is safe and happy where his is now.
He was slow to catch on to things that Sadie knew--like asking for a treat or when to expect a bit of food to be handed to him--but once he caught on he had that new behavior down pat. When Sheba comes to visit, often daily, she expects a treat and Sadie immediately learned that the thing to do was to accompany Sheba to the kitchen, where the cookie jar is, and a treat would be forthcoming. Beau finally caught on and so there would be the three of them, waiting expectantly for a treat. I had started making them sit before handing out the treat, and whoever sat best got the first treat. Beau learned that very quickly. Just yesterday, the last time I saw him, Sheba had come down and there they were, so cute, all lined up on the kitchen floor, sitting without being asked to sit yet, looking at me with those big expressive eyes. So I asked them to shake paws and they did--first Sadie, then Sheba, and then Beau raised his paw to shake, too! We were all so happy with this new game of "trick for treat"! In North Bay yesterday I bought three special treats to give them for our next group treat session, and drove home thinking of the next trick to work on. And then arrived home to learn that he is gone. There won't be another treat session with him included. I was so upset last night that I had to take a sleeping pill. This morning all I can do is write and cry. I know that I should be happy that Beau and his owner are reunited, but I miss him and am worried about him.
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