Commenter BL wrote and asked if I’d re-up the request for assistance.
Look at that face! You know you want to help that face!
BL writes:
The dog has been lost since at least Friday morning and we have had several bouts of rain. He only had an Invisible Fence collar, and no other tags or tattooes. He is not microchipped and his collar is not registered with Invisible Fence. I have posted on several lost pet sites, facebook, a local neighborhood social media site, and Craigs List. I’ve notified the county animal control and the community HOA. I filed a found dog report with the county shelter.I have had only one response and that was not the right dog.Today, the president of the HOA of my development (who is a big dog lover and just took in a puppy today or would help take in Buddy for the next 3 days) drove around our neighborhood and the next development over, and asked everyone she saw if they knew where Buddy belonged with no luck. I also drove around neighborhoods this weekend and saw no signs or anyone looking for a dog.In my county, if you turn the dog into the county, you have 5 days to pick up your dog and then they start to look at adoption.Tomorrow will be the 5th day.I would like to go ahead and ask the Balloon Juice community to help place the dog for adoption somewhere.Here is what I know:He is an older, intact, black lab mix and weighs 69lb. The vet said everything looked good except for his heart (he may have an arrhythmia). He is stiff, and had trouble walking for me on Friday, but the vet says his hips and knees seemed good (at least as much as he could tell without an xray). The walking/stiffness may be more back related. He can go up and down stairs, but it is difficult for him. His teeth are in great shape. He is very friendly with people and ok with my dogs. He is a little protective of his food with my dogs, he is ok with me taking food from him. He, unfortunately, wants to chase cats, and so, I cant keep him in the house while I travel since I have cats.However, he likes to mark – including in the house. I have started trying to correct that, but I expect that is going to take awhile as he is old and has years of habit to undo. But I doubt he is an outside dog, since I had trouble getting him to go out into the rain. Maybe the marking is due to some level of anxiety in a new setting, although he seems calm.I had him vaccinated for rabies while at the vet this weekend to keep everyone safe. I can arrange for the rest of the vaccines later this week, when I get back. I am postponing my travel to WV until tomorrow evening, so I can take Buddy somewhere tomorrow. If I have no other option, I will ask my daughter (but she is pregnant, in that stage where you feel nauseous all the time, and is dealing with her own dog emergency – one of her dogs is going through chemo and had to be rushed to the emergency vet this morning, plus she also has cats). I suppose the last resort is the county shelter, but they do euthanize animals they cant place. They told me they have a 60% placement rate.Let me know if you need anything else from me. I have been reading Balloon Juice for a couple of years and I’ve seen how the group rallies for pets.Thanks,BL
If you can help BL and this fine fellow out, let us know in comments or email me and I’ll put you in touch.
Open thread!
joel hanes
My, Adam, what a big foot you have.
Adam L Silverman
@joel hanes: Feet!
Mary G
I’m a cat owner in California, so I can’t take him, but that is a sweet face. Thanks for not giving up on him, bl. I would chip in for a gofundme if money would help.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman: This is not Bilbo’s 111th birthday party.
MomSense
Oh what a sweetheart. I wish I could take him. I’m very fond of those old, salty labs.
satby
Did frosty have to bow out of helping? I wish I was close enough and didn’t have such a testy bunch right now, he looks like my late Biggie, who was a wonderful boy. Biggie had been a puppy mill stud, so he wasn’t housebroken until adulthood either.
Miss Bianca
aw, look at dat face! What is it about old black lab mixes that have captured the collective BJ heart?
Can’t take him, dealing with aged dog issues of my own, but if there’s an adoption fund set up, I will kick in a few $.
@Omnes Omnibus: PROUD of youself for that one?
bl
Frosty didnt think he could handle the indoor marking, which I understand.
Right now, my daughter is going to keep Buddy for the next couple of days. She will need to keep him crated, but that way her cats are safe while she is at work.
What I am hoping for is someone to take Buddy permanently.
schrodingers_cat
Cute goggie is cute! I hope he finds a forever home soon.
MazeDancer
How about a very swank, high class boarding kennel while you’re out of town? We’ll all send funding.
Though anyone who wishes they had a pup like Walter, your dreams can come true right now. (And if Buddy liked cats, even never-had-a-dog-as-an-adult me would be tempted via vicarious Walter life.)
As ever, doesn’t matter where you live, transportation can be arranged.
Anne Laurie
@joel hanes: Buddy needs a home ASAP.
Trump will still be making (bad) news tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…
bl
@MazeDancer: All such places (and non swanky kind) in my area require proof of vaccinations, with the bordatella given at least 2 weeks in advance. But thanks for the offer to help fund.
SiubhanDuinne
Jeez, that dog is like the reincarnation of Walter! What a sweet, sweet guy! Hope Buddy is either reclaimed, or finds a lovely forever home very soon. If there’s a need to cover transportation costs, I’ll throw a little in.
Kay (not the front-pager)
Unfortunately I can’t help – 2 cats and an itty bitty dog. But I wanted to comment, the first time I saw Buddy’s picture I thought it was Walter! He has the same look.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: Will there be cake?
Adam L Silverman
@satby: Yep. There was a logistical issue. Unfortunately.
Kay (not the front-pager)
@SiubhanDuinne: … And I see SiubhanDuinne had the same thought, and got there first. :-)
SiubhanDuinne
@MomSense:
“Salty,” what a perfect word.
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman:
Sorry, we lied about the cake to raise attendance.
SiubhanDuinne
@Kay (not the front-pager):
GMTA. I suspect you and I are not alone. But Buddy has better teeth :-)
Omnes Omnibus
@Miss Bianca: ::blushes:: Yeah, kind of. And well played.
@Adam L Silverman: No.
Felanius Kootea
Off topic but I am completely amazed. Clarence Thomas joined the four liberals on the court to smack down
racial gerrymandering in North Carolina. I never thought I’d live to see the day. I guess Gorsuch is no Scalia replacement when it comes to Thomas.
Laura
He looks just like my old rescue Mr. Buzz.
Chet will not tolerate another dog.
However, please try contacting tails of joy -they may have available foster/rehomers in the DC area.
Is there a boarding alternative that may be an option -that could be funded by a jackal drive?
janeform
Belly bands can be used to manage marking. We used them for our old Sheltie when he developed incontinence. I can’t take Buddy but I hope that helps.
Adam L Silverman
@Felanius Kootea: Gorsuch was not involved as the Court heard the case before he joined it. Hasen has a really good analysis here:
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=92675
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=92707
And an additional analysis from one of his readers:
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=92751
If you just go to his front page almost all of today’s posts have to do with the ruling.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman: Hasen is usually good.
Major Major Major Major
@Felanius Kootea:
But do him and RBG go to the opera?
Another Scott
BL – was this fellow – Bear – the ‘not right response’ you had earlier?
The posting is from November, so it’s a very long shot. But some things match.
I hope this helps a little. Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
Miss Bianca
@Omnes Omnibus: Bilbo’s birthday party used to be my least favorite part of LOTR – I’d skip right over it to get to the rest of the story. Now it’s one of my favorite parts. Not sure what, if anything, that means. : )
? ?? Goku ? ?
Cute dog! I have a cat so probs wouldn’t be a good idea. But good luck BL in finding Buddy a good home!
kindness
You are a good person BL. Thank you.
J R in WV
You guys!#$%^# you break me up!
I wish we could help, but we got cats and getting older dogs too, already, also.
Surely there are organized rescue outfits around such a sophisticated area!? If and when money will help we’ll chip in, so keep the ravening jackals posted…
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
Where is this dog? I think it was in the earlier post, but I don’t want to go wading through all the posts to find it.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: That is my understanding. And he pulled together almost another dozen posts from various angles to flesh out his own analysis.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: You want cake. And fireworks.
bl
@Another Scott: Buddy is not deaf, so unlikely to be Bear.
bl
@janeform: Will definitely look into these. Thanks.
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: If so he wandered well over a 100 miles.
bl
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): Maryland. DC suburb.
Adam L Silverman
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): Glenn Dale in Prince George County, Maryland.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
That’s right across the Potomac from me. I’ll try to put the word out that there’s a dog needing a home.
bl
@J R in WV: Since I only just gave up today looking for the owner, I haven’t followed up too much on rescue outfits. I had one rescue that was supposed to call me yesterday, but I never heard from them. I have found at least one lab rescue in Northern Virginia, so I will be calling them tomorrow. They seem to take lab mixes, so that is good.
bl
@Adam L Silverman: The one response I had was for a lost lab from 2016. However, that lab was therapy trained, and Buddy seems to know no commands. Not even sit.
Adam L Silverman
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): Thanks!
janeform
@bl: Great. Let me know if you have any questions. The belly bands at the site I linked to are great, and buying them there helps a rescue organization. Win win.
eta: Thanks for helping this sweet dog.
Adam L Silverman
@bl: Did you get the email I sent you about 20 minutes ago?
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: Yes, dammit, YES. I do want cake! And fireworks! And err.. pipeweed, and beer from the Prancing Pony! Is it wrong?
Steeplejack
@bl:
Maybe you should clarify location for new readers or those just getting the story. I think you previously said Maryland suburbs of D.C.?
ETA: And I see Smedley raised the point.
debbie
@Adam L Silverman:
Sorry to be O/T. Not sure what you think of him, but Terry Gross interviewed Tom Ricks on Fresh Air. I thought you might be interested in his thoughts on Flynn, Mattis, and MacMaster.
Adam L Silverman
@bl: If he didn’t have that collar on him, I’d almost think he’d either been dumped because he’d suddenly become incontinent or arthritic or both or that he’d been living wild for years given that he’s intact, but knows no commands at all and may not be housebroken.
Omnes Omnibus
@Miss Bianca: The parts of the LOTR and The Hobbit that take place in the Shire at the beginning of each symbolize the innocence of the childhood we imagine that we remember – not the one we actually experienced with monsters under the bed and the fact the you know that you will have painful blisters after proving that you can do the monkey bars five times during recess and are part of the few who can (or the fear that this time you will fall). Your childhood terrors may differ but they were there. FWIW I had a good childhood and wouldn’t trade with anyone.
Mnemosyne
@bl:
Okay, I may be leaping to conclusions here, but are there puppy mills in Maryland or adjoining states? Intact male who’s never been registered, seems to have mobility issues, never been trained …
It may just be me, but all those things together make me suspicious.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: Do your feet need a wee bit of trimming and grooming? If so, then you’re good. If not, you may need to consult a professional.
Adam L Silverman
@debbie: Thanks. I know Tom. I have done a number of guest columns for him at his Best Defense blog at Foreign Policy. He and I have been in contact on several of these things as one guest post I did for him was a response to Flynn’s CNAS report shortly after it came out. He asked me to do the response because what Flynn was proposing, which would have radically remade the way the Intel Community works, was how my team operated (and the entire program we were party of was supposed to, but mostly didn’t).
frosty
@satby: I did have to bow out unfortunately.
SiubhanDuinne
@debbie:
That was a very interesting interview. I’ll acquire and read (at some point) his new book on Churchill and Orwell. I like Terry anyhow, think she’s a good interviewer, and I’ve always had an admiration for Tom Ricks.
bl
@Adam L Silverman: I just looked at it. I will call them tomorrow. Thanks for the contacts.
If anyone else has rescue recommendations, please send them on.
bl
For those asking about my location. I am in a Maryland suburb of DC.
I drive to north-central WV weekly, so anywhere along the way is easy for me to get to (Maryland, Virginia, southern Pennsylvania, WV). I am willing to drive farther to help Buddy find a good home.
I have a little experience with rescues. I have golden retrievers and have volunteered for the local golden retriever rescue organization. In my limited experience, rescue outfits are not always in a position to accept dogs, so I am hoping to get several recommendations, or someone who wants Buddy directly.
schrodingers_cat
@debbie: Another, Churchill hagiography is just what we need. Simon Schama (sp?) in his history of England covered the Churchill and Orwell together. So he is not the first with that idea.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
from Cole’s twitter feed, a Brit responds to a CNN hack
Anne Laurie
@Adam L Silverman:
Could have been a semi-pro “backyard breeder” who kept Buddy confined with the invisible fence, used him for stud, and dumped him when circumstances changed.
If Buddy spent his life mostly as ‘livestock’ — brought indoors only to reassure the marks buying “home raised puppies” about their daddy’s health & temperament — it would help explain why he’s a graffiti artist. He likes this new situation, and wants to warn potential competitors away…
Adam L Silverman
@Anne Laurie: Yep.
debbie
@schrodingers_cat:
Most of the interview dealt with the generals, Trump, and Fox.
Patricia Kayden
@bl: Lucky Paws in DC.
bl
@Mnemosyne: I suppose its possible that he was dumped, but it seems odd to have a collar with the invisible fence shocking device on it, and its several miles to the nearest highway.
In any case, he deserves a good home. He is a sweet dog.
schrodingers_cat
@debbie: What of them? I don’t hear much about Mattis, but Kelly and Mr. Bald have not really covered themselves in glory so far. I was responding to the article you had linked to, about Ricks book about Churchill and Orwell.
debbie
@schrodingers_cat:
I just wanted to point Adam to the interview–the audio. My point to you was that the interview was wide ranging. You don’t like it, you’re free to not respond.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: Not all people’s primary take on Churchill involves India. He has really good and really bad points on his resume.
Adam L Silverman
@debbie: Tracking on the interview. Thanks.
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: Petunia ran from Virginia to California and came home 8 years later…
Of course, Petunia wasn’t 10+ years old with a possible bad back… ;-)
Yeah, I suspect Buddy is either from reasonably close by, or he was lost on a trip, or something, and didn’t travel that far by himself. But one really can’t be sure!
Cheers,
Scott.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@schrodingers_cat: All historical figures have their good and bad sides, as I’m sure you’re aware. I know you’ve mentioned in the past you’re of Indian descent. Churchill was bad for subjects of the British Empire, such as those of Bengal in 1943. I still believe that despite that, Churchill was the best person to lead Britain against the Axis, who surely would have been far worse
schrodingers_cat
@Omnes Omnibus: I am aware of his contributions in both the world wars and his career as a writer. So?
debbie
@? ?? Goku ? ?:
He was pretty interventionist in pre-WWII America. Borderline Putin-like.
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: It was a good idea to check. But that’s a lot of distance to cover during the winter. I rescued a blue tick in January 2005 70 miles east of KC on I70 on my way home to Philadelphia from the family place in NM. He was about 2, intact, and was skin and bones. Collar, no tags. Was running down the median in 4 degree weather. He heard my two dogs bark when I pulled up and tried to get him and came toward me so I could grab the collar and get him in the truck.
Found a vet just off the interstate about about an hour outside of St. Louis. The vet had to use one of those loop things to get him inside and check for a microchip. Didn’t have one. She thought he either 1) was dumped after hunting season or 2) because he was intact, got wind of a female in heat, ran off either a hunt or broke out of his hunting kennel and never made it back. She didn’t think he’d ever been in a building before given what we had to do to get him in. No idea how far he’d run, but she, and my vet back in the Philly burbs (who happened to have grown up in the area near where I found him) reckoned he’d been running wild for about 4 months. Nursed him back to health, several times – including a stomach bloat. He blew a massive stroke a couple of weeks before I went off for train up to Iraq. Bled out internally as I rushed him to the vets.
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: :-( I’m sorry.
They’re memorable companions even when their time with us is far too short.
Thanks for helping, too.
Gotta run. ‘night all. Best of luck bl and Buddy!
Cheers,
Scott.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: I thought that my point was rather clear. Others may have a more positive view of him than you do. Let’s say one lived in France in 1944, one may find him to be great. And if you were younger and your parents or grandparents were there then, it may affect your view. Are those views invalid?
schrodingers_cat
Every mention of how wonderful Churchill was in WWII, deserves a mention of how many Indians his stupid and not unlike the Rs today decisions, killed in Bengal. I love how the contributions of Indian soldiers have been whitewashed out of history of both world wars.
India provided blood and $$ for the war effort so that Winnie could strut around in glory.
schrodingers_cat
@Omnes Omnibus: Yes those views are valid, as is mine.
Omnes Omnibus
I wonder who schrodingers_cat was responding to since she didn’t bother to address it at anyone.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Reposting from below cause I think this is important. This is a remarkable speech. It shouldn’t be, it says things that should’ve been understood a long time ago and should be uncontroversial.
I know threats were made toward the city workers who removed the statues, I’d be surprised if Landrieu hasn’t gotten the same, and will probably get more.
debbie
@Omnes Omnibus:
I’d bet that was her point.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: I didn’t say it wasn’t.
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Good for him, but one only needs to read the Articles of Secession to know what their “cult” was all about.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@debbie: he cites Stephens’ Cornerstone Speech– I wonder what percentage of Americans are aware of it
debit
Hey, BL if you’re still watching comments, have you considered this place? The Senior Dog Sanctuary.
Torrey
Apologies if I’m repeating anyone else’s suggestions for rescues.
Second on debit’s suggestion of the Senior Dog Sanctuary. I notice that they have “sponsor this dog” buttons next to each adoptable dog, and perhaps if Buddy came with some advance sponsorship (noting that many BJers have offered support), that might be an added inducement. Most rescues, as others have remarked, are always at capacity.
Also, Animal Rescue, Inc. They’re just over the Maryland line in Pennsylvania, not far from Rte 83. They have a farm and are often willing to take animals that may not be adoptable. (Although they also do some impressive adoption work.) They’re well thought of by other rescues and have an impressive contact list as well.
Others in the more immediate area of Glenn Dale: Prince George’s County SPCA, Partnership for Animal Welfare, Best DAWG Rescue. Best DAWG says that they take only from shelters, but my understanding is that they focus on dogs normally considered less adoptable, so they might be willing to take a dog that is being kept out of a shelter. Again, all likely to be at capacity, but worth a try.
Humane Rescue Alliance is D.C., a combination of the Washington Animal Rescue League and the Washington Humane Society. They say they cover the national capital area, and they’ll understand that the PG shelter has a pretty high kill rate, so they might help.
debit
I also want to put out there that once Buddy is fixed his marking and aggression issues might dissipate.
I’d seriously consider taking him if I didn’t already have two dogs and three cats. Ellie would probably be fine with another dog, but Kelpie is very timid and submissive to the point that even a cat just sniffing at her food bowl while she eats will send her into the other room.