I found your dog today

I don't know if any of you have already seen this or not. I seen this at another forum and I thought I just had to share.:(

I found your dog today...
I found your dog today. No he has not been adopted by anyone. Most of us who live out here own as many dogs as we want, those who do not own dogs do so because they choose not to. I know you hoped he would find a good home when you left him out here, but he did not. When I first saw him he was miles from the nearest house and he was alone, thirsty, thin and limping from a cactus burr in his paw.

How I wish I could have been you as I stood before him. To have seen his tail wag and his eyes brighten as he bounded into your arms, knowing you would find him, knowing you had not forgotten him. To see the
forgiveness in his eyes for the suffering and pain he had known in his never-ending quest to find you...But I was not you. And despite all my persuasion, his eyes beheld a stranger. He did not trust, he would not come.

He turned and continued his journey; one he was sure would soon bring him to you. He does not understand you are not looking for him. He only knows you are not there, he only knows he must find you. This is more
important than food or water or the stranger who can give him these things.

Persuasion and pursuit seemed futile; I did not even know his name. I drove home, filled a bucket with water and a bowl with food and returned to where we had met. I could see no sign of him, but I left my offering
under the tree where he had sought shelter from the sun and a chance to rest. You see, he is not of the desert. When you domesticated him, you took away any instinct of survival out here. His purpose demands that he travel during the day. He doesn't know that the sun and heat will claim his life. He only knows he has to find you.

I waited hoping he would return to the tree; hoping my gift would build an element of trust so I might bring him home, remove the burr from his paw, give him a cool place to lie and help him understand that the part of his life with you is now over. He did not return that morning and at dusk the water and food were still there untouched. And I worried. You must understand that many people would not attempt to help your dog. Some would run him off, others would call the county and the fate you thought you saved him from would be preempted by his suffering from days without food and water.

I returned again before dark. I did not see him. I went again early the next morning only to find the food and water still untouched. If only you were here so you could call his name. Your voice is so familiar to him. I
began pursuit in the direction he had taken yesterday, doubt overshadowing my hope of finding him. His search for you was desperate, it could take him many miles in 24 hours.

It is hours later and a good distance from where we first met, but I have found your dog. His thirst has been stopped, it is no longer a torment to him. His hunger has disappeared, he no longer aches. The burrs in his paws bother him no more. Your dog has been set free from his burdens, you see, your dog has died.

I kneel next to him and I curse you for not being here yesterday so I could have seen the glow, if just for a moment, in those now vacant eyes. I pray that his journey has taken him to that place I think you hoped he would find. If only you knew what he went through to reach it.... and I agonize, for I know, that were he to awaken at this moment, and (if) I were to be you, his eyes would sparkle with recognition and his tail wag with forgiveness.

Author Unknown

What a very sad tribute to the state of our animal population. I intend to cut and paste this to my email, and send it out to all my friends. It is only by facing up to the hardship that is the life of a stray that we can hopefully stop this.

While the tribute brought tears to my eyes, and a sadness to my heart, thanks for posting it.

Very, very sad. Very sad. Nothing to add.

That was really sad. That's what it's like back home. My parents live in a rural area all of our dogs are dogs that people just dumped hoping that one of the ranchers would take them. But that's not what they want they want their owner back. My favorite dog of my parents is Pepper. Her owners dumped her in a ditch by my house she waited there for several days, we would bring her food and water, she would eat when we left but she wouldn't eat much, we couldn't get her to come with us out of the ditch. One day she got so weak that my dad went in and was able to pick her up and bring her home. After a few weeks she was a happy healthy dog. But I always feel so sad when people from the city just come and dump their dogs thinking that they will be ok. Somtimes they get lucky and end up with people like my parents, but sometimes they don't.

As long as I live I will NEVER understand the rationalization
that goes on in the mind of a "so called" human being that
would throw away a living, breathing, loveing & trusting
animal. Uabassoon, Pepper was one of the lucky ones !!!
Your folks should be blessed for being so caring.:)

When you picture in your mind the dog, who trusts so
completely, trying it's best to find his "lost" people. It just
breaks my heart.:( Liz.

Wow...That is powerfull!

Tears are falling here. So, so sad! :(

Goodness...that brings tears to my eyes and makes me think of the fate my sweet Huney could have suffered if she didn't have that small ounce of trust left in her. Thank you for posting this.

What a beautiful piece of writing. Those who would do such heinous acts are unlikely to read it, though. So I'm copying it to my email to send around to some friends who will share it. It makes me think of the mentality in the US military that canine veterans are "property". (See Soledad's post to the Veteran's Day thread.)

So very sad.

Wow, that really brought tears to my eyes. :( That's an amazing story, very powerful.

Oh, how very sad. It just broke my heart.