Dog in the Road

A few weeks ago, I was heading home from my lesson with C. I had just enough time to drop Herbie off at home before heading south to ride Wink. I pulled off the highway onto the main road by our house.

Suddenly, traffic was slowing to a halt in front of me. Before I had time to curse at the hold up, I spotted a pit bull mix running across the road. He looked lost and terrified. Thankfully people were slowing down and giving him space, so he hadn't been hit yet, but, of course, nobody actually bothered to stop and try to help.

Forsaking my schedule, I pulled to the shoulder and got out of my car. Herbie perked up in the back seat, intrigued by this strange loose dog. The dog was obviously someone's pet. He was well fed with a shiny coat and a blue collar full of jingling tags. He had probably escaped from a yard and I doubted the owners had even noticed yet. He seemed friendly enough, with his tail wiggling and his face soft, but he was obviously frightened and unsure of himself. At first, he came running right up to me, but once he got within a few feet, he second-guessed himself and started barking and backing up.

"It's ok, buddy," I talked softly to the dog, dropping to a crouch on the sidewalk. Traffic continued to whizz by. "Can I see you? Why don't you come here so we can get you home." He cocked his head at me for a second and crept a step closer.

Of course I come prepared for all of these situations. Not only did I have a leash in my car; I also had a bag of dog cookies (which Erin snagged for me at the Horse Park in May). The dog followed me toward my car as I retrieved both the leash and the cookies, but he stayed just out of reach.

I turned around and resumed my squatting position on the side of the road. I tossed a cookie into the grass in front of the dog. After an initial step back, he crouched forward, sniffing for the treat. He gobbled down the first cookie, then came closer, looking for more. I broke another cookie into little pieces and tossed another bit toward him. Once again, he stepped closer. Rinse, repeat.

I had the dog within six feet of me when Ewing police and Animal Control suddenly whipped into the shoulder, surrounding my car. Heavy boots hit the pavement as the officer leaped out of his squad car.

"Ma'am, is that your dog?" he barked.
"No," I sighed heavily. "My dog is under control and in my car. I just thought I'd try to catch him before he got hit. I almost had him, too..." I aimed a pointed glance at his car.
The cop gave me the up-and-down, pausing to stare at my half chaps and riding boots. Then he said, more softly this time, "We'll take it from here."
"I guess you guys don't need me for anything else?" I offered.
"No."
"And I don't suppose you'll take any advice from me," I sighed again. The dog was now hiding in the bushes at the far side of the house I'd pulled over in front of. The burly Animal Control officer, who clearly has no feel for dogs in general, was stalking toward him with one of those noose-on-a-stick devices. "Well, good luck with him."

I drove by 20 minutes later and the dog was still darting back and forth with the pair of men chasing him around. *sigh* I didn't see him dead in the road when I got back two hours later so I'm hoping they caught him. It was a bit depressing to watch AC at work though. I'll tell you what... if I ever hit a dog because Animal Control chased it into the road in front of me, I'd be PISSED.