A chance encounter
I was walking towards the train station one evening -- on my way home -- when I spotted a stray dog crossing the road. Cars slowed to let him pass, and he ambled safely across. As he turned, my eyes widened as I noticed that he was missing a leg.
He plonked himself down in an empty field nearby, unaware that I was watching from afar, and he proceeded to lick the stump that was in place of the limb that used to be there. Even from where I was standing, I saw that it was bleeding, and he was in some discomfort.
I approached gingerly, but as soon as he spotted me, he backed away. I squatted down and held out my hand to him. I asked him if he was okay; what else did you expect?
For about an hour or so, I stayed watching him at a distance. The more time wore on, the closer he allowed me to get. But by this time, I realised that even if he allowed me to touch him, I wouldn't know what to do after.
I retreated -- keeping my eyes on him -- and found a wooden bench on which to sit. I whipped out my mobile phone. Who to call, who to call. SPCA, I guess. Ring ring, no answer -- I hung up. I called my sister for advice.
"There's this organisation -- ASD -- you can try calling them. I'll go find the number," she offered.
"Okay, thanks," I heaved.
Ring ring ASD, no answer either. Where has everyone gone? I wondered, as I glanced at my watch. No wonder; it was close to 12 midnight -- everyone was in bed, I guess.
I sighed. I'll try SPCA one last time. If no one picks up, I'm going home. I'll come back tomorrow.
Ring ring.
"Hello, SPCA, how may I help you?" a friendly voice. Finally!
I explained the situation to him, told him where I was, and asked if they could possibly send anyone to pick the pooch up.
"He's missing a leg, you say?" he asked.
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Okay. Well, it's a little late to send anyone there. The earliest we can send someone down is in the morning. Meanwhile, what you can do is to go to the nearby police station and ask them to help hold the dog for the night," he advised. "But..." he paused.
"But?" I probed.
"But you may want to consider if you really want us to bring him in. You know how many unwanted dogs we get, add to that the fact that this dog is handicapped..."
He let his voice trail off.
"Oh," I swallowed. I hadn't thought of that.
"Yeah," he went on. "You know what will happen to him."
At this point, I really did consider bringing the dog home and keeping him. I stayed on the phone for a long time with the SPCA guy (I don't think I ever did ask for his name), and I think I might've cried. I don't remember.
"So you think it's better if we just let him be?" I asked.
"Oh, we'll definitely pop by sometime, even if we don't pick him up tomorrow. It's just a matter of whether he gets that few days more of freedom," he clarified.
***
He hadn't moved much since settling into that spot on the grass, so I decided that it was safe for me to go get help.
I walked over to the neighbourhood police post, took a deep breath, and walked in. There were three policemen, drinking coffee; their eyes turned and fixed themselves on me as I approached.
For the third time that night, I explained about the three-legged dog, and they seemed eager to help; probably the most action they've had in nights.
"Okay, so we'll go get him then," one of them stood up and announced with gusto. With that, all three of them emerged from behind the desk, looking pumped and ready.
"Erm," I wasn't sure if I was supposed to raise my hand before speaking. "How are we going to bring the dog in? Maybe it would help if you had some kind of leash or rope?" I suggested.
"Oh," one of them furrowed his eyebrows, as if no such thought had occurred to him. "Oh yes! We have some raffia string in the back. I'll go get it!"
***
"Okay, so the thing is that, he's injured, and very defensive," I explained, as I led them to where the dog was. "You're going to have to approach him really slowly."
"Sure, don't worry, we know what to do," they nodded. They looked a little too enthusiastic for my liking.
The dog was where I'd last left him. As soon as he saw us coming, he propped himself up on all... er, threes. He backed away slowly. And then the most astonishing thing happened -- the three policemen ran towards him at full speed!
What the...
"What are you doing?!" I shouted at them, but they'd already taken off, and if they heard me, they didn't stop to answer.
I watched as they chased the dog into a car park, where he limped in and out of every corner, eluding the policemen. I thought I was trying to save a dog, but now I didn't know whether to laugh at how clueless the policemen were, or cry at their incompetence.
I watched as they tried in vain to capture the dog. And I watched as the dog kicked their asses in hide-and-seek, handicapped and all.
They gave up soon enough.
"Um, so, if we see him again, we'll give you a call? Maybe you could leave us a number..." one of them said sheepishly.
"That's okay. If you do see him again, just call the SPCA," I sighed. I wanted to add, You do of course realise that you left the police post empty when all three of you came out to "help" me catch a dog, right? And that if there's any real emergency -- like a murder or something...
***
It turned out that I didn't have to make up my mind whether to leave him be, or to bring him in. I don't know what happened to him after that; I never saw him again. But he showed me some true doggy resilience, and gave me more than a couple of chuckles. In any case, if he could outwit and outrun three grown men...
I'm grateful for that one chance encounter, as well as the kind help I received; thank you, unnamed SPCA guy, and yes, thank you, policemen. I hoped you guys learned something that night. I certainly did; I learned that night that having three armed men by your side doesn't automatically make you feel any safer than roaming around alone in the middle of the night.
Remember: low crime doesn't mean no crime. Especially with policemen such as these. ;)
***
[Edit: This happened a really long time ago -- in February of 2002 (ah, old journals are good for something). But if anyone sees a tan three-legged dog around West Mall...
Meanwhile, for those of you who are upset, don't be! :) Three-legged dogs don't ever think of themselves as handicapped -- not in the way that we do, at least. I think the whole shame and discrimination thing is unique to the human species; we insist on torturing one another (and ourselves) with them.
Here are some happy stories of three-legged dogs:
NBC: Three-legged dog saves child in Ravine
Oscar's story
Cheyenne the three-legged dog
ESPN: Loss of leg can't stop determined dog
... And even one of a two-legged dog! :)]
He plonked himself down in an empty field nearby, unaware that I was watching from afar, and he proceeded to lick the stump that was in place of the limb that used to be there. Even from where I was standing, I saw that it was bleeding, and he was in some discomfort.
I approached gingerly, but as soon as he spotted me, he backed away. I squatted down and held out my hand to him. I asked him if he was okay; what else did you expect?
For about an hour or so, I stayed watching him at a distance. The more time wore on, the closer he allowed me to get. But by this time, I realised that even if he allowed me to touch him, I wouldn't know what to do after.
I retreated -- keeping my eyes on him -- and found a wooden bench on which to sit. I whipped out my mobile phone. Who to call, who to call. SPCA, I guess. Ring ring, no answer -- I hung up. I called my sister for advice.
"There's this organisation -- ASD -- you can try calling them. I'll go find the number," she offered.
"Okay, thanks," I heaved.
Ring ring ASD, no answer either. Where has everyone gone? I wondered, as I glanced at my watch. No wonder; it was close to 12 midnight -- everyone was in bed, I guess.
I sighed. I'll try SPCA one last time. If no one picks up, I'm going home. I'll come back tomorrow.
Ring ring.
"Hello, SPCA, how may I help you?" a friendly voice. Finally!
I explained the situation to him, told him where I was, and asked if they could possibly send anyone to pick the pooch up.
"He's missing a leg, you say?" he asked.
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Okay. Well, it's a little late to send anyone there. The earliest we can send someone down is in the morning. Meanwhile, what you can do is to go to the nearby police station and ask them to help hold the dog for the night," he advised. "But..." he paused.
"But?" I probed.
"But you may want to consider if you really want us to bring him in. You know how many unwanted dogs we get, add to that the fact that this dog is handicapped..."
He let his voice trail off.
"Oh," I swallowed. I hadn't thought of that.
"Yeah," he went on. "You know what will happen to him."
At this point, I really did consider bringing the dog home and keeping him. I stayed on the phone for a long time with the SPCA guy (I don't think I ever did ask for his name), and I think I might've cried. I don't remember.
"So you think it's better if we just let him be?" I asked.
"Oh, we'll definitely pop by sometime, even if we don't pick him up tomorrow. It's just a matter of whether he gets that few days more of freedom," he clarified.
***
He hadn't moved much since settling into that spot on the grass, so I decided that it was safe for me to go get help.
I walked over to the neighbourhood police post, took a deep breath, and walked in. There were three policemen, drinking coffee; their eyes turned and fixed themselves on me as I approached.
For the third time that night, I explained about the three-legged dog, and they seemed eager to help; probably the most action they've had in nights.
"Okay, so we'll go get him then," one of them stood up and announced with gusto. With that, all three of them emerged from behind the desk, looking pumped and ready.
"Erm," I wasn't sure if I was supposed to raise my hand before speaking. "How are we going to bring the dog in? Maybe it would help if you had some kind of leash or rope?" I suggested.
"Oh," one of them furrowed his eyebrows, as if no such thought had occurred to him. "Oh yes! We have some raffia string in the back. I'll go get it!"
***
"Okay, so the thing is that, he's injured, and very defensive," I explained, as I led them to where the dog was. "You're going to have to approach him really slowly."
"Sure, don't worry, we know what to do," they nodded. They looked a little too enthusiastic for my liking.
The dog was where I'd last left him. As soon as he saw us coming, he propped himself up on all... er, threes. He backed away slowly. And then the most astonishing thing happened -- the three policemen ran towards him at full speed!
What the...
"What are you doing?!" I shouted at them, but they'd already taken off, and if they heard me, they didn't stop to answer.
I watched as they chased the dog into a car park, where he limped in and out of every corner, eluding the policemen. I thought I was trying to save a dog, but now I didn't know whether to laugh at how clueless the policemen were, or cry at their incompetence.
I watched as they tried in vain to capture the dog. And I watched as the dog kicked their asses in hide-and-seek, handicapped and all.
They gave up soon enough.
"Um, so, if we see him again, we'll give you a call? Maybe you could leave us a number..." one of them said sheepishly.
"That's okay. If you do see him again, just call the SPCA," I sighed. I wanted to add, You do of course realise that you left the police post empty when all three of you came out to "help" me catch a dog, right? And that if there's any real emergency -- like a murder or something...
***
It turned out that I didn't have to make up my mind whether to leave him be, or to bring him in. I don't know what happened to him after that; I never saw him again. But he showed me some true doggy resilience, and gave me more than a couple of chuckles. In any case, if he could outwit and outrun three grown men...
I'm grateful for that one chance encounter, as well as the kind help I received; thank you, unnamed SPCA guy, and yes, thank you, policemen. I hoped you guys learned something that night. I certainly did; I learned that night that having three armed men by your side doesn't automatically make you feel any safer than roaming around alone in the middle of the night.
Remember: low crime doesn't mean no crime. Especially with policemen such as these. ;)
***
[Edit: This happened a really long time ago -- in February of 2002 (ah, old journals are good for something). But if anyone sees a tan three-legged dog around West Mall...
Meanwhile, for those of you who are upset, don't be! :) Three-legged dogs don't ever think of themselves as handicapped -- not in the way that we do, at least. I think the whole shame and discrimination thing is unique to the human species; we insist on torturing one another (and ourselves) with them.
Here are some happy stories of three-legged dogs:
NBC: Three-legged dog saves child in Ravine
Oscar's story
Cheyenne the three-legged dog
ESPN: Loss of leg can't stop determined dog
... And even one of a two-legged dog! :)]
posted by Laughingcow at 9:54 pm
12 Comments:
Aw.... missing a leg.... I feel so sorry for the dog. I feel upset now :(
Hey, it's okay. Dogs (and many other four-legged animals) survive pretty well on three legs actually. :) Really. They get used to it rather quickly, and they hardly notice that anything's wrong afterwards. :)
oh, nvr call spca to pick up strays, especially if they are mongrels with low chance of adoption. they are just gonna be put to sleep.
Yeah. I figured the next time I adopt a pet, I'll choose the "ugliest" of the lot. The cute ones will be adopted soon enough, the older, un-cute ones are the ones who urgently need a home.
ASD has a no-kill policy, FYI. So everyone should take down their number. :)
Those policemen probably wanted to get some exercise. Looks like 6 legs can't beat 3.
hey.. this post made my morning, not entirely in a happy kinda way, but, well, knowing that there are good people ard..
another lovely story - thanks for sharing!
Zen|th: Yeah, that was probably their highlight of the night... ;)
Woof!: You're not happy that there are good people around?? :p Just kidding. I think that we all have our moments, depending on opportunity and occasion. Anyway the whole stepping up thing does get you into trouble at times. So. I think everyone just does the best that they can, in hopes that everything works out! :)
Anon: Thank you for reading! :) (Who forgot to leave their name?)
anonymous is AL. dunno why keeps leaving me as anonymous!!!
Yah I figured! The last time they did that, they changed it from anonymous to A L the next day! *slaps Blogger* :p
reading this just makes me realise the difference between dogs and humans..
.. which may not be a positive comparison for our species. hehe. smart dog. i hope he's doing well somewhere out there. :)
Yeah the human race really needs to get its act together! :p
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