Jim and I were driving to our town hall to renew our dog licenses when we went around a curve and suddenly came upon a dog sitting in the middle of the street.  Jim braked and I had the door open and was half out the car before the car completely stopped.  I’m not sure what I thought I was going to do, but I knew that a dog sitting in the middle of a busy street was not a good thing.

Here’s a picture of the runaway dog (after we caught her).

The dog ran out of the street and down a driveway when she saw me, and Jim and I sighed with relief, thinking this must be the dog’s home.  We started driving away, and then both saw the dog running after our car in the middle of the road again.

“Stop the car!” I screeched.

Again, I had the door open and was going to jump out.  My sole focus was that dog, who was now running the other way in the middle of the road.  I think there were cars behind us but I was all ready to go running down that street after the dog until I heard Jim tell me to shut the door and that he would turn the car around and go back.

The dog ran back to the driveway, and this time, into the bushes at the top of the house.  We pulled into the driveway, and I went to ring the bell and ask the owners if this was their dog.

I couldn’t find a doorbell so I knocked hard on the door.  I called out.  I knocked on the windows.  I continued calling.

No answer.  While I was doing that, Jim had found a bone in the front yard and was trying to entice the dog with it.  I went around the back and the dog was now lying on the back deck with the bone, but she wouldn’t let Jim near her.  She growled at him when he did.

Now what?  This was obviously the dog’s home, but we couldn’t just leave her, since she’d probably run into the street again.  So I called our local police as well as animal control.

(And yes, I have both numbers programmed into my phone because one of my biggest fears is coming upon an animal who’s been hit by a car.  I hate roadkill.  I once stopped for a squirrel and the car behind me started honking loudly.  I stuck my arm out the window and gave him the finger – this is very unlike me and not ladylike at all, I know.  I’ve been looking for a bumper sticker that says, “I brake for all animals so get off my tail” and I found one on-line, only to have Jim tell me we can’t stick a bumper sticker on my car since it’s leased.  I would have to get a car magnet.  But I can’t find a car magnet that says that.  So if you know where to get a car magnet that has that saying on it, please let me know.  Although someone stole my last car magnet that said “I love my rescue.”  It was there when I parked my car in the parking lot of a shopping mall, and gone when I came out).

But I digress.  Back to the runaway dog.

The dog control woman asked me what kind of dog it was.  Um, medium size, brown with a lot of hair?  I mean fur?

After we gave her the details, Jim and I just stood there staring at the dog.  I had a sudden vision that the owner of the house was going to come out with a shotgun and shoot at us for trespassing, but I wasn’t going to leave that dog without securing her.

I let her get used to me (I’ll tell you how I found out she was a female later) while Jim went up the driveway to wait for animal control, and then I held a hand out to her.  She sniffed it, and then licked my hand.  She let me pet and touch her so I knew she was friendly.  I found her collar and managed to get my fingers around it just as she decided to take off and run to the front of the house.

Now, she wasn’t a giant dog, but I’m used to dealing with a 10 and 11 pound dog, so suddenly, I found myself galloping along beside the dog, as she pulled me to the front of the house.  I was determined not to lose her again so I held on tight as she ran (and I was half dragged, half stumbled) towards Jim.

He looked at us and was like, What are you doing?

I said, “Get that leash and clip her on before I lose her!”  We had found a long leash tied to the front porch.

Jim and I were able to hook her to it, and suddenly, she was secure.  She was very friendly towards us then, letting us pet her, and even sticking her head between Jim’s legs.  It was at this point that I stuck my head under her belly to see if she was a male or female.

During this, a car pulled into the driveway and a girl jumped out, calling, “Riley!  Did you run away again!”

She told us this was her parent’s dog and house, and that she now lived in the city.  The parents were older and handicapped, and sometimes the dog got out if the door wasn’t shut completely.  Riley was so happy to see her and you could tell she loved that dog.  She said she was going to have to have a talk with her parents.  We told her we found Riley sitting in the middle of the street and running down the busy road, and she kept thanking us for getting Riley and keeping her from getting hit.  She was surprised that Riley (who is an Australian Shepherd) seemed to like Jim because she’s usually afraid of men, having been hit by men before she was adopted.

The dog control woman came then, and we told her what happened.  She told the young girl, “You’re very lucky.  I just came from a situation where a runaway dog was hit and killed by a car.”

Riley is a great dog.  I hope she doesn’t get out again since she lives on such a busy road.

I”m glad Jim and I were able to get her off the street and safely back home.  This is the second time we have come across a runaway dog running in the middle of the street and able to get the dog home safely.  I hope our track record continues.