May 30, 2025, 03:00 PM
ridewvA few weeks ago I noticed 3 dogs hanging around..... happy outcome.
They were all female with similar traits, thin, and had delivered at least one liter. It soon became apparent someone dumped them off. They were staying around an old house on the property that no one was using at the time, resting and sleeping on the porch. When I poured some dry dog food on the walk they inhaled it with no fighting over it at all, they seemed to get along well. So every day I took them food and clean water.One was brindle, one black, and one brown. The brindle was the most friendly, the black one very timid, and the brown sort of in between.
After 3-4 days I noticed the brindle one was gone.
A woman who lives further out the road stopped while I was there, said she had noticed them and had called animal control who came and taken the brindle. The black one scurried off anytime I went and after a few more days I didn't see it anymore.
Meanwhile the woman that had called animal control (a dog lover herself) was bringing food to the porch every morning when she passed on her way to work and the brown stray was gaining weight.
She finally let me pet her but would not get near my truck when I opened the door for her. Nor would she follow Sophie and I back when we walked over each day to tend her. Sophie and she got along well, running around the yard and just laying together which was fun to see.
When I got off the mower and laid down for a break they both came over.
I kept working to get her to follow me down to my house. Finally one day I saw her outside the house but she turned around and headed back to the other property.
The next day, Friday of Memorial Day weekend, when I left on a weekend motorcycle ride Barb stayed at my house to watch my dog Sophie and the following day when the stray came again lured her into the house with a treat, leaving the door open, and Barb said she seemed to feel right at home. After letting her back out she'd come back and even stayed the night sleeping downstairs. I have Sophie, this dog was a stray, so I named her "Strafie".
After Strafie became comfortable being with us, the next step was getting her to the vet for a check up and shots. Barb had gotten a collar on her but she ran as soon as she saw a leash. Yesterday, on the day of her appointment, while she was inside and I put a choker leash on her she freaked, jumping in the air doing flips, falling on the floor, knocking a table over, pulling against the leash with all her might. After she settled down we left the house for the truck and she started again. I finally got her to the truck after Sophie jumped in. Once in the truck she was fine, just sat in the back seat watching out the window same as I do in an airplane.
More trauma on the leash from the truck to the vet but once inside she was fine and hopped up in Barb's lap, even though she's too big to be a lap dog!
Strafie checked out well with no parasites. Blood revealed a tick born infection (I forget the name but not Lyme) so she's on Amoxicillin for 4 weeks.
So I think Strafie found a good home where she can run loose with Sophie.
The black dog was seen a few miles north in PA and was adopted by a man up there.
The brindle now vaccinated and spayed is up for adoption at the local Animal Shelter.
