Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 23, 2015

9

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 23, 2015 


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?

COMMUNITY KINDNESS 
FOR LOST CANINES

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

So is Andy! He is a friendly 
2 year-old wire-haired 
terrier, weighing about 10 
pounds. He has a salt and 
pepper medium length gray 
coat, with black ears, tail, 
and feet. He has a unique 
look all his own, and is quite 
a handsome fellow.

 Andy has a happy 
disposition, and enjoys 
being with people. He is 
friendly with his kennel 
mate, as well as other dogs he has met at the shelter. 

 Andy is easy to harness, and loves going for 
walks. He has a medium to high energy level, and 
likes to keep moving at a fast pace, sniffing and 
exploring the world. In spite of his energy, he is 
easy to handle on the leash.

 After Andy has burnt off some of his energy, he 
can be quite happy to lie down and socialize with 
his friends, both human and dog. He can be vocal, 
and seems to want to communicate, although we 
are not sure what he is trying to tell us. Perhaps he 
is just letting us know that he appreciates the time 
and attention the staff and volunteers are giving 
him during his time at the shelter. 

 Andy was chosen to attend our Tea for Tails 
fashion show, and was quite patient being fitted 
for his costumes and having a couple of wardrobe 
changes. He behaved very well in public and made 
all of us very proud of the good boy he is. 

 Andy’s pleasant temperament would make 
him a great family dog. He is a bright boy that 
would excel with some training classes to help him 
develop his social and 
communication skills. 
He seems to like people 
of all ages, but he would 
do best in an active home 
with a yard to play in and 
regular walks for exercise. 
Why not come meet this 
sweet boy to see if he is 
the new best friend you 
are looking for? 

 He currently resides 
at the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society located at 851 E. Grand Avenue 
in San Gabriel. We are located off San Gabriel 
Blvd., north of Mission and south of Las Tunas. To 
arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Andy, please stop 
by any time from 10:00am to 4:30pm Tuesday thru 
Sunday. 

 His adoption fee is $120 and includes neuter 
surgery, vaccinations, microchip and a free wellness 
exam at a participating veterinarian. Feel free to 
call us at (626) 286-1159 for more information on 
Andy. If you are interested in meeting Andy 
or any of the other wonderful pets at the shelter, 
visit the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society at 851 
E. Grand Ave., San Gabriel, Calif., 91776, Tuesday 
through Sunday. For more information, call (626) 
286-1159. 

 See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for 
information and photos of all our wonderful pets.


One evening, my husband and I were sitting on 
the front porch watching the sun go down and 
enjoying the cool breeze blowing through the 
trees when a neighbor stopped by with a beautiful 
beagle and asked if we knew who the dog belonged 
to. The dog was so friendly, it came right up to us 
and we both agreed that we did not recognize 
him. He was obviously very well taken care of, 
and didn’t appear to be exhausted or hungry, so 
we assumed he probably lived nearby.

 I offered to keep the dog at our house and do 
what I could to help until we could find his owner. 
My neighbor, who had been thoughtful enough 
to coax the poor lost pup into her yard and leash 
him, thanked us for our efforts and went on her 
way.

 First, I made a call to the Sierra Madre Police 
Department to see if anyone had reported a 
missing beagle. The fact is, proper protocol for 
reporting a lost or found dog in Sierra Madre is 
to contact the Pasadena Humane Society, but the 
police are willing to help if they can, when they are 
not too busy. The dispatcher took my name and 
number in hopes of making a connection. Next, I 
called the Pasadena Humane Society and spoke to 
the officer on duty who also took my information 
to give to the owner if they happened to call in.

 About 15 minutes later, as I was getting ready to 
go out and canvass the neighborhood, the phone 
rang. It was the dog’s owner, who had already 
phoned the police and was given my name and 
number! She was so happy to hear that her sweet 
beagle was safe with someone who would hold 
him until she could come and pick him up. 

 Laurel arrived moments later, nearly in tears 
to be reunited with her dog whose name I then 
learned is “Bo”. Bo was equally elated to be 
reunited with Laurel and his four-footed “sibling” 
who was waiting to greet him in the car. Before 
driving away, Laurel told me that she had adopted 
Bo from a previous owner who was unable to care 
for him, and that she’d had him chipped because 
he’s a bit of a “Houdini” who likes to sneak out 
when no one is looking. Laurel explained that she 
had just bathed Bo that afternoon, which is why 
his collar was hanging in the sun to dry, rather 
than being around his neck when he made his 
great escape.

 Soon Laurel, Bo and his doggie bro were on 
there way down the road, headed home. It warmed 
my heart to have taken part in 
reuniting that happy family, and I 
thought how little it took to make 
such a big difference in a situation 
where the outcome could have been 
tragic. I made a point of reporting 
back to my kind neighbor who 
had initiated the effort to get a lost 
dog back home, and she was very 
pleased to hear that the incident 
had ended happily.

 While reflecting on my 
experience that evening, I 
thought how important it is to 
keep our pets safely detained to 
the best of our ability, and how 
important it is that we neighbors care enough to 
look out for one another’s pets in case they do 
get out. It takes a community to be kind to a lost 
canine. I know Sierra Madre pet owners do their 
best to prevent their dogs from escaping from the 
house or yard, but sometimes dogs with wander 
lust can be sneaky, and accidents do happen.

 The good thing is, and I’m proud to say that 
most people who live in Sierra Madre are more 
than willing to help a lost dog find it’s way home. 
Here are a few “good-to-know” helpful hints that 
might come in handy, if/when you happen to 
come across a wandering dog in town:

 First, look for an identification tag on the 
dog’s collar. Most dogs wear a city license tag, 
providing a serial number that can be traced to 
the owner by the city or the SPCA. Some pets 
also wear a personal ID tag bearing the owner’s 
name, address and/or phone number, allowing for 
direct & immediate contact. If there is no owner 
information available, call the Pasadena Humane 
Society & SPCA 24-Hour Hot Line at 626-792-
7151 and report the found animal.

 Having called the SPCA, you can also call the 
Sierra Madre Police Department at 355-1414. As I 
mentioned earlier, the police are not responsible, 
but many pet owners are not aware of the proper 
protocol, so they do call the police first rather 
than the SPCA, so it can’t hurt to call them both.

If the owner cannot be contacted through the 
SPCA or the police in a timely manner, you can 
also take the dog to Petco or the Humane Society 
to be scanned for an implanted ID chip. Some 
facilities offer this as a free service to help reunite 
lost dogs with their owners. There are even a few 
veterinarians that will scan a lost dog for chipping, 
at no charge.

I’d like to thank all of the “Good Samaritans“ in 
our community who do care enough to take the 
time to be kind to a lost canine. A true animal 
lover knows it is worth the effort to do what it 
takes to help a wandering dog find it’s way back 
home.


DogWalking & Sitting ServicesSierraMadre, Californiawww.canyoncanine.comchris@canyoncanine.comChris LeclercCanyonCanine626-355-8333 626-533-9536CCConCaCanyonCanineCanineeeieCCChris LeclercChris Leclercae,
chris@canyoncanine.com.canyoncanine.comwwwnCaSierraMadrare, CaliforCaalking&SonDogWWalking & Sitting ServicesonCa626-355-8333 62onCayeclercinnia6-533-95362eclerccanine.comanine.comani,CaliforirnanineSittingServiceseaninee
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