Dad Told Me To Ignore A Lost Dog

[adamc]

I didn't know where to put this.

Back in late March, a woman's dog went missing and is still missing to this day, over 4 months later.

Now, back in end of March, Dad and i went for a walk and I noticed this little dog simply wandering around the local train station. Dad who has always had a "do nothing" attitude told me to simply ignore it as it'll find its way back home. In the past, Dad had always dismissed my concerns about our pets' health with "They're getting old". If I was by myself that day, I would've picked the dog up and taken it to the local vet.

To this day, i strongly believe that the dog that went missing is that very dog I saw. How do I tell the owner that the dog she is still trying to find is the same dog I was told to ignore?

[therising]

Hi adamc

If you weren't such a caring and considerate person, you wouldn't be suffering so much at the moment. People who couldn't care less about things, people or animals don't suffer so much because they don't care. Your feelings tell you who you are.

I'm going some years back when I recall driving down the road in my local area. I saw a guy walking his 2 dogs when suddenly he stopped them and horribly abused on of them, as the other cowered. I was so incredibly upset and shaken and didn't know what to do. I phoned the police who told me 'Call the RSPCA'. The guy was walking off with the dogs when I was thinking 'What do I do? Do I call them or hope everything will be okay'. Unfortunately I settled for hoping instead of action. I still struggle to forgive myself for this, letting those dogs down, but one of the things that makes this lesson a little less upsetting involves me imagining the dogs were  removed from his house and re-homed not too long after I saw them. I have no choice but to imagine this, otherwise I'll suffer while imagining the worst.

I believe some challenges push us to decide who we're going to be in the moment. If we choose not to be the person who takes action and we feel incredibly guilty, guilt can be telling us 'From this moment onward you need to be someone different, the person you want to be'. There's nothing you can do in the way of going back in time and taking different action, so maybe it's best to imagine 'While that dog looked similar to the woman's missing dog, chances are it was a different dog I saw. If ever a similar situation presents itself, I will take action or find someone who'll help me take action. That's exactly who I'm going to be'. Maybe you can even imagine that a loving family found the dog and adopted it as their own.

I think another lesson we can take from certain situations involves other people's beliefs that we need to let go of. While I was raised to mind my own business and not interfere, my belief that it's my business to step in and rescue animals became a newfound one, after my experience. I wish it had developed before I saw those dogs. It would have turned out to be a different story. What do you think your new belief or belief system will be after your experience? Also, maybe you can question whether you believe telling the woman now would make any difference to her. Maybe someone else has an opinion on that, which can offer you a sense of relief.

Have no doubt, you're a good and deeply caring person and the world needs more people like you in it. 🙂

[adamc]

Thank-you, but I don't think the dog was adopted.

The owner found her dog with a family who kept denying they had it. She informed police but kept saying 'We need evidence. We need evidence." Once, she saw her dog in the family's backyard and after telling them that the dog was neutered, that night the family's son got in the car at about 10PM and drove off somewhere. After that, the dog was no longer seen on the property. It is strongly believed that the son took the dog to a relative who was down from Sydney so when he goes back home, they take the dog with them.

[therising]

Hi adamc

It's a shame the police couldn't have been more helpful, advising her on the best course of action. Maybe that could have involved phoning the RSPCA and getting them to go to the house to check the dog's mircochip, which would have established true ownership. I hope things work out for her and the dog is eventually returned to her. It can be incredibly challenging, dealing with selfish people who don't want to do what's fair. If only those people (who have the dog) were as kind, conscious and as considerate as you, there wouldn't be a problem.