I baked more cookies yesterday. And then it was time to rest.
Bill announced he was going out to get the mail (a mile or so down our unpaved country road). I was about to doze off when he returned carrying a sweet faced little Beagle, and we both forgot all about the mail! I wish I had taken a picture but the lost dog looked something like this:
Bill found him wandering the road, stopped, whistled, and the pup came right to him and wanted to be picked up. At our house he had a big drink of water and then we began our search for his owners. We thought the Beagle might be a guest dog with a visiting family at our neighbor’s house.” Not so.
We noticed the little guy had two collars, and while Bill was gently patting him, the pup suddenly began to scream. I thought he might be injured but then realized the pain was from a flashing choke collar! I think the device was being used as a finding tool since the dog’s agonized barking was so loud it could surely be heard over some distance.
I removed both collars and he stopped crying and buried his head against my legs while I reassured him. On the inside of one collar was the name and telephone number of the owner. We called and, yes, there were people looking for the little fella. They came right out and the pup seemed happy to see them. There were three big men in neon orange garb who looked like hunters.
- Bill thinks “Ace,” as we now know him, is well loved since he came and attached to us so readily.
- I think Ace is part of a hunting pack and does not have the happiest dog’s life.
He didn’t look malnourished but there was a rash in his ears. Mostly I hated the idea of the shock collar. Using it to find a lost dog may make some sense, but my heart went out to that poor little thing who surely did not understand. And listening to him howl was unbearable for me.
Ace’s owner was very happy to find him and said, “You will never know how grateful I am.” He then put Ace in a “dog box” in the back of his truck. Bill thinks there were other dogs in the box too. Maybe it was a pack and maybe Ace was glad to be back with them. I hope so. He did wag his tail when he saw his owner so that was a hopeful sign.
In the end, Ace was lost and then found, and he may have a Merry Christmas after all.
And this could be A Charming Dog Christmas Story.
But I am not so sure about that.
What do you think?
Virginia Views 
I want to believe that Ace is happy and well cared for. I want to believe that for all dogs, however, I can only be sure that my “Raven” and your “Nacho” (I love to change his name!) are truly happy doggies.
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I kinda like the name change to Nacho from Noche. And yes, I believe your Raven and Noche are truly happy. Noche’s not really ours but we can tell she’s greatly loved by my niece and her sweet husband.
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I think you and your husband are good people. Of that I am certain.
No, I am not a fan of the collar. If he is treated well I am OK with him being part of a working team, but the collar is way over the top. Poor guy, I hope he gets away again and finds a home like yours.
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I feel rather like you. I’m not sure whether Ace has the best doggy life. Dogs seem to love their owners no matter what I know I’d be reluctant to hand him back to owners who would put such a nasty collar on him. Let’s hope that he is safe and well cared for and that he is loved for himself and not just for his value, or potential value as a hunting dog.
Merry Christmas to you and Bill and Noche of course.
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Shock collars are not good! He will be part of a pack of dogs only valued for what they can give. My opinion!
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Some dogs are pets and some dogs are working dogs. I suspect this was a working dog. Their life isn’t as cushy but it’s all they know so he’s probably happy. Never been a fan of those collars or any device that uses pain to train. A well trained dog doesn’t need it. It just takes time to train them.
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Part of me wishes you took the shock collar out into the woods and tossed it, and then came home and gave Ace a nice bath. You would be a good Christmas present for him. Yesterday, I photographed a man horrendously abusing a horse. He had the audacity to do it on our lower field. I have his license number and proof on the photos. Sigh……
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You realize if they were in orange garb they were escaped prisoners! At least in CA, that would be it. 🙂 I would have kept the dog rather than him go back to jail.
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There are pet dogs and working dogs. For those of us who treat pets as family members, it is hard to see the lives of working animals. I grew up near a farm where the dogs herded and hunted, they were outside in all year round, but sheltered in the barn in winter and were treated like the rest of the livestock. It was their lot in life and for the most part they were happy and well cared for. However, it is hard not to feel emotion for them. When you think of it historically, it is relatively recently that dogs have climbed into the lap of luxury.
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Well, having once known a hunter, I can tell you that my heart aches whenever I see a hunting dog. For the most part, they do not have happy lives. Let’s hope little Ace is one that’s well treated….
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Sad to say, but if Ace is a good hunting dog he will be care for very well and if not then who knows… At least he is back with his buddies and will have a Merry Christmas.
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I think Ace was lucky to have been found by you two…Judy
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I could never do that to a dog, Dor. Who came up with the idea to use a choke collar to find their animal? That seems cruel to me.
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Hmmmm – I picked up a lost dog while out walking the other afternoon – there was a mobile number on his collar – who needs a shock collar, for goodness sake?!
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I would not be able to make up my mind about whether Ace was happy or not Dora. But seeing that he was wagging his tail when he saw his owner, I suppose that’s a good sign. However I did not like the sound of that collar or the fact he was in the back of that truck with other dogs. As you say maybe he was a hunting dog and he was quite happy. I bet he would have loved staying with you all snuggled up and cosy. He sounds like a working dog and not a pet.
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He knew love when he found it. Just b/c he’s well fed doesn’t mean much to me. How I’d like to put a shock collar around that owner’s neck and give him a dose! God Bless you and your Hubby for giving that pup a few moments of what a real home feels like.
MJ
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Thank you Mike! It is always a heart warming pleasure to meet a fellow dog/animal lover. Perhaps we are a “tribe” of good people.
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Merry Christmas to you and yours as well, and thanks for your good wishes re Ace, the lost little Beagle. I’m so glad you agree about the dubious value of a choke collar.
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I so agree about that nasty choke collar. The latest thought is that Ace is part of a Beagle hunting pack (they chase rabbits) and was being “trained” via the collar. Hmmm. I still hate the idea – and I feel sorry for the poor rabbits.
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I agree that using “pain to train” is the wrong approach. I was also dismayed about the collar because it is so big and heavy and Ace is really a smaller-than average Beagle. I am hoping that if he’s a work dog, he enjoys his job and is happy and warm now, back in the fold.
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I absolutely abhor the idea of anyone mistreating innocent animals! I hope you do report the horse abuser and good for you taking the photograph. Part of me wishes I had tossed the shock collar too…. in fact, “all of me” wishes I had done it. I could just have said there was no collar on him when we found him. Darn!
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hahaha! Nope- not prisoners. They had vests and jackets, etc. in the neon orange used by hunters (so they don’t accidentally shoot each other). 🙂
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I see your point Eliza. I suspect Ace is part of a pack used for rabbit hunting. I also suspect the horrible choke collar was used for training purposes (an act of cruelty if ever I saw one).
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Oh, I hope so too Dianna! I hope so too.
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That is the only way to think during this holiday season Debbie. I too believe Ace is back with his buddies for a Merry Christmas. 🙂
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Awwww! Thanks you Judy! That is really sweet.
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I think the owners knew what a loud voice Ace has and the collar may have been used for “training.” When Ace went missing and they were out calling for him, they figured a shock or two would lead them to him. They didn’t know he would be in our living room!
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The collar was probably on the dog for other “training” purposes. At least that’s what I think. Then when he got lost, they figured it was a clever way to find him.
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I agree with your conclusion Rita… a working dog. He did like our home though and was trying to snuggle up to me for security. I should have thrown the shock collar away though…..
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Oh MJ, I so want to put a shock collar around that owner’s neck! That would cure him of ever using one again. Great idea! 🙂
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🙂 So relieved!
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Agreed. There are GPS collars for location that don’t hurt them, but they are more expensive and don’t always get signals. From what you described, it sounded horrible. What did they do to train them before they invented the shock collar?
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Praise and reward maybe. 🙂 I know mild shock therapy is used in boundary line electric fencing to keep dogs from straying. That is probably tolerable and undoubtedly for the protection of the dog.
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I’m afraid this sounds like the hunters could be Judd Travers’s neighbors. Read Shiloh by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds from Friendly, West VA.
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Sounds like Ace is a working dog, not a pet…..but if that’s all he knows he doesn’t know any different like sleeping on beds and being spoiled rotten.
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Yep, I’m gonna get that book! 🙂 Thanks Georgette. 🙂
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“Ignorance is bliss” I suppose, but that dog needs me to spoil him rotten. 🙂
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Yes, it is a fine line, isn’t it? Undoubtedly, the power was adjusted way too high for that poor little beagle.
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Fingers crossed for Ace and happy holidays to you!
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And Happy Holidays to you too and thanks for the good wishes for Ace’s well being. 🙂
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It seems pretty cruel to put a choke collar with such a device on a dog when all one needs is just a small tag with phone number. It does sound like the dog is probably used by hunters for retrieving and because it may be trained extensively for that is wearing an expensive high-tech collar. I too now feel sorry for Ace and am betting he would rather have stayed with you than be found, and was only happy to see the owner because he knows that is who provides him with food.
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Bless you and your husband for trying to comfort Ace. I hope that Ace is loved and cared for, but I’m not a fan of shock collars.
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I am surely with you on opposing shock collars Judy! And I too wish that Ace is happy. 🙂
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