Would you have picked up the dog?

stgn01 · March 2014

I was running errand with my DS (17 mos) today and DD was in pre-school. I saw a dog running in a field next to a busy street and knew it wasn't right. I pulled over to check it out. I left DS in the car, in the car seat and went to see if the dog was hurt. The dog had tags (rabies, micro-chipped) and was absolutely freezing. He had icicles on his mouth, nose and belly. He couldn't walk properly because the pads of his feet were huge ice balls. I found out his vet and brought him in. Not once did he growl, bite, or show any aggression. I put him on the back of my car and cranked up the heat to help him thaw out. When I got him to his vet, they immediately put him in front of a heater. Turns out he got away from his owner last night, when the temps were single digits and snowing, and he wandered about 6 miles north to my town.

I really debated whether I did the right thing. This was a strange dog, I had my son with me, anything could have happened or gone wrong. Thankfully it turned out ok. His body temperature was ok, the vet didn't think there would be permanant damage to his feet, and the owner was coming to pick him up. I'm a sucker for dogs and would probably do it again but it just got me wondering...who else would have done the same in that situation.

lexusolsen · March 2014

Nope. I would have called the non-emergency sheriff number (so they could call animal control or whoever) but I will never put a strange dog in the car with my kid. Even just the car ride my cause a dog to freak out despite whatever other conditions or circumstances they are in. I would never leave it alone though.

fancefpp · March 2014

I would have called police but stayed with him until they came

Hollylb3 · March 2014

Yep, sure would have. It can take forever for help to arrive around here in non-emergency situations. I have a really soft spot for animals too.

AimeeL85 · March 2014

I wouldn't have put a dog in the back with the baby, I wouldn't know that I could trust it and wouldn't be willing to chance it. But I would want to help and would try to figure out a way to, I wouldn't want to leave it.

StacyJYay · March 2014

I'd like to think I would have done what you did. In any case, I applaud you for your humanity. You saved this dog from unimaginable suffering.

vlagrl29 · March 2014

That's great he was chipped. Assuming it wasn't a HUGE dog, I probably would have taken him in too.

Linnea503 · March 2014

Maybe in the front seat. I'm honestly not sure. But I do think it is wonderful you were able to save the dog.

Spin313 · March 2014

F no, sorry dog

LinnyAnne10 · March 2014

Yup I would of picked him up.

thechickencoop · March 2014

I probably would but only because we have one of those barrier things behind the backseat for our dog. If he had to be out in the car with DS then no. I'd call animal control and wait.

MomIn2013 · March 2014

Kimbus22 said:

No. I'd call the police and hang out there until they showed up but I would not have a dog I don't know in the car with my kid.

What she said.

kcisthebombdotcom · March 2014

Only if I had a foolproof way that he could not get near my child. Injured dogs are a higher risk to attack. I would ensure he got some help though.

zbeesma86 · March 2014

I absolutely would have. That poor pup. So awesome you found him & helped him get back home!!

Cherryblossoms07 · March 2014

I would have. I probably would have separated the kids from the dog to the best of my abilities, but I have picked up a couple dogs with tags running down a highway before. That was before the kids, but my car was brand new at the time and I had two stinky, muddy dogs in it.

likeanoldtimemovie · March 2014

I'm not sure what I would've done... My first choice would've been to grab him and put him in the car, but if I thought about for a few minutes, I probably wouldn't.

Either way, you're awesome. Thank you for helping out that pup!

bhuffman · March 2014

I would have as well. If he was friendly enough for me to get in the car, I wouldn't worry much about his friendliness factor. However , I wouldn't spend a lot of time chasing him down. If he was running away from me, I'd figure he was okay.

I think you did the right thing. So glad he's ok!

notkateanymore · March 2014

Nope, I would have called our animal control that takes all the stray animals to a local vet and then posts them on a FB page for their owners to find.

There is no way I would want a strange dog contained in a small space with me and the baby.

notkateanymore · March 2014

For those of you who say yes...what would you do if the dog attacked the kid or you? Our friend's family pet out of the blue attacked their daughter and bit her face and eye...I mean, they were snuggled up watching American Idol and something startled her and bam...hurt child. If that can happen with a family pet, there is no way I could trust a stranger dog in the car with us.

kcisthebombdotcom · March 2014

For those of you who say yes...what would you do if the dog attacked the kid or you? Our friend's family pet out of the blue attacked their daughter and bit her face and eye...I mean, they were snuggled up watching American Idol and something startled her and bam...hurt child. If that can happen with a family pet, there is no way I could trust a stranger dog in the car with us.

I'm admittedly a dog lover/rescuer but I'm totally with Kate here. If both the kids were at preschool I'd without a doubt take the risk and put the dog in my car to bring him/her to safety. I wouldn't put my kids in harms way though. Even the friendliest dog can attack unprovoked when injured.

LatteLady5 · March 2014

KC_13 said:

Only if I had a foolproof way that he could not get near my child. Injured dogs are a higher risk to attack. I would ensure he got some help though.

This and I do. We have a leash with us at all times in the van and the back is normally set up for our dog to ride.

Mrs.Hizzo · March 2014

OMG, yes, I would have picked up the dog. I'm so glad you did. I have an SUV, so I wouldn't worry about my kids, I'd just toss the dog in the back.

ToastieSimons · March 2014

i'm a sucker for all animals.I probably would have called 911 and put the dog in the front seat with the heat on low and sat in the back with the baby. I probably wouldn't have driven anywhere with the dog because car rides freak my cats out and if I was preoccupied with driving and something happened there is nothing I can do.

vlagrl29 · March 2014

I wouldn't put the dog in the backseat where my kid is. He would be up in the front with me.

rockyrollgirl · March 2014

I guess I am a bit cynical here, but this question bugs me. Like "I did this awesome thing to help a poor animal and I am an awesome person, would you have done the same? ". Maybe I am just grumpy this morning.

I have picked up dogs before and sometimes I have had to call animal control. It really depended on the situation.

penguingrrl · March 2014

Not a chance. I would have called the police and gotten the dog help but there's no way I would have put it in my car without knowing it. Too risky, especially with a baby.

My answer would be very different if I had a way to safely ensure it couldn't access my kid in any way , like a full grate that's installed between the cargo and seating areas.

rockyrollgirl · March 2014

CnAmom said:

I guess I am a bit cynical here, but this question bugs me. Like "I did this awesome thing to help a poor animal and I am an awesome person, would you have done the same? ". Maybe I am just grumpy this morning.

I have picked up dogs before and sometimes I have had to call animal control. It really depended on the situation.
I think you might be a little bit grumpy this morning. Here, have some coffee. ~O)

Thanks

. I think it was the haircut thread. I want to cut my hair, but my face is already looking puffy and it made me sad.

Icjt · March 2014

LalaMama81 said:

Am I the only one who might not have even noticed the dog? I don't travel on counryish roads, so there is always traffic, etc. A dog running in a field doesn't sound odd to me.

Regardless, I guess if I saw it and felt compelled to stop, I'd call the non-emergency police line or something but it wouldn't even occur to me to put the dog in my car.

I live in the country, and I still wouldn't have noticed. It's somewhat normal to see the neighbors dog out once in awhile. I doubt I would have watched carefully to see something was wrong with it.

stgn01 · March 2014

Doing this from my iPhone. This is a pic of the dog I picked up. To be clear, I have an SUV and the dog was in the back cargo part, DS was in the back row in his car set. The dog sat right down when I wet over to him and I think he knew I was trying to help. If he had shown any aggression or ran away, I would not have pursued it. I can't call emergency services b/c like a pervious poster said they take FOREVER! I agree with other posters that it could have turned out very differently and I'm so thankful it didn't. I trusted my gut and this time it worked but I keep replaying it wondering how I would have done things differently. Thanks for all the feedback. At least the dog is home and warm again.

jlpev · March 2014

5953fpp said:
I would have called police but stayed with him until they
came

This bc my car is too small.

Chapter79 · March 2014

Considering there are dogs roaming all over here, and cats.. I likely wouldn't have noticed. And considering I have a fear of dogs, I wouldn't put him in the car for fear I would have an on the spot heart attack. That all aside... if I see a dog and notice he might actually be sick/hurt/in pain I would certainly call someone and wait with animal. From my car. And watch from inside. Ain't no way a dog coming near me, or kid.

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