Monster...A Happy Ending

My first run in with Monster, as I later found out was his name, was back on 12/15/08.

Got a call for an aggressive German Shepherd that wouldn't leave someones property. So I get there and Monster is in this backyard.

He is a HUGE dog, ya, I'd name him Monster too!!

When I try to catch him he doesn't even growl, he just charges me. He blows right passed me before I can get a catch pole loop around him. So I spend the next 15 minutes chasing him around, in and out of the backyard and front yard since there is no fence on one side. I finally have had enough and call for another officer to come assist me. She'd take about 20 minutes to get there. So in this 20 minutes I again try to catch him.

I had him cornered again and as he was charging me, once again, I got the catch pole loop around his neck!

But he is going so fast and is so huge that he blows passed me, yanking the catchpole, spinning me and him around and he takes off. I take off after him as now he is headed out into the neighborhood. By the time I run back to my truck and get turned around to catch him he is around the corner and vanishes. I start cruising the neighborhood and surrounding streets. He has vanished.

The other officer arrived and we both are searching.

Nothing.

Finally we call it.

Unable to locate.

The other officer and I both check craigslist as she mentioned seeing and ad for a lost Shepherd. She was going to follow up and give the poster a call. She did and left a message.

Fast forward 3 weeks later. 1/6/08.

I respond to a call of a Dog reported to be abandoned at a vacant house. Another officer had posted a Pre-seizure for abandonment and now it was time to pick the dog up.

So I go into the backyard.

Monster is there.

Of coarse this property is on 2 acres and not fenced in so the chase is on.

Didn't last long.

This dog has a knack of disappearing.

I had also gotten a call earlier about an aggressive dog that just happened to be on the other side of the street. Monster.

So I have gone out to this property every day this week to leave food to try to keep him around. No traps available and no Tranq available. I have to remind myself that I love working for the county.

Today, Supervisor tells me that he can meet me out there and tranq the dog. I go out early to set food out and make sure the Monster is still there.

Yep. He barks at me and takes off into the field. But he'll be back.

I leave to go do another call.

As I am driving there a lost dog poster catches my eye. "His Name is Monster", and there are pictures. It's him!

So I call the number and the owner called me back. She would meet me at the property and confirm if it is her dog. Of coarse when we get there Monster is no where in sight. Owner starts calling and calling. We are there for a good 20 minutes when she catches a glimpse of a tail in the orchard next to the property. She keeps calling and and calling. And she goes down the street. I hang back and can hear that she has found him. It's him. She is screaming and cry she is so happy and I can see him jumping on her he is so excited to see his mommy. I actually choked up a little when I heard her. I watched as Monster jumped around and loved on her. A totally different dog that I had known. He jumped into the back of her vehicle, happy as can be.

Monster had been missing since 11/20/08, nearly 2 months! And he was at least 10 miles away from where he had been lost from. Amazingly, he was in pretty good shape. So he is home and safe tonight and his owner and his sister are very glad he is back. I love happy endings.

Happy Stinking New Year

Whew....Three guys are not enjoying their New Year. Not at their house at least.

Call came in as a Skunk in the Bathroom. Ok so my first thought was...did I hear that right? A Skunk in a bathroom? Gotta be a mistake. Well I get there and am greeted by 3 guys standing on the street outside their little, and I do mean little house. The front door is wide open. And it's cold and overcast. As soon as I get out of the truck I can smell that unmistakable smell of skunk. Gee must be at the right house. One of the guys refuses to go near the house. Every time the aroma would waif his way he started gagging and coughing. So one of the other ones shows me into the house. And directs me to where the bathroom is. I cautiously poke my head into the bathroom and sure enough, there is the black and white furry beast behind the toilet. The guys had taken the dispatchers advice of placing a trail of food along the floor to lead skunk outside. Ya...that will work.

I went back out to my truck to get my equipment. A catch pole, plastic garbage bag and cage.

As I was getting my stuff I asked mr. gaggy "so how did this happen?" He choked out the story. The buddies were sitting in the living room when Mr.Gaggy's black lab went running into the back of the house where the kitchen and bathroom are, barking like crazy. Then they heard her yelping and she came running back out foaming and bleeding from the nose. That was when they smelled that wonderful aroma. Apparently Mr.Skunk found his way into the house via the doggie door. This is not uncommon by the way. And Poor labby got a full blast of spray in the schnoz. Scared skunk ran in to the bathroom and that was were he stayed until I was called.

So here I was getting my equipment. I warned the guys that the smell was going to get worse not better, as Skunk wasn't going to leave peacefully. Meaning that there is going to be spraying. Nope sorry no way to avoid it.

I would do my best to keep it contained to one room, the bathroom. but the house was still going to smell.

Sorry guys.

I re-enter the house and again assess the situation. Skunk has himself wedged behind the toilet. all I can see is his big fluffy tail. And that is NEVER a good thing to only see. Knowing that I am not going to get a catch pole around him without his stink bomb going off every which way, I go back out to my truck and grab my snake tongs. I use the snake tongs to grab him by the tail.

*SQUIRT*

He blasts the wall and floor next to the toilet. I manage to orient his pungent pink "eye" away from me and drag him a little further out. I have the cage ready, in the open plastic garbage bag. I just need to somehow manage to get him inside without painting me and the entire bathroom with dayglow yellow stinking spray. Using the catchpole to pin him to the floor, and change my position of the snake tongs. Using both the catchpole and the snake tongs like giant chop sticks, I maneuver him around the floor and lift and drop him into the cage in the back. As I do this he manages to get one more

*SQUIRT* on the wall next to the shower, and angrily sprays the inside of the cage and bag while I use the tongs to close the bag up. TA DA!!!! bagged a Big one! I walk out of the house with my pole and tongs in one hand and the bagged cage in the other. the guys were cheering. And gagging. But happy that the skunk was gone. The dog still looked miserable. The neighbors were cheering too, as this had apparently drawn a small crowd brave enough to bare the smell.

I told the guys to open the house up and get some fans going. I felt bad for them so I called my always helpful hubby, who looked up the Formula for skunk smell removal. I gave the formula to them and advised that they might want to pitch a tent outside for tonight. They planned on sleeping elsewhere for the at least tonight. Mr.Gaggy was also going to take his dog to the vet to make sure she was ok and see if they could do something about her smell.At least they will always have a wild story to tell about New Years 2009. And so will I.

Tidbit: If you hold a skunks tail down it can't spray. But HOW do you get that close in the first place, and WHY would you want to?

FORMULA:

1 quart of WHITE Vinegar

1/4 cup of Baking Soda

1 tablespoon of Dish Shop (Dawn is recommended)

no more or less as it changes the properties.

There are many other recipes, but this one is suppose to be the best.

Welcome

Welcome to my Blog. I am an Animal Control Officer, or to shorten ACO. Hopefully readers will be entertained and a little bit educated about being an ACO.

Well Enough with this...let's get on with the stories!!!