Today we searched for a lost cat in the South Beacon Hill area. As we were searching, a small dog started barking at Mu through an iron fence. Mu was ignoring him, but the dog actually squeezed between the bars to come out and bark at Mu. One thing we definitely try to avoid is creating a new lost pet situation when we are looking for a lost pet. Mu just blinked at the little Pomeranian as he barked and postured. Eventually, Mu did a play bow at him, and he slowed his barking a little. I got the cheese out of my pocket to try to lure the little dog back into his yard. I had the owner of the lost cat hold Mu back as I tried to cheese the little dog to safety, but Mu almost knocked her down, pulling to get to the cheese. It was Mu’s Victory Cheese, his reward for finding kitties, not to be randomly distributed to bad little yappers who escape their yards. Once Mu was secure, the little dog liked the cheese and seemed like he was about to try to squeeze back into his yard to get the pieces I had tossed. I thought about lifting him and putting him over the fence, but I didn’t want to drop him from six feet up. Finally, the owner woke up and opened the gate for the little dog, who ran around for the cheese nibbles. She said he usually couldn’t get through the bars, but a recent haircut made him narrower and able to slip through. Loss prevention tip: keep your Pomeranians fluffy, I guess. In 11 years of searching, we have never caused a pet to become lost while searching for a lost pet, although we have had a few escaped dogs that took a while to catch again.
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James Branson
Principal at Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue, volunteer at Useless Bay Sanctuary, author of A Voice for the Lost Archives
December 2019
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