Churro is a young (less than a year old), male English Mastiff that recently arrived at Humane Society for Hamilton County (Indiana) as a stray. At a little over a hundred pounds he is one of of our bigger dogs - filling his kennel.
I walked him for the first time yesterday to get to know him and, honestly, I like the attention a waist-high dog gets me as we pass through theparking lot. Churro is a people dog - every few steps he would turn to me and touch my hand with his muzzle to gather in my scent and let me know he appreciated his time outside.
Churro has a stunning fawn colored coat with very large feet. He has the gentle nature of many huge dogs and liked to rest his giant head on my shoulder as we sat on the pea gravel in the front outside run. He has been well fed, healthy and showed no signs of fear of people. He was obviously someone’s pet.
As my fellow volunteers and I too often ask about the strays that pass through our lives - how is it possible that Churro’s family has not contacted the shelter in search of him. Where are the posters and the Nextdoor and Facebook posts? How can his family rest when this big, trusting dog is lost?
If Churro’s family does not contact the shelter in the next few days he will be adopted by a family that will treat him like a valuable living being, A family that would have searched the ends of the earth to find their family member. I need to believe this.
On rainy days, like today, I often think about the strays that are doing their best to stay warm and dry. Not all of them will make it to a shelter where they will find a new home.
I’ll stop by the shelter today and spend some time with Churro and my other favorite pups and tell them they are the lucky ones. They may not understand the words, but the human contact will make their waiting for a new home a little easier. It will make me feel better.
Comments