Tyler - Another Homeless Dog

It had been raining for days. The fields around our home were soggy and everything was wet. It was the middle of February and we were in the middle of winter and our rainy season.

That’s when my mom found a Miniature Schnauzer walking along the road heading towards town. He was wet and muddy, and looked like he had been out in the elements for several days.

Mom called the animal shelter and told them the details about the stray dog. Then she waited to hear back that the owners were desperately looking for their dog and the dog would go back to his own home. But no call came. Thirty days later, the dog became our’s, another unclaimed stray.

Mom called the shelter to make sure no one was looking for a lost Miniature Schnauzer, and the lady said no. Mom mentioned to the worker that she was surprised, since he was a purebred dog. The lady said it’s sad, but it happens all the time that people abandon even purebred dogs.

It was their loss and our gain. Tyler was a great dog. He’s the first dog I have memories of. He wasn’t terribly affectionate with us, but he enjoyed being with us. He’s the only dog we ever had that happily slept out in the living room rather than in one of our beds.

He’s the only dog we ever had that got sprayed by a skunk. Actually, Lady and Tyler got sprayed. A skunk wandered into our backyard one evening and the two dogs went wild. We heard them barking out there and then suddenly they came rushing through the dog door and started rubbing their faces on the carpet.

A few nights later they got sprayed again. After that, my dad fixed the hole where the skunk was getting through.

Tyler is no longer with us but I will always remember him as a gentle, fun-loving dog.