Dead Dogs and Geocaching

[TahoeJoe]

Last weekend a friend and myself decided to drive to Fallon Nevada to do some geocaching since the caches up here in Lake Tahoe are currently under 3 feet of snow. Fallon is located in Northern Nevada on Hwy 50 which has been named the loneliest hwy in America. While driving down a one lane dirt road in the middle of nowhere to the cache "Best Dam Cache by a Dam Site", I saw what had to be the strangest thing I have ever saw while caching (or not caching for that matter). On the side of the road was a dead German Shepard dog with a sheet of plywood place over him. Next to him was placed a 50 pound bag of dog food. By the look of things, it was apparent that the dog hadn't been there very long. It was a very sad sight and I was beginning to feel like I had stepped into a Steven King novel. I thought that maybe we were in Desperation NV and not Fallon NV. As you can well imagine we logged that cache very quickly and were on our way to the next cache.

 

Lake Tahoe Geocacher

 

[This message was edited by TahoeJoe on January 28, 2003 at 04:05 PM.]

[+Mr. Snazz]

"See here, what are you doing?" says the bobby

 

"I'm off ta see Anubis, guvnah"

[+briansnat]

Yuk! There was a thread a while ago about a geocache where a first (and last) timer, found a dead dog draped over the rock under which the cache was hidden. She freaked out.

 

I think it finally turned out that the dog had recently been buried by its owner on a cliff above the cache site (it had been a favorite spot) and was probably unearthed by animals and somehow was pushed off the cliff.

 

"Paternalism is the greatist despotism" - Emmanual Kant

[+The Weasel]

Nothing like a cheery cache. It goes to show yo that not everybody should be pet owners!!! I am currently fostering a cat from a local shelter that was shot in the eye with a BB gun when she was a kitten.

[Lefty Skywalker]

This pisses me off in so many ways...

 

If you're going to buy a dog you make a commitment. You need to love it, feed it, and manage it.

 

If you aren't going to do that, you shouldn't get a dog.

 

If you're wrong about your ability to do that, the least you can do is shoot the poor thing. But you should really take it to a shelter where it has a middling chance of going home with someone who's less of a betrayer than you, and if not, will die easily and painlessly.

 

I got my doggy at a shelter. She is a gorgeous, fluffy, golden little mutt and I love her dearly. I wish I could have taken all of them home. If I had a nickel for every German shepherd, Laborador retriever, rottweiler, or mixes thereof that go to the needle every year when they should never have been born, I'd be a rich, rich man.

 

 

What Would Yoda Do?

[+wimseyguy]

I saw a live dog chewing/pulling at a dead deer last Sunday while I driving between caches.! It was sort of a exurban area not very far outside of Durham NC.

 

Be careful what you wish for!

[+Planet]

I met three more dogs the other day and mentioned to wf_fuzzy on chat that one was rescued lab who had been shot in the butt, and he showed me this site. It is a wonderful thing and please tell all of your dog loving friends about it too. The Rescued Lab site is here, please pass the word along.

Thanks!

 

Cache you later,

Planet

 

"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will

give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" - Dave Barry

[GRANDMASTER CACHE]

I lived in Elko, NV, for two years so I'm not going to be hasty to make a decision on what happened. This doesn't "infuriate" me, it saddens me. What are the details? We don't know. Could they have buried it? It depends on the terrain - you can't get past a few inches without a good shovel in many parts. I'm not trying to be morbid, but a dead or dying animal stinks to high heaven in a vehicle. We tried to rescue a cat one time, and on the way to the shelter one of us (there were three) vomitted, the stench was that bad. If I was on that stretch of road (I know it well, we travelled from Elko to Beatty a number of times) I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing if a pet died. I'd have at least tried to bury it. But precious little good that would do with the coyotes. Unless I knew the facts/motives, I couldn't judge what happened in this case, but it sounds heartbreaking. If it was somebody who just didn't care, I wouldn't think they'd memorialize the place with the dog's food and cover it with plywood. Or maybe it was a stray, and somebody stopped to offer it food and it wouldn't eat? So they left the dogfood for it?

Maybe somebody else came along and covered it? I don't know... and it's sad to think of what happened.

I doubt anyone would pick the dog up and put it in their car - and maybe it died with someone and they just laid it to rest where the coyotes are going to get it anyway.

 

But on a more positive note, the best feeling in getting a pet is to save a pet from a rescue. We got our Boxer from Bay Area Boxer Rescue and although you have to pay a hefty "donation" fee (as much as a pedigree) you are at least saving an unwanted puppie that somebody thought was cute and then got "bored" with. To say the least, he's the best boxer among the four our whole family has had since I was a kid. My brother did the same with his - from the pound. My mom - she prefers her papered "lineage" she's followed since their first show pup. That's fine - everybody's choice. I'm just glad we saved ours - he's a gem.

 

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

[+Treasure Hunters Inc.]

quote:

---

Originally posted by wimseyguy:

I saw a live dog chewing/pulling at a dead deer last Sunday while I driving between caches.! It was sort of a exurban area not very far outside of Durham NC.

 

Be careful what you wish for!

---

 

That is really uncanny. We saw the same thing here in Ohio just a few days ago. I had never ever seen that before, and we see a lot of dead deer along the roads around here. We were on our way to eat though .

 

$1000 Bill geocaching is living in a 30 foot circle

[+Web-ling]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BrianSnat:

Yuk! There was a thread a while ago about a geocache where a first (and last) timer, found a dead dog draped over the rock under which the cache was hidden. She freaked out.

---

 

This is the cache where this dead dog was found. What made it even creepier is that the dog was in a BODY BAG.

 

[glynnfam]

... I too got my doggie from the local shelter and she is a GEM! Wouldn't have it any other way. She's lucky to be alive and we're even luckier to have her.

[TahoeJoe]

Years ago our first dog was obtained from the local animal shelter. She was one of the most intelligent, kind dogs I ever owned.

 

Lake Tahoe Geocacher

 

[This message was edited by TahoeJoe on January 28, 2003 at 04:06 PM.]

[+GatoRx]

My parents didn't get their dog from the pound or a shelter, but rather from a friend who picked him up on the side of the road. He's certainly got issues - had a bad case of heartworms, he has seizures every few weeks, he's allergic to a lot of stuff, and he's decided my old waterbed is his (he hates cold weather, so the heated bed is his favorite spot in the house.) He may not be the most well-behaved dog around, but he certainly makes up for everything with his personality - a good pickup from the side of the road. And he's a lot more entertaining than any 'pure-bred' dog I've met.

 

----

When in doubt, poke it with a stick.

[+Desert_Warrior]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GatoRx:

And he's a lot more entertaining than any 'pure-bred' dog I've met.

---

 

That is cause you don't have a Parker. Parker is my 2 1/2 y/o Texas Chihuahua. Well, you know everything is bigger in Texas. Rest of the country would call Parker a Great Dane.

 

Parker Has had both the worst and best of luck. Parker was still-born at 2am. We got him started. He was shaping up as a good show-dog. Wife was going to sell him. So my wife did his ears. He died on the operating table. They brought him back to life. Took him to get the stiches out. He got Parvo. Once he was that sick, it would be unethical to sell him. He recovered from that, which is some feat in itself. Then he broke his tail. It had to be amputated. End of show career.

 

Two weeks before Parker was born, I lost my retired Lab drug-dog. We had been partners for years. I didn't want another dog. Since I had training as a combat lifesaver, doing Parker's IVs fell to me. Soon, he picked me. I didn't care. Once he was not a show dog anymore, it sorta got decided that Parker was mine. He decided.

 

We do not own pets. All our dogs work. Either show, therapy in alzheimers wards, child crisis center, whatever. They all work. I decided to do Obedience Trials, we didn't have an obedience title in the house yet.

 

Well, we did it. Two novices. Neither of us knew exactly what we were doing. But we had fun doing it. And we gathered up quite a fan club too. He now has an Obedience Title, in spite of the mistakes I made in the ring. And we are slowly gearing up to the second level.

 

You can see us out in the Franklin Mountains just about any weekend. And he LOVES riding in my jeep! Life is good for "The Parker"....

 

 

Mike. Desert_Warrior (aka KD9KC).

El Paso, Texas.

 

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom.

 

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS!

[+Polgara]

Speaking of gross finds on your way to a cache...i found a liver , intestines , cartilage and other organs frozen in the snow during the search for my last cache. They were so uniform that i could have labeled them with a marker. I assume they were the work of a deer hunter, they looked to large to be human...

 

True-North

[+LoneHowler]

most of the dogs in my life have been adopted. my most recent on Tyson sota stumbled into our lives my Mom and her freind were taking the dogs into Home Hardware (one of the few stores that will allow animals) and a truck pulled up beside the the guy rolled down the window and said "do you want another one he ****s in the house and runs away dispite my punising him for it, if someone won't take him I'm going to put him down" My mom of course had to rescue him from this brut. we wern't going to keep him but give him to some freinds that were looking for a dog simmilar to him.

they were away on vacation so we had him around for a while and we got attached to the guy, he needed almost contant attention otherwise he would poop in the house, the freinds took him for a week but since the both worked at the same time he pooped in the house allot so he came back to us.

theres always someone home for him, he still jumps and runs when a loud noise occures and occasinaly poops in the house. but no one in the family would trade him for a millon bucks he's one of the sweetest dogs we have ever known he loves to snuggle and gets along good with our other dog Muffin (hey don't look at me like that mom named her)

 

some of the best dogs we have ever owned were pound dogs because once they realise that they've found a loving family they won't give you up

 

More to see, More to do

[+Darkmoon]

Two of our three dogs were abadoned and we were keeping them for a couple of weeks till we found them homes! Guess what, they adopted us and we wouldn't give our "children" up for anything in the world...they are the most caring and loving souls that anyone can ask for! I agree, if you cannot be responsible, how can you raise a dog or any animal! I am glad to see that I am in good company!

 

Darkmoon

 

No, I am not lost...I am where I am suppose to be...At least I think so?

[+Last Lap Gang]

Sad story. Freaky really. Sort of a Canine Unsolved Mystery.

 

We did Greyhound Resce for about 4.5 years. That's why we're the Last Lap Gang. We ran the Last Lap Greyhound Connection where you could, "Make your Lap a Greyhound's Last." Now, since there are about 8 GH Groups in MD already, we volunteer with an All breed rescue called the Animal Relief Fund. If you want to see our latest foster, and live in MD, VA, or PA, take a look at our entry for the "Heard it through the GrapeVine" Cache. We have pics of Skeeter, the Bloodhound. Now what better caching buddy could you get other than a BLOODHOUND??? Anybody up for a new family member???

 

"Heard it through the Grapevine" Cache in MD

 

Wags, Russ & Erin

[+Stunod]

I’ve volunteered at an animal shelter, and both my dogs are adopted. My first dog, Stu (as is Stunod), a German Shepherd/Collie mix, was taken in as a stray puppy when he was only about 6 weeks old. His mother was a stray that lived along the RR tracks by my work. She had a litter of puppies in January of 1995 in a pile of old RR ties. She started “dropping off” pups at the back door of the factory…probably selecting the weak pups that she couldn’t take care of. Over the course of a week 5 pups were found abandoned by this door. Employees adopted all of them. Finally, one of the women in the factory took the final 2 pups from the den while her husband distracted the mother. Stu was one of these 2 from the den.

 

Last summer I adopted my Golden Retriever Abby from the shelter I volunteered at. The shelter is a no kill facility that gets most of it’s dogs from the local animal control. The shelter was full…there wasn’t enough room to rescue her from animal control and she was about to be put down. I took her directly from the pound to save her. She is about 8 years old and has bad hips and chronic bronchitis, but she is a really wonderful dog.

 

I recommend to anyone thinking about getting a dog (or cat) to do so at a shelter. These animals seem to realize what their fate might have been if someone didn’t help them.

 

Here’s a pic of my two adopted dogs:

 

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand."

[+Last Lap Gang]

we can say amen to that statement!

 

I recommend to anyone thinking about getting a dog (or cat) to do so at a shelter. These animals seem to realize what their fate might have been if someone didn’t help them.

 

Wags, Russ & Erin

[+Tomebug]

Since we're all telling our "adoption" stories...

 

When my husband and I met 13 years ago, we both wanted dogs. He really wanted a Golden retriever and I really wanted a Dalmation. We had grown up with these kinds of dogs and wanted to replace long lost beloved pets. Our first two dogs we got after our wedding were from the pound, not a retriever or a dalmation, but still good dogs. Unfortunately they didn't last more than a couple of years for different reasons. My mom called me one day, she had found a 2 week old dalmation puppy in the street near the bank. When she (the dog) was 3 months old, mom brought her to my house (9 hours away) and we still have her. She's 7 years old now, and a pure bred. A little less than a year after we got her, we found a note at the vet's office, free papered golden retriever male. His owners were moving and couldn't take him with. We took him in too, he's 9 years old now. They're best buddies, and really good dogs. Even the dalmation is great, she's not hyper or aggressive, just a big people pleaser. She's my caching buddy because she'll protect me.

 

My mom always said that the best animals we ever had were the ones that found us.

 

Speaking of which, we have the best cat on the planet too. I found him as a kitten, dodging traffic in the middle of a busy street.

[+Polgara]

I have a really cool cat. I don't like cats, but this one is alright! I lived in Ocean City, MD and someone left her behind after their summer vacation was over and i was the only one living on my street and she just came right up on my porch one day. She looks just like "Church" from pet cemetary...maybe she's reincarnated too! I took her to the vet and to my pleasent surprise, someone had already had her spayed and turned out that they felt she was about 2 years old. SHe always lived outdoors, has a bunch of cat friends in ocean city and lives there still. I don't anymore, but my neighbor feeds her and i still get her to the vet regularly. She keeps our renters in the summer happy, they really like her andshe has her whole social world going on with her 2 cat buddies!

 

True-North