It's so cold outside right now. And it's raining ice. And I'm so scared. I hadn't really considered yet that the weather might be something else that Bean has to survive to get back to us. I am trying really hard to think of all the ways that she might be keeping warm enough to survive. She has never been an outside dog. Not even for one night. I don't know anything about what kinds of temperatures dogs can survive. Or what they do on cold nights. Those of you who know about such things, please please help me think of scenarios where Bean is not freezing to death tonight.
Bryan says she could be curled up in someone's garage or shed. Or maybe even a vacant dog house. I would really appreciate some more ideas, if anyone else is still awake. I need to be able to picture her somewhere where she can survive until morning, or else I don't think I will be sleeping tonight.
Pray really hard that Bean survives another night out in the cold until we can find her.
Rebecca
9 comments:
Have you ever seen the show "Animal Precinct" on Animal Planet? It's a show about the real life horrors of animal neglect and abuse in New York City. A very sad, but very common reality for many NYC dogs is that they are forced to live outside without food, water, or shelter for long periods in the FREEZING winters of the north! And many of them are pitbulls with short hair. It's amazing what conditions dogs can survive in. Don't worry, if the dogs of NYC can survive entire winters outdoors tied to a pole, Bean will have no problem tonight. At worst, I bet she's probably on a front porch somewhere, or behind some shrubs, or under someone's parked car. Think of the rain as a blessing...at least she has access to plenty of water. Anyway, I hope that gives you some comfort. Get some rest, and stay strong for Bean.
Dogs may be accustomed to being inside creatures, but they haven't lost their instinct for self-preservation. With luck, she'll find a nice safe shed, garage, doghouse, or one of the open buildings at the park, or an overpass, or under someone's porch or even under someone's car - she'll know how to take shelter, even if only for a little while. Even better, she might be in someone's home, or even one of the shelters already! I just wish I knew where to look . . .
When I first met my husband, I was amazed by the resiliency of his outside dogs. They had doghouses, but rarely used them. One cold morning, I looked out the window as the sun was rising, and there was Mika, layed out stiff in the grass, completely covered with frost! I ran outside thinking the worst! She sleepily looked over at me, wagged her tail, wondered what all the fuss was about, and went back to sleep! Now that we all live at my house, the dogs have access to the insulated garage for shelter. More for my piece of mind then theirs! I'm sure Bean is cold, but you don't have to worry about her surviving the night. She'll be fine.
Amy says -
I absolutely agree. It is nowhere near cold enough to endanger a dog tonight. My big mutts, who are mostly inside dogs, love to go out when it is snowy/frosty and roll around in/nap for a bit in the snow. On my family's farm, where dogs could run loose like in the old days due to the country setting, a house or other warm spot full of hay in the barn was always provided and available for them, but half the time you would see them choosing to sleep outside all night on the lawn or under some shrubs, etc except on the most bitter cold nights.
Also, just wanted to mention that my mom had a rescued Keshond (spelling?) who once got lost while chasing a rabbit or something in a pasture .... was gone for about 3 weeks.... searched for him daily - ended up finding him across the road in a pasture sleeping by a barn one afternoon. No telling how far he had wandered, but he got himself back to the neighborhood. He was tired, but otherwise perfectly fine!
I don't see how Bean could NOT be found with this many detectives on the case, LOL! Have faith.
Thanks y'all. This helps. I have to remember that as much as she is our baby, Bean is not an actual human baby. She has animal instincts that will kick into effect, and she will know what she has to do to survive. Thank you, maybe I can get some sleep now.
Rebecca
As cruel/careless as it might sound, people living in the northern part of the country leave their dogs out at sub-freezing temperatures all the time, and they do just fine. Very small, old, or weak dogs are more at risk, but that doesn't sound like Bean. The temperatures tonight shouldn't pose a threat to Bean, and it's going to stop raining before it gets too much colder.
She's curled up somewhere. There's no question that she's found the warmest, driest place near her. Dogs are very good at that, in ways that humans can't understand. On a night like tonight, that isn't really that cold, she'll have found somewhere plenty warm enough.
Tomorrow's the day! :-)
Almost exactly one year ago, my 3 month old puppy ran away after becoming startled. After combing the neighborhood on foot and car, canvassing the neighborhood with flyers and daily visits to the shelter I started to lose hope. After a week had passed and an ice storm, I began to assume the worst. I was going through the same feelings of guilt and dread that I assume you are feeling. Then one day I was heading to the shelter yet again and got a call. Some neighbors who were not even a block away called to tell me that they had some servicemen come out to their house who discovered him hanging out around. It seems that he was hunkering down right under my nose the entire time. Of course I was beyond ecstatic and rushed over to find him dirty but no worse for the wear. Please don't lose hope and know that there are a lot of us thinking about you and Bean.
Someone from the Duke Park newsgroup mentioned that they'd seen an ad in the Herald Sun today about a found pit bull. I don't see the ad in the online edition and have no other information, but maybe someone has the paper and can check?
It says a found Pit Bull in the Streets of Southpoint area, 304-2915 / 699-0368
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