You might recall the story of the Chihuahua owner whose truck was stolen (with his dog Boo’kie inside) recently when he went into the pharmacy. Good news: Both the dog and the truck have been recovered. The truck was spotted by a friend of the owner’s, parked at an apartment complex, but Boo’kie’s return is a pretty uplifting story.
Boo’kie was saved by a woman who was laid off January 1st. She’s been scraping to get by all year and her house is up for sale. After seeing the Chihuahua in the road in the rain, she stopped her vehicle, picked him up, brought him home and cooked him a chicken dinner. The next morning, she began making calls, feeling certain that the dog had an owner who was missing him. She also took him to her vet for a check. The vet recognized the dog from the local news story and placed a call to the owner. While they waited for the owner to arrive at the clinic, the vet’s office gave Boo’kie a new collar and implanted a microchip in him, free of charge.
The owner had offered a $500 reward for the return of Boo’kie since the dog was his faithful companion through some hard times including the death of his wife in 2009 and his ongoing treatment for cancer. He tried to give the reward money to the good Samaritan who rescued the dog but she refused it, suggesting instead he make a donation to the clinic since they regularly help pets in need. The owner did that and then took Boo’kie out for a cheeseburger.
So we have a laid off worker willing to pick up a strange dog in the rain and take him home. She could probably really use $500 but she declines to accept the money. Then there’s the widower, suffering from cancer, whose dog meant so much to him he was willing to offer a $500 reward he probably couldn’t afford. And we have a vet clinic, most likely having a hard time in this economy like other businesses, giving away services, which they apparently make a habit of doing. Is this the “irresponsible public” we hear so much about from kill shelters looking to deflect blame for their needless pet killing? Dang, I think I’ve got something in my eye.