Siskiyoutopia

And don’t forget to keep an eye on your beasts with these thunderstorms.

Last Saturday we could hear some distant thunder in Dunsmuir. Early in the afternoon, a large dog was walking past our house and seemed happy to stop when I talked to him. He looked really tired and perhaps a bit arthritic. On closer inspection, the pads of his feet were worn raw and bleeding - he’d obviously walked a long way. I called the Mt. Shasta animal shelter to let them know I found the dog (in case anyone was searching). They took the report and said they’d keep it on file. Meanwhile, we kept him with us and let him have his much needed rest.

Two days later, on Monday morning, my wife prompted me to also call the animal shelter in Redding (46 miles south of Dunsmuir). They took the report too, but expressed doubt about a dog getting that far. Well, that very afternoon they called me back and said they thought they found the owner. I called him and asked him to describe the dog - he was right on with the description and had even posted a photo on craigslist.

Well, the whole family drove up from Redding and you shoulda seen the reaction from that dog (Raley was his name). Boy was he happy! The owner, Gary, said that Raley was about 8 years old and always freaks out during thunderstorms. Redding got it bad on Saturday morning and Raley got out somehow.

We can’t imagine that he ran the whole way - I’d guess somebody must have picked him up and driven him around Lake Shasta - but his pads sure looked like he’d run at least 100 miles, and he was one tired animal.

Glad it all turned out with a happy ending, although he was such a cool dog, I was half hoping to keep him.

Dave - that’s an amazing story! I’m dumbfounded - just amazing!