*PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT*

If you are the owner of a dog, PUT A TAG ON IT for crissake.  It is irresponsible to let your dog roam around without identification.  What if your dog runs off and ends up injured or worse? Don't you want the person trying to help it to be able to locate you? Don't forget to put your cell phone number on the tag, as well.

You may be wondering what triggered this rant. This morning, a sweet black dog was running loose in our yard. She was wearing a huge underground fence collar with NO identification. She ran through our wet deck stain over and over and almost got hit by a car right in front of my eyeballs. Lily and I knocked on 6 doors before locating someone who believed the dog lived on the next street over. Poor Lily hadn't even had breakfast and was screaming her head off, but the owner had to be found or this dog was going to be roadkill in a matter of minutes. I went to the house, still in my pajamas, mind you, where I was told the owners lived. I knocked on the door and heard people talking but no one would answer the door. I kept knocking and then left a note telling them that their dog was running loose, and where.  I came home to find that she ran through the stain again. I corralled her into the kennel and put a sign out front. The owners showed up minutes later. They picked her up. No "thanks for letting us know" no, "sorry she ruined your deck stain" or "we appreciate you saving our dog's life". C'mon people. Common courtesy, here.

If this dog had been wearing a tag, I would not have wasted an hour trying to locate her owner to get her back where she belonged. What if she was hit and needed immediate vet care? Seriously people. Get a clue. Tag your dog, even if it never leaves your yard. Please, do it for me. And for Lily, who really wanted her breakfast.