How could they?

Last night, as I was letting Toby out for his pre-bedtime wee, I watched a woman arrive home from work. She walked down the street and bent down to stroke a little dog I hadn't even noticed (black dog/dark night) which was out on the grassy verge. I heard her say "what are you doing out here" and then she went in the garden. I thought it must be hers and waited for her to call it in. Nope!

It sniffed around for a few minutes then ran off around towards the back of my house. I quickly grabbed some shoes and a lead and went after it. Spotted him a few minutes later round the back and popped him on the lead. He was wearing a collar but no tag so I went over to see the woman who I saw stroking him. She told me exactly where he lived up the next street so I took him home. They hadn't even realised he was out!

How could she just leave him wandering round on the roads when she knew where he lived? It only took five minutes to get him home where he was safe but she just stood in the garden having a smoke!

Poor Toby was ever so confused when I got back. I'd put on my shoes and picked up his lead, then gone out and left him - only to come back smelling of a strange dog! I had to do some serious grovelling before I was forgiven

Something similar happened to me a few weeks ago. I was driving up the street and saw a lovely looking dog wearing a harness and lead but with no owner. I pulled over to have a closer look at the dog but it was scared stiff and bolted down another street, luckily a cul-de-sac. I rang my bf and asked him to come and help me find the dog. The dog ran to a garden and hid, just peeping at me every now and then. I knocked at the house, no answer. So I knocked next door and they said the dog belonged to the house I just knocked at, a few minutes later a man and woman staggered towards me, cans of larger and a chinese in hand, I asked if the dog was theirs and the man said 'how did you get out?' And thanked me, slurring the whole time. Did I believe them that this poor dog had escaped? Nope. Why would it have a harness and lead on? I reckon they'd walked him to the chinese p*ssed up, didn't tie him up properly and forgot they'd even taken him when they got out and he'd gone

I just thank god that the dog knew his way home and nothing happened on the way

Ive been on both sides of this just very recently infact.
My son left the kitchen door open and Toby wandered out side into the front garden. We have an open garden and Toby was on next doors lawn.
We live on a large estate but it is divided into little cul de sac's of 10 houses. Every body on our cul de sac knows that Toby is not allowed to roam and it would of been highly unusual to see him out and about alone. But our next door neighbours were just off out for a walk and walked straight past him
The total time he was out was literally 2 - 3 minutes, but i couldnt believe that they just walked past and didnt batter an eye lid.
Yesterday i took toby down the local park and field where i spotted a dog lying very patiently at the end of an alley way no person in sight in sight. I thought i recognised the dog but for the life of me i couldnt place the owner. Not knowing if the dog was friendly to other dogs i didnt want to approach him with toby in tow. I phoned my friend to come and Take Toby for me, and i stayed not to close but not too far from the dog still just lying there patiently. It was a good 10 /15 minutes before an elderly gent in a scooter came trundeling along to collect his dog. I dont really know if he had escaped or if he was let to roam taking himself for a walk, but to be honest it is highly unusuall to see dogs roaming here.

Living in a small welsh farming village, any dog seen roaming loose without an owner in tow, are shot if the dog is seen more than say 3times, so no stray dogs round here. But I remember when Jasper first arrived here Fyrs ago, (he's a rescue) he got out of the gate someone hadn't shut it properly, the other one followed him, now I had seen the pair of them no more than 5minutes earlier in their room, I had four phone calls and three people running to my door, sayin, "Gayle, Gayle, your dogs are out, have to say by the time I had picked their leads they were running back past the gate, But seeing all the people decided it was a game and ran past up the hill. They came back once whistle, and the villag relaxed. But it was the topic of conversation for a few days. Never seen my dogs out without me before, and my I say ever again. G. Xx

this happens on quite a regular basis with next doors jack Russel (i live on a main road). iv lost count of the amount of times iv picked her up and taken her back home to the owners who didn't even realise she was missing. but with regards to actually taking her home, iv never thought twice about leaving her.
iv even taken a second glance at unknown dogs seemingly walking on their own to make sure their owners are somewhere nearby

Maddie

I picked up a Yorkie wandering around & took it home. The owner said why have you brought it back its not feeding time yet & just put it out in the front garden to wander off again.
Mind I've had two of mine out on their own. Dax lost my friend who was walking him. She phoned me & I rushed out to look for him while her husband stayed at my house with my bitch. Then had a phone call from him to say a neighbour had phoned to say he was in her kitchen devouring the cats food. He'd come home found he couldn't get in so gone next door where he could access their back garden & found the open kitchen door.
Boyo got out one Friday when the mower man left the back gate open after mowing my lawn. A friend rang the doorbell to say he was out but by the time I got out he had returned with a gentleman I didn't know following him & shouting naughty dog go home at once, as he walked after him up the road. He ran back in faster than he'd gone out.

Sadie used to get out over the gate - she'd always run round to ours though she never went far at all. So we put her a little walk way so she could come round and go home anytime over the backs rather than round the streets.

One of our neighbours had a Golden x Collie who used to escape all the time, you'd only have to say "Rocky go home" and he'd obey. One day him and their GSD Taz got out, Taz wasn't too road knowledgeable and ended up being killed by a car. He was a lovely dog as well.

When I was younger my friend had a JRT Cookie - he escaped and ended up 10 miles away and he was only gone over night. He also was killed by a car in a later escape.

These days, we have one neighbour who lets her SBT out and calls it in at dinner time, a neighbour who's yorkie is always out and is a vicious little thing. Of course the RSPCA or dog warden won't do anything.

Touch wood I've never had one of my dogs get out but everyone around here assumes if they see a strange dog it's one of mine so they call me.They never stop and pick it up mind you,just phone me when they get home by which time the poor stray has vanished...

We have a dog round here (some kind of GSD cross) who just roams. He has a home but wears no collar or tag or anything. His owners just open the door and he wanders around for a few hours and then heads home. He never causes any bother and seems healthy and happy (that is not me sayin I think this is right)

Its a worry as I live in an estate full of terraces with a lot of roads and a main road not a 5 min walk away so he could et himself into major problems. He was also a bit of a pest when Lilly was in heat, made it very difficult to take her out in the yard to wee, we had to be so careful. Once, not long after we moved in, OH tried to talk to him to see if he had a collar on and approached carefully and the dog totally freaked out growling, barking and snapping so we just steer clear now, dont know what else we could do

I must admit to being surprised by the amount of 'dog lovers' who ignored my little rescue stray Maggie (story on another thread)
When she followed my son home we took her back to where he first spotted her and asked around...the amount of people who told us "yeah, she's been hanging around the area all day!!"
the weather was wretched and she looked like a shivering
drowned rat!
Now even if they "couldn't do anything as I've got one of my own at home" surely they could have managed a quick call to the local police station?
Of course, now I'm so glad no one else could be bothered...she's the best little dog ever and I'm so glad she was ignored...just a bit disheartened with the locals!