A Stray Dog in Kansas Finds a Home After Eight Years

Many people tried to rescue her, but one determined woman finally took "Ditch Dog" in.

For more than eight years, a dog roamed on the edge of civilization, in a field in Buhler, KS, unwilling to come in from the cold.  

"It was a mysterious dog that sat in the field, and everyone pointed her out," said the mayor of Buhler, Daniel Friesen, according to the Kansas City Star. 

And many people tried to help her, mostly by leaving food, after they realized that the dog, a blond, wire-haired dog affectionately named D.D., for Ditch Dog, would not let any humans get near her.

"Everyone adopted her," said Buhler Police Chief Bill Tracy. "She was the best-fed dog in town. She never bothered a thing, and that's why she was allowed to stay out there."

"She was a very intelligent dog," he went on. "I could tell if someone was trying to catch her; she would go out in the middle of the wheat field and curl up in a ball."

Her life out there was not without hardship. Early on, when she was first noticed, her paw was caught in her collar, and she could only run on three legs. And she did run; attempts to catch her proved fruitless. Eventually the collar "weathered, rotted, and fell off" -- yet still she ran on three legs for a time, because of pain or habit, no one can say.

The dog was also smart: D.D. stayed on the county side of the road, which prevented her from being picked up by authorities under Buhler's leash law. 

Rachelle Cavanaugh was one person who kept an eye on D.D., feeding her and caring for her from afar. Cavanaugh had three rescues already at home, and she was determined to make D.D. her fourth. After suspecting that D.D. was suffering from arthritis, she began leaving treats with medicine, to help with the pain. She also put flea medicine in the food she left for D.D. 

Finally, after eight years, D.D. had enough of the outdoor life. When Cavanaugh was at the food dish, D.D. approached and let the woman touch her. 

"She was starving for attention," Cavanaugh said. "That forced my hand."

It took some days before the dog was ready to stay with Cavanaugh, and Cavanaugh moved slowly, so the dog would not be spooked. One cold day, Cavanaugh spotted D.D. and opened her car door. The dog jumped in. She took D.D. home and let her mix with her other dogs. Then she took her back to the field. 

"It's been a process," Cavanaugh said of gaining the trust of the dog. "I didn't want my dogs at risk or to jeopardize her. If I was taking her home, it had to work."

It finally did. D.D. is now a member of her family, and she has her forever home after eight long years in a field. Her anxiety is still an issue, but the dog knows how to soothe herself.

"She goes to her pillow," Cavanaugh said. "She knows she's safe there."

As for all the people who fed and wondered about the dog they'd see in the field, Cavanaugh put up a sign in the area. It reads: "Buhler: Thank you for all the years of care and concern. I have found a home and I am adjusting. God bless you, Ditch Dog."

Via the Kansas City Star 

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Eight tips for traveling with older dogs

As everyone here knows, I hit the road last month with my dogs Kyrie and Rawley, to spend the summer in Michigan. Our 2,400 mile trip wasn’t without its challenges, many of them due to the fact that Kyrie, at 12 years old, is not handling stress the way she used to.

In my column today for SFGate.com, I talk about the lessons I learned from our trip, and what dog-owners can do to make travel easier on senior pets:

1. Listen to your dog

The biggest mistake I made was thinking I could set a schedule to exercise, feed, walk and give water to my dogs during our five-day journey across the country.

For example, I had planned to walk Kyrie every two hours, to help keep her from getting stiff in the car. This turned out to be a terrible idea, as she would no sooner get comfy in the back of the car than I was waking her up and dragging her out to stand in a grassy rest area while big rigs whizzed by on the Interstate.

She’d look at me as if to say, “Are you out of your mind? Can I go back to sleep now?”

By the end of the second day, I was keeping a close eye on her restlessness level. If she seemed uncomfortable, we stopped. If she was sleeping happily, we drove.

2. Keep things as familiar as possible

Old dogs do not get over stress as easily as young ones do, and things that Kyrie got over in an hour in her puppyhood can set her back for days now.

That’s why it’s important to bring your dog’s familiar bedding, blankets, food, bowls, treats and toys on your trip, as they help him feel safe, and reduce stress.

Every night when we got to the hotel, I left Kyrie and Rawley in the car with my friend Dawn, who’d come along for the ride and to give me a hand with the dogs. I would make the trek back and forth to the car, lugging dog beds, bowls, food and blankets. It was all worth it, though, to see Kyrie trot into the strange room, take a nice, long drink from her water bowl, then settle down on her orthopedic dog bed with a little sigh.

3. Protect their joints

Eight or 10 hours in a car isn’t good for anyone’s joints, as I learned every time I got out of the car at a gas station. So it’s a good idea to provide memory or orthopedic foam bedding for your senior dog while traveling, instead of a simple dog travel mat.

Like me, Kyrie was extremely stiff when she got out of the car at night, and I’d walk her slowly around the hotel grounds until she’d loosened up a little. This let her settle down more comfortably once we got into our room.

Kyrie spent most of the night on the same memory foam bed that was in the car, but she also got on the bed with me for an hour or two every night. This was a problem because jumping up and down was hard on her — especially down, when she’d usually give a little cry on impact.

I realized that being on the bed was important to her; it kept her close to the most familiar thing of all in her life, me, which she seemed to find comforting. So if I had it to do over again, I’d bring some kind of portable ramp or stairs to help her get up and down safely.

Photo: Kyrie on my hotel room bed. I have no idea which state we were in, LOL!

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