If a stray dog wanders into your yard do you help it?

I know what you are thinking – “what the fuck is wrong with you?!?!?! OF COURSE YOU HELP!”

Prior to yesterday I would have said the exact same thing, and then this happened……

It was a perfect August morning. The sun is shining, slight breeze, temperature mid 20s C (low 70s F for those of you who don’t do metric), it was windows open kind of weather. I was coming down the stairs and heard Matcha and Moo barking. Aggressively. Excessively. Very clear something was in my yard. I look out the kitchen window and see a canine. At first glance I thought it was a coyote, but quickly realized it was just a lost dog.

I ran to my back door, went outside (with my indoor shoes on) and called out to the dog. It comes right to me. Super friendly, very snuggly. So sweet I had a fleeting thought I could keep her, until I saw she had a collar on, with tags. I have her by the collar and walk towards my house so I can read her tag to call her owners. During this time Matcha is at the breakfast nook window, barking, snarling, asserting that this is HIS house and this bitch better scram. He is at the open window, I realize he is about to come out of the window. I let the stray go, head towards the back door to get some space between Matcha (Moo was behind him being just as protective) and the stray and THE FUCKER STARTS PUSHING THE SCREEN OUT! All while still snapping and snarling.

The bottom corner of the screen pops out, his snout is now outside, the next thing I know the whole screen is coming at me. I grab it, pull it towards me, Matcha now has his head and neck up to his shoulders out the window. Fuck me. He is coming out. I shove the screen in the window, using it to push Matcha back, then I grab the window and start closing it. Matcha gets his face out the window. He is barking, has spit running down his face, snapping his jaw at me. A real Cujo re-enactment.

Out of my peripheral vision I see the stray coming up my right side, heading into the window. All that is between her and Matcha is me. Lil ol’ me is going to prevent a dog fight between a 155 lb German Shepherd x and a 70 lb Boxer look a like. FUCK THAT SHIT!

With my right hand I grab the strays collar and keep her an arms length away from the house while trying to shove Matchas head back in the window and getting the window closed. Both are giving their best alpha dog I’m going to rip you apart barking and snarls.

Success…. Window is mostly closed. I wasn’t able to close it all the way because I would have needed both hands to do it and I was not letting the sweet stray that has turned into a fighting dog go. I walk her over to the side of the property so we can both calm down, I go back to trying to read the tag on her collar. I can’t. I do not have my glasses. I glance back at the house debating going in to get my glasses and see that Matcha popped the window open. Like a lot. FUCK! WHAT IF CHEETO GOT OUT!

I panic. What do I do with the stray? Let her go and not my problem? Hope she doesn’t follow me into the house? I have got to get the damn window closed. I see the man door on the back of the garage, PLEASE LET IT BE UNLOCKED. It is. Fucking Don leaving the door unlocked. Battle for a different day. I put the stray in the garage, run in the house, close the window. Get swarmed by Matcha, Moo and Cheeto. Grab my glasses, go through the garage man door to the house, grab a leash and leash the stray. We go out front, tucked away from windows and I call the number on the tag. It is to our local animal shelter.

The stray is named Socks. She lives two doors down from me! Matcha and Socks are fence friends! They stand at their fences every morning and bark at each other. Like they are having a morning catch up.

I walk Socks home, hand her over to the early teens girl that seemed not bothered that I have her dog. I explained the situation to her and went home.

I will ask the question again;

If a stray dog wanders into your yard, and you have two large dogs protecting their home against said stray dog, with all the windows open, do you help it?

Yep. Because if it was my dog that was wandering in another persons yard I would hope they would help.

I did learn:
That it is important to keep the screen door closed.
Breakfast nook windows can only be opened from the top so Matcha or Moo (probably Matcha) doesn’t go through them.
Take my glasses with me.