A Little Lost Dog Gets the Royal Treatment

The little dog was sitting in the street beside a red pickup, his shoulders sagging. He was black and white with thick, curly fur. He looked worn out and appeared as if he hadn’t had a grooming in a long time.

We were on a street that parallels Highway 111. If the dog walked four feet to his right, he would have been on the highway, where his life expectancy would be measured in seconds.

I stopped and parked a few yards beyond the empty truck.

As I walked back toward the dog, I expected him to run away. He didn’t. He looked up at me with large round black eyes, as if to say, “I hope you can think of something to do, lady. I can’t. I can’t go any farther.”

I picked him up and thought, now, what do I do?

He had no collar. He looked as if he might be a Shih Tzu. He was a neutered male, and I thought Peaches might not mind taking him in. There were burrs stuck between his toes on all four feet. The poor little fellow could hardly walk.

I took him across the lawn and into a shop called the Herb Basket and asked if I might use the telephone. The shop owner was gracious, so I called Buff Benson, my friend, who is the proprietor of Buff’s Pets and More.

He has a pet hotel where Peaches has stayed. I told Buff I had a dog that was maybe a Shih Tzu and could I please bring him in to be groomed and have the burrs removed. Buff said to bring him over, and that veterinarian Gary Homec was there checking on the some of the boarders and could look at my small wanderer.

I carried the dog in and Buff took him. Even though it was closing time on a Saturday, I asked Dr. Homec if he would look the dog over and give him some shots, so that if I took him home on Monday Peaches wouldn’t get anything from him.

On Monday I picked up the black and white dog. Buff had been calling him Buddy. They’d found a foxtail in his right eye and removed it. The groomers had removed most of his fur because it was so snarled. He looked a little naked, but his plumed tail waved with a joyous flourish.

I took Buddy home to be presented to Peaches. She seemed to be delighted with him until he jumped up on my chair and squeezed as close to me as he could. Peaches was not amused, no doubt thinking Buddy was overdoing the charm.

When it was bedtime, Peaches went to her elegant blue plush bed and Buddy jumped up on my bed. Peaches was deeply displeased, so I removed Buddy from the bed. Peaches flew after him down the hall, saying inhospitable things. (Actually, she snarled and roared like a pride of lion.)

Then she went back to bed and Buddy again jumped on my bed. Peaches grumbled softly for a few minutes. Finally, everyone went to sleep.

The next day, I called Jean Camm, who subscribes to the Desert Sun, and asked if she would check the lost dog ads. Jean called me with an ad that said a small black and white dog had disappeared on Friday from his home in Palm Desert and there was a telephone number.

I called and described the dog. The man who had answered the phone asked if he and his wife might come and see it. He said their dog’s name was Charlie. I told the people how to get to my house, and when they came to the door, the man said, “That’s Charlie.”

I told him that he had been groomed and showed them the list of shots he’d had. The couple seemed pleased to see Charlie, and they gave me a check for the grooming and vet care.

Peaches was confused by a stranger taking away her new acquaintance. She went over to the man and put her front paws on his knees and turned and looked at me. She seemed to be saying, “Are you letting him have Buddy? I don’t really care much about him, but I thought he was ours.”