Abandoned dogs face challenges on the run

Meet Bonnie and Clyde.

The black-and-tan Rottweiler mixes were picked up by Douglas County Animal Services after at least two weeks on the run, apparently abandoned by their previous owners.

Liz Begovich, animal services officer at the shelter, said dog abandonment has always been an issue, "but recently it seems that the economy has forced people to give up or abandon their animals."

She said Bonnie and Clyde were rescued due to the combined efforts of a rancher who initially saw the dogs running in his field on Waterloo Lane on Feb. 5, and a Tillman Lane homeowner whose children were able to coax the pair with treats into a kennel on their property eight days later.

Abandoning pets in unfamiliar areas creates problems for the animals and the people who try to rescue them.

"The animals will typically stay in the last place that they saw their owner, waiting for the owner to return," Begovich said. "What most people do not realize is that dogs that are abandoned will not approach strangers, nor will they allow strangers to approach them."

She said dogs usually run away only to return to the same spot later which makes it difficult to catch them.

"Most of these times, animals are rescued, but there are times when a dog is either hit by a car, or on rare occasions, starves to death," Begovich said.

She said an abandoned dog should never be approached if it shows fearful aggression, and advised that animal services be called.

Begovich said there are options available to pet owners who must give up their animals.

"Begin by calling the Animal Shelter. We may not be able to take the dog in right away, but we can put their name on the waiting list for people trying to release their dogs in order to get the process started," she said.

"We understand that unfortunate events may happen in our lives that are not planned, but there are no 'quick fixes,'" Begovich said. "The next step would be to post ads at the grocery stores, veterinarians' offices, in the newspaper and online public postings."

She said animal rescue groups in the area also can help and the animal shelter can provide references.

As for Bonnie and Clyde, the rancher who spotted them Feb. 5 said they looked lost. By the time Begovich got to the field, they had disappeared. The next day, the rancher spotted the dogs again, and Begovich saw them walking along an irrigation ditch. Begovich whistled and they took off.

For the next several days, Begovich followed the dogs' progress as they moved off the ranch toward the Tillman area where the homeowners enticed them into a kennel.

"They both looked exhausted and hungry," she said. "They were very skittish at first, but after a few minutes of letting them get used to my presence, I was able to load them up with no problems and take them to the shelter."

Begovich said the dogs were healthy with no injuries.

"Two weeks after they arrived at the shelter, they are happy, healthy and up for adoption," she said. "They love to play together in the yard and take long walks. Someone did care for these dogs at one time, because the dogs are very well-behaved and they know some basic commands.

Bonnie has already found a home, but Clyde remains available for adoption.

"We will never know how they ended up on Waterloo, but the way they were behaving was that of an abandoned dog. There is a slight possibility that they ran away from home and got lost, but highly unlikely," Begovich said.