I live out in the country on a quiet road. We have a "pet resort" on the road, which has inadequate fencing and we've all gotten used to returning lost dogs to them. Today, driving into town, I came on a dog I didn't recognize in the middle of the road, who was walking toward every vehicle that passed. Classic lost dog behavior, no? I assumed, another "resort" escapee, and pulled over. It took quite a while to get the very friendly golden retriever to come up and chat. When I read the tag, it turned out the dog was in his own driveway, but obviously was supposed to be somewhere else on the property. The tag had a cell phone number, I left a message, I got a call back, and eventually I ended up returning the dog to the wide-open dog pen. He was bummed- we'd gotten to be such good friends, and he was ready to play ball for a few hours, in addition to his mud puddle play.

Non-story, right? Well, I'm hoping it's just the theme of the day. My neighbor called me later to tell me the "stray" cat had returned to her yard, and wanted my help in dealing with him/her. I slogged up there, with dinner still on hold after too long a day, and fed the beastie and picked him/her up. All was great until I tried to fit the squirming- then battling- then ballistic cat into a carrier. I got out treats from my day at the shelter and tried again. Tried with a towel. Well, with 2 houses' dinners pending, and with it too dark to see much of anything, we decided tomorrow would be soon enough. Yes, do put out a bed or towel for him/her, and call me in the morning.

The "stray" is well fed (not fat, just nicely padded) and super friendly. Just because s/he's been around the neighbors' a bunch doesn't necessarily mean anything, and because s/he can eat a whole can of Fancy Feast in several bites doesn't necessarily mean anything, either. I'm just hoping we're dealing with another critter practically in its own driveway, and this doesn't spell a big pile of work for me. I've already got my 6 cats at home and the 8 who have practically become my fosters at the shelter.