by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~

HELP US SAVE ANIMALS — BUY A ROMANTIC STORY — JUST $2 !

We’re lucky, living on a street in southern California where we rarely see stray dogs.  So when I first spotted two handsome young German shepherds, I assumed they must belong to a family in the neighborhood. Maybe someone had accidentally left a door or gate open?  Or maybe the recent July 4^th fireworks had panicked them into escaping from their home?

Driving to the veterinarian with one of my own pooches, I pulled the car over to see if the shepherds would let me approach. If so, I would have flown into rescue mode.

But nope. Nothin’ doin’. I tried my best sweet talk. Threw them some treats. All efforts ignored. One of them paused to sniff the air, checking me out, and apparently did not like what he smelled, so he hurried after his buddy, who was already loping away down the street.

Before I could catch up to them, they turned the corner and disappeared.

Several neighbors said that they too had seen the duo, and didn’t recognize them as belonging to anyone. Nobody had been able to get near them. We all worried about their fates.

Hiding under a house

The next day our next-door neighbor phoned us to report that the dogs were camped out under the raised foundation of her home. My husband hurried over there to find the two boys lounging in that cool, secluded area. Hubsy bore gifts—bowls of food and water. But after one peek at the stranger invading their space, gifts or no, the pooches took off running.

I phoned some rescuer friends, and we made a plan for what to do if we could catch the dogs. But during a call to our veterinarian’s office, I learned that our plan wouldn’t work.  We couldn’t take them to the vet for microchip checks and vaccinations, then stash them in a pet hotel while we hunted for their possible owners, and/or searched for new forever families. By law, strays must be relinquished to San Diego County Animal Services.

Through my website RescueDiva com, we have financially sponsored the rescue, fostering, veterinary, and re-homing expenses for hundreds of dogs and cats, but it has been a couple of decades since Hubsy and I did an “in-the-trenches” rescue ourselves here in the United States. I didn’t realize that the do-it-yourself approach is no longer allowed.  

In any case it would have been extremely difficult to catch the two shepherds ourselves. Knowing that some dogs trust women better than men, I tried to visit, armed with plenty of tasty treats, but encountered the same disapproval that they had given my husband. Immediately they vamoosed.

Moreover, we were astonished by the prices at pet hotels these days, and we can’t do fostering in our home right now due to our elderly dog’s terminal illness, so those weren’t options either.

That’s how San Diego County Animal Services came into the story.  

BROWSE OUR BOOKSTORE FOR ROMANTIC TALES… ALL ABOUT ANIMAL RESCUE!

Helpful San Diego County Animal Services staff

From the very beginning, the Animal Services staffers I contacted on the phone were sympathetic, patient, and informative as they answered my numerous questions about what would happen. They explained that first of all, their officers would bring humane traps to try to catch the dogs.

They noted in their report that I asked for a “finder’s hold” to be placed on both shepherds, so that if no owner turned up during the three-day legal hold period, the shelter would contact me.

My husband continued taking food and water to the boys daily, catching brief glimpses of them every time, just before they bolted, still not trusting him. 

A history buff, Hubsy named them “Romulus” and “Remus,” after the legendary abandoned human babies who were raised by a mother wolf, then grew up to found the Roman empire. He felt that giving strong heroes’ names to the dogs might help them feel braver, and that repeating their names during each visit would offer a bit of consistency in their unsettled lives.

All of this happened in the weeks after the July 4^th holiday, when the public fireworks displays, as well as the private, illegal ones often done in our neighborhood, and in others all over the country every year, cause many animals to escape from their homes in blind panic.  So the Animal Services department was heavily swamped and could not immediately send out an officer.

Unfortunately during that time we stopped seeing one of the dogs.  We and the rest of the neighbors feared the worst for him.

Officers set a trap

On the third day the rescue work began in earnest. The first of three Animal Services officers arrived to set and bait a humane trap for the remaining gorgeous but still-frightened shepherd.

My husband and I volunteered to monitor the situation, release any non-dog creature that might accidentally get caught, then re-bait and re-set the trap if needed.  Frequent checks every two hours during daylight would be important, due to the hot weather posing deadly danger to any trapped animal.

The officer instructed us to stop all feeding–to only continue providing water for the dogs–so that they would be more enticed by the food inside the trap.

Thank heavens the first capture came quickly.  About two hours after the officer left, my husband heard howling.  We rushed over to find Romulus quite upset to be stuck in a metal cage.

Rescue Diva relies on sales of our fiction to create real-life happy endings like those of Claire, Tika, and Dolly. Enjoy a fun read while you replenish our rescue fund!

The officer who had set the trap took our call right away, and said she would alert a colleague who was already nearby.

Neighbors pitched in to help

While waiting, our next-door neighbor and her friend drenched a sheet in cold water, then draped it over the top of the cage so as to try to protect the shepherd from overheating.  

We all kept Romulus company, assuring him in soft voices that soon he would be out of the cage, and that we would do our best to make sure he enjoyed a safe, comfortable future. 

At first he didn’t want much to do with us or our reassurances.  He backed away as far as the trap would let him, casting skeptical glances, barking defensively.

But as soon as I started dropping treats into the cage, the picture changed. No more barking.  Relaxed ears. Inquisitive eyes. Even some tail wags.

After a few minutes, Romulus had forgiven us enough to give Hubsy a slurpy kiss through the cage bars.

In about half an hour the Animal Services officer and my husband were loading the dog, together with the trap, into the officer’s van. 

Again we promised the shepherd that we would keep tabs on him, and do whatever we could to assist the county in creating for him a bright future. Plus we would try to locate his missing buddy.

Return of the lone buddy

The next day our next-door neighbor reported that Remus was back, sheltering again under her house. We talked about how extra confused and distraught he must feel without his friend.

Animal Services quickly sent another officer with a new trap.  Barely half an hour passed before Remus walked into it.  But somehow he managed to grab some of the food, then walk back out of the trap… twice!  Luckily the third time was the charm.  

In just a few minutes the same officer who had set that trap came out again to transport the shepherd to the shelter.

Our whole neighborhood felt greatly relieved when both dogs were safely housed in the Carlsbad, California county facility. We no longer had to worry about the many forms of harm they might encounter while roaming the streets.

Two buddies ecstatic to be reunited

In subsequent days the Animal Services officers and staff took the time to phone me with updates about Romulus and Remus. The two dogs were ecstatic to be reunited, housed in adjacent runs, with a door open in between, so that they could hang out together. The staffers estimated Remus at about ten months old, and Romulus at about three years of age.

Upon arrival at the shelter Romulus had been a little defensive while receiving his vaccinations, but immediately afterward he relaxed and became friendly. Remus had been friendly throughout all interactions with the shelter staff.

Neither was microchipped, and during the three-day hold time, no owner claimed them.

Also neither dog was neutered. The officers, staffers, and I discussed the tragic fact that a high percentage of stray dogs are unaltered males leaving their homes in search of female dogs in season, who they can smell from literally miles away.

‘Total sweethearts’ won shelter staffers’ hearts

During the three-day hold period I emailed about half a dozen German shepherd breed rescue groups in California, offering full sponsorship from RescueDiva.com for Romulus and Remus if they could accept the boys into their program.

Only one group replied—Coastal K9 German Shepherd Rescue. I was overjoyed, since they’re a highly reputable organization with a beautiful fostering facility not far from us, and… they were interested! 

The group’s representative Teresa promised to visit the county shelter in a couple of days to evaluate whether or not the dogs would be a good fit for their program.

Meanwhile I tried to visit the boys myself at the county shelter, but since I was not applying to adopt, I was not allowed to interact with them.  However the shelter staffers were wonderfully helpful, telling me about their own interactions with Romulus and Remus, which they said had all gone great.

One of the staffers gushed, “They are total sweethearts! Really nice dogs. They give me kisses. And the younger one tries to crawl into my lap.”

Dozens of delightful dogs at shelter

While visiting the county shelter, I photographed dozens of other delightful dogs who also seemed to be “total sweethearts” looking for loving laps to call their own.

A few stood out as especially affectionate. Rescue Diva offers partial sponsorships to qualified rescue groups for these pooches:

. Tub, a 10-month-old male Shar Pei mix (tag # N9313)

. Cookie, a two-year-old female Border Collie mix (tag #N0264),

. Foxy Roxyton, a two-year-old female black German shepherd/Labrador mix (tag #N050)

. Remington, a blond, six-year-old male Pekingese (tag #N0251)

. Long John, a red merle and white, three-year-old Catahoula Leopard Dog mix (tag #N9163)

I stood in the shelter amidst all that love going to waste, silently praying that some day we humans, as individuals and as a society, will become more responsible toward our animal companions, with free or low-cost spay/neuter made accessible to all pet owners, and with more widespread animal welfare education and outreach messages blanketing the media.

On a personal level, I vowed to work faster to finish the comfy fostering habitat we’ve already begun creating at our home, and to recruit a helper or two, so that we can more easily take in a couple of needy pooches at a time, to serve as their bridges to adoption, even when we have our paws full meeting the needs of our own canine crew.

Coastal K9 German Shepherd Rescue stepped up to the plate

The next day, in a fabulous stroke of luck for Romulus and Remus, Teresa and her crewmates at Coastal K9 German Shepherd Rescue decided that they could indeed accept both boys.

We were all jubilant–our neighbors, the county shelter staffers, my rescuer friends who had offered to help, my husband, and I.  And it gave me a tickle that Teresa and the group had already come up with a nickname for Romulus, who is now known as “Rommie.”

Soon afterward another Coastal K9 volunteer, Gabby, arrived at the county shelter in the group’s big, beautiful van to lovingly collect the fortunate fellows.

Tears of joy

In a world that is often cruel to dogs, cats, and other nonhuman animals, it is hard for me to restrain tears of relief and joy when something good happens. So after snapping some photos and videos of Gabby and the shepherds safely settled into the van, on their way to fantastic futures, I had myself a happy cry.

As I write this I’m misting up again, in deep gratitude for the team effort that saved these two sweet pooches from what easily could have turned out to be very cruel fates.

Thanks to our neighbors for gently hosting R&R while they were among us—not chasing them away as some folks might do. And thanks to San Diego County Animal Services for the caring and conscientious work of their officers and staff.

Last but certainly not least, we are all grateful to Coastal K9 German Shepherd Rescue for the miracles they are busily performing for Rommie, Remus, and for hundreds more animals in need.

Rescue Diva is donating sponsorship of $2,400 plus veterinary expenses for lovely lads Rommie and Remus, but Coastal K9 currently cares for a multitude of additional dogs for whom they need financial assistance.

Please share the link to this article about Rommie and Remus to help get them adopted, and donate whatever you can to Coastal K9 German Shepherd Rescue to help them continue their excellent work!

~ Diva assists Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) in Greece to provide free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year, which is one of the best ways to prevent the abandonment and misery of puppies like Noah and Kyla.

~ Diva rescues angels like Robin, Chance, and Tiger, with help from San Diego Animal Support Foundation; Marisol and Lisa, with help from Last Chance at Life; Mandi (Diamandi), with help from Graeske Hunde. and Roki, with help from Stichting AAI.

~ Diva donates to Center for Animal Protection and Education (CAPE), Praying for Paws, Southern California Siamese Rescue, Aniplant (Cuba) and many other groups.

PLEASE SHARE OUR BOOKSTORE — HELP US SELL MORE to DONATE MORE! 🙂

DON’T MISS ANY DIVA! Hit FOLLOW button below.

Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is a career journalist, author, and editor. Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine.

Katerina has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, and Animal Issues Reporter.

Together with coauthor Shelley Frost, Katerina wrote a step-by-step guide for hands-on, in-the-trenches dog rescue, Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need (The Lyons Press), coming soon in digital format!