Lost Dog in New Windsor Rescued and Returned Home Over Weekend
The weekends for many people is the time of the week that is reserved for fun, rest and relaxation, the time you get every week to recharge your metaphorical batteries from the day-to-day challenges faced during the work week. This passed weekend myself and my family had a rather special experience that made this weekend more noteworthy than others.
An Unexpected Saturday Encounter
Saturday June 22, 2024 was like most Saturdays for me, it was late afternoon/early evening and I was in the middle of watching my New York Yankees battle it out in Game 2 of their 3-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium. At the same time, my sister was with a handful of her friends, as they were all making use of our backyard and pool and doing what young and dumb 20-somethings will do.
While watching the game, I was alerted to an odd call on my phone, that call coming from my sister. My initial thought was "why the hell is she calling me, we're both home". I did the very appropriate and not surprising in the slightest brotherly thing and...denied her call.
Instead I got up, went down stairs and made my way outside to see what she wanted. That's when I saw the reason for her calling in the first place; a lost and unexpected four-legged friend had made his way to our front lawn.
Lost Dog Roaming in New Windsor Neighborhood
Now I've talked numerous times before about how I have a lot of love for my hometown of New Windsor and still live there today. Well the neighborhood I live in with the rest of my family is called The Reserve, it's a vast neighborhood with street after street of large family homes. The neighborhood is mostly quite but like anywhere it's not perfect.
One issue is the main road that runs through the development called Independence Drive and the problem isn't the road itself, it's the way people drive on it. The section of the road that my family and I live on is notorious for drivers going a little to hard on the gas. So call it luck or maybe it was the commotion from my sister and her friends but we were just happy that our new four-legged friend didn't stray into the middle of the road.
From what my sister and brother told me, this good boy was simply wandering up the sidewalk along the main road and made his way up the driveway like he'd been here before. This good boy was a brown and white Labradoodle, from my best guess he had to be between 2-4 years old and he was as sweet, friendly and well behaved as can be.
We were able to make a few inferences right from the get go upon seeing him. First off, he was definitely not a stray as he was very comfortable around everyone and seemed to quite enjoy soaking up the attention from myself, my siblings, my mom and my sisters friends.
In addition this good boy was also a healthy weight and from his coat, it seemed as if he had been recently groomed. Aside from being just a bit a sweaty from wandering around during the middle of this recent heat wave and a little thirsty, this boy was in perfect health. There was one problem though, he had no collar and no tags.
What to Do and Who to Call?
First things first, because we didn't want good boy to run off and potentially put himself in danger, I made my way inside and went to our basement. In the basement I grabbed a dog bowl that had at one time belonged to our family dog Lady, who passed away a couple years ago and I also grabbed one of her old leashes and a collar.
After filling the dog bowl with water, we let the good boy have a drink and then I kept him still while my mom put the collar on him. I then hooked him to the leash and now the problem of keeping him in one place was solved.
Soon after, I made a call to the New Windsor Police Department, described our situation and shortly afterward an officer was dispatched to our address. When the officer arrived to the house, the good boy greeted the officer like he did everyone else. The officer went to his car, got his own leash and then was able to bring the good boy into his car.
The officer then informed us that he would be taking the dog back to the police station for the time being while they waited to hopefully hear from his owners. With the power of the internet and social media, we sent out the alerts to let people in the area and hopefully his owners know where they could find their dog.
I put personal messages and pictures on both my Instagram and Facebook pages and then also after getting advice from a close friend and former co-worker, I filled out a Lost Pet Report with Lost Pets of the Hudson Valley. The group could not have been better because within minutes of filing the report, Lost Pets of the Hudson Valley took the information I gave them and distributed it on their own Facebook Page.
Word Travels Fast
Once all the information started circulating through social media, it did not take long to get a response. It had only been hours after we gave possession of the good boy to the officer that his owners responded.
The news was then also confirmed by Lost Pets of the Hudson Valley who updated their post about him. This news made not only myself but everyone who met this good boy happy. Funny thing we learned was that he didn't make it far from home. From where we live, this good boys home was less than mile down the road.
We were also happy to learn his name. This whole situation began while I was in the middle of watching the Yankee game and ironically this dog has a Yankee inspired name. Quite honestly couldn't have picked a better Yankee to name him after, as this good boy was named "Jeter" after the All Time and Yankee great, Derek Jeter.
Thank you to the New Windsor Police Department for aiding in the situation. In addition, I want to thank Lost Pets of the Hudson Valley for helping spread the word and for everything they do with helping lost pets on a daily basis. Lastly, a personal thank you to the handful of friends I have that also took the message and helped spread it around.
Meeting Jeter was an unexpected and happy surprise and my family and I are thrilled that we got him when we did. Quite frankly, it was our pleasure to look after him during the time that we had him. More importantly, we're happy that he's back home where he should be.
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