We haven’t had a “Stand-up Dudes” post since February 13, 2017… which is amazing because I know it’s David’s favorite post topic. He likes it so much that it was the first post he did on URD – back on March 12th of 2013. So, I decided it was time to get with it. Here they are, guys. Another HOT bunch of dudes… standing around all boned-up and ready to go. I’m sure David will enjoy this and I hope you will, too!
Last Friday, two other instructors and I took a group of our school kids to the World War One museum. It’s a fabulous place we think everyone should visit if possible. We usually take “older” kids to the museum but I decided Dub and Austin were mature enough to appreciate the exhibits (they really liked the old cars, guns and cannons). Parking is free along the long U-shaped drive on the South side of the museum. We had just gotten out of our school vans when Dub was joined by a rather small, young, very scruffy black dog. Dub, of course, dropped to his knees and talked with the pup, whose tail was wagging furiously. He wasn’t wearing a collar and he looked like he hadn’t been bathed or groomed for a long time – if ever. Anyway, he stayed by Dub’s side all the way to the museum entrance where Dub dropped to his knees, patted him and told him to “Go home.”
We spent about two hours touring the museum… watched the movies… and talked about the unbelievable tragedy of more than 20 million people killed and another 21 million injured. We also went to the top of the 218 foot tall Liberty Memorial tower for a fabulous view of Kansas City.
When we left, there was no sign of the dog – until we got to our van. Yup. the pup was there waiting for us with his tail wagging and a silly grin on his face. He was obviously lost and Dub thought maybe we should take him to “Wayside Waifs.” Of course, I was focused on the kids I was responsible for – not a lost dog – so I told Dub we’d just have to leave him there. We did… but Dub wasn’t very happy about it.
Saturday morning at breakfast, we told David all about our field trip and Dub told him about the little black dog. He wanted us to go back to the memorial to see if he was still somewhere around there. He was determined… so after we got our Saturday morning chores done, we got in my car and headed down there – even though I was pretty sure the dog was long gone. When we got up to the museum… you guessed it… the little pup was sitting on the sidewalk right by where our van had been parked. Dub jumped out, dropped to his knees and was hugging the dog before David and I could even get out of the car. So, we got him in the car and David called our vet. She agreed to met us at her clinic (very nice of her since it was Saturday afternoon by then). Long story short, the vet checked the pup to see if he was microchipped (he wasn’t) and then checked him for parasites (negative) and gave him DHLPP and rabies vaccinations. The vet’s “best guess” is that he’s “mostly labrador retriever with some miniature poodle mixed in.” We talked about doing a genetics test but decided against it because he’s been neutered and his lineage isn’t really important. The vet thinks he’s “about 8 to 10 months old.”
When we got home, Dub and I gave him a bath and, of course, he’s been living with us since. Bebe barks at him a lot (she’s a schnauzer) and “Dog” mainly just ignores her – except when they’re sniffing each others’ butt. We’ve put up “found dog” posters at the WWI museum, Wayside Waifs, and on utility poles in the area of the museum… but so far – no one’s called to claim him. He’s been sleeping in Dub’s bed and is a perfect little gentleman. He goes to the door and barks (once) when he needs to go out and do his business which leads us to believe he’s been someone’s pet. I think we probably have a new family member. We’re all crazy about the little guy (we still call him “Dog),” and I think even David hopes no one calls about him. We’ll keep you posted.
