Dogs with a limp :-(

We have always had a problem with stray dogs in this area.  It is compounded by the fact that the County ceased to have an Animal Control unit due to budget restrains.

It seems that all of mother's neighbors have dogs and even though they bark at night none of their owner come outside to shut them up. Last week during the morning some of them were going crazy and I went outside to see why.

There were about six or seven dogs traveling in a pack strutting down the street paying no mind. Later that afternoon I saw one come into the yard and stop to drink water from the large container I set out for Walter and which I had not had a chance to empty since he went back home,

I watched him from the kitchen window and I felt so sorry for the poor dog.  He walked with a limp and he looked like he had had a hard life.  I will never deny an animal water so instead of emptying Walter's water I refilled it.

It did not take long for his other friends to get wind of it and they came to get a drink too. Sunday I went to the backyard and ran into one of the dogs.  As soon as he saw me he ran off like he was afraid I was going to hurt him.  He too was limping. I talked softly to him and told him not to go.

I had a can of dog food that I have had for some time now and decided to give it to him. That is when I noticed that another dog was hiding in back of the shed/garage looking at us. I called out to him as well but he took off. Again this poor dog also walked with a limp.  Is it because people throw rocks at them? That really made me sad.

What impressed me about the first dog I fed was that he could have easily eaten all I gave him but he left some for the other dog!  Got another bucket and placed it closer to him so he does not have to go far for a drink and he wont be as evident to the two dogs in the corner who are vicious as well as the dog across from mom's.

This morning I saw that both were asleep in the back of the shed/garage.  When I went outside they looked up and were fixing to run but again I spoke softly to them and they seemed to understand. Got two aluminum containers from my KFC pot pies and gave them some of Ralph's cat food.  They gobbled it up and went back to sleep.

This evening I looked out the window and another one of their friends had joined them.  They were just laying around having a good time.  With the down fence and all the weeds having been mowed courtesy of Walter anyone can walk into the yard.  Maybe these strays will patrol the house at night.

Ralph does not seem to mind them as it appears he grew up around dogs.  When I was feeding him on top of dad's old car, the dogs hid but were watching like peeping Toms from the corner, lol :D