LUCKY "was really lucky to be rescued alive"

I found a dog at about 12:30 p.m. on 30 December 2004 wandering across the alkali mud flats across the mountain east of Promontory Point, Box Elder county, Utah. This is an extremely remote location. The nearest towns are Corrine and Brigham City, about 20 miles distant by line of sight, but the dog would have had to cross substantial tracts of the Great Salt Lake to arrive at the point at which I first spotted it had it come that way. The dog was on private ranch land that is posted as having M-44 cyanide coyote traps. I watched it through binoculars for about 45 minutes before it wandered within several hundred yards of me, at which point I called to it. It was frightened and ran, but with gentle persistence I finally managed to coax it to me. It was immediately friendly and submissive. There were no cars nor other people in the vicinity the entire time I watched it. I assumed it was either a run-away or abandoned. I easily managed to coax the dog into the back of my truck and drove it to the nearest ranch, about four miles from the point at which I found the dog, but it was not theirs. I stopped at several other ranches in the vicinity but it did not belong to anyone in the area of whom I am aware. At that point, not sure what to do, I put the dog in the cab of my truck and drove it to my home. It was exceptionally well-behaved. Despite the length of the drive - about 3 hours - and despite the fact that it was obviously hungry and thirsty, it remained calm the entire trip, and spent much of the ride lying on the seat beside me with its head on my leg.

If I had left the dog where I saw it, it would almost certainly have perished. Very few people visit this area, given its distance from civilization, and it could be easily overlooked when as it moves through the sage and brush in the region. M-44 traps are cruel, indiscriminate killers, and given its hunger and inability to hunt, I am certain that it would have been tempted beyond its ability to resist had it stumbled across one before I found it. Give it's size and coloration, it could easily be confused with a coyote at a distance and I suspect that most ranchers would shoot first and learn of their mistake too late. Since a heavy storm hit the area last night, the dog - which seemed to have no hunting or other survival skills - probably would have died of exposure, starvation, or perhaps from predation by the local coyotes. Since it was both the dog's and my good fortune to be in the right place at the right time, we have named him "Lucky."

<>We would love to keep Lucky. He is a 1 year old (give or take 3 months) shepherd mix, male, unneutered, and without collar or license. He is about 15" tall at the shoulder and weights approximately 35 pounds. <>Lucky is very well behaved, extremely sweet dispositioned, and seems to be in excellent health. He has never show any signs of aggression or hostility. Lucky is one of the brightest dogs I have encountered in 40+ years as a dog owner. As I mentioned to you on the phone, when I found Lucky, he crossed a cattle grate to come to me. This is a feat most animals, including humans, often struggle with, but Lucky crossed the grate without a mistake on his first attempt. He responds well to a leash and collar and to firm commands. He seems to have had some training. He is comfortable in a kennel. He seems to be house-broken; although we have not permitted him to enter our home he has been extremely well-behaved in our garage.

Unfortunately we already have three dogs, all of which were abandoned and which we have adopted. Our most recent adoptee, a two-year old male Siberian Husky that turned up on our doorstep about eight weeks ago, is extremely territorial and immediately went for the Lucky as soon as he could wriggle free of my grasp. Lucky's presence is extremely disturbing to our husky, whom we are still working with very hard in an ongoing attempt to settle him in our home. We have a long history  - nearly 20 years of experience - with Alaskan malamutes and Siberian huskies, and have learned that there is a very good chance that our husky will never accept another male, neutered or not, on the property (our other two dogs are female and older).  Luther

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