A neighbor found a lost dog while she was out and about today. His leash was broken and he was all alone, but she brought him home and gave him some water. In no time, other neighbors were in action to connect her to other people who could help. Not such a big deal, except that she and her hubs have done this over and over, and always manage to find great homes for the dogs they rescue. These guys don’t even have their own dog! They are just kind.

Another neighbor I know has brought bags of dog food over to a family who couldn’t afford it during a rough patch. Another offered to house a stray for weeks while others tried to figure out what to do. Another routinely brings dogs home that have wandered away. And a whole street has adopted a feral dog who has eluded animal control for years now. Neighbors work at rescue organizations and provide foster homes for animals.

You could point out that people who can’t afford to properly care for and control their animals shouldn’t have them. That failing to fence a space means the animal will repeatedly escape and be in danger. That not spaying or neutering animals is contributing to the stray population. Those things are important, and people in our neighborhood also worry about those issues. But they start by caring, and showing their love for animals and their families by not doing nothing.

UPDATE: the dog’s family was located, he is home safe & sound.