North to Alaska

It might be warmer there. I was praying for a dog tonight. At least I thought that was what I was doing. He is a semi long haired, mostly white stray. He yips like a coyote though. I suppose he could be a coyote. It is under ten below zero here tonight. Wind chill makes it worse. I don't care what he is, it's too cold to be out without shelter and food.

I noticed him Tuesday as I walked my sis to the car. As he barked I made a comment and she answered, "It sounds like a dog freezing to death." I put dry food out front for him that night. I could see he ate some the next day, but not much. I have no hope of keeping water out there for him. It freezes in fifteen minutes. Solid.

Tonight, when I heard him again, I put out fresh food. Then, being the idiot I am, I went out to check it without looking first and scared him off it.

He stopped and sat under the street light's glow in the center of the intersection. I called and whistled. Whitey, Snowball, Snowflake, Smoke, Baby, Puppy - none of the words I spoke moved him to come to me. He got up and walked off into the dark.

He is so cold he can't stop moving long and he can't trust a human. When he thinks he might want to go to a human, even one with food in it's hand, he can't trust his own judgement. He remembers being wrong before and moves away. He is moving away from warmth, shelter, food and into the cold. It's all he knows to do that is safe from kicks and blows and loud words and anger. It's cold but it's safer alone in the dark.

All the dogs tied out alone tonight would lie together in a pile, if they were free, to keep warm. Straw, sheds, barns, none of them is enough shelter in this weather. The only way to survive is in a group of warm bodies.

I put my pads out from my summer chairs, one flat and one upright, blocking the wind, next to the pipe the furnace vents from. It's warm there, sort of. I put hot food in a bowl for him. I went back in, calling as I went.

I check from the windows, more careful now to be quiet. I see no tracks. I will have to go out and bring the food in to heat again soon. I did, I put out chicken for him and dry food that won't freeze. Crap, it's in a steel bowl, I have to change it over to plastic.

Poor scared thing. Alone, cold, hungry, no trust, no hope except for a good trash can somewhere.

Bless me! I was only worried about the white dog. I feel so stupid sometimes.

God bless all the homeless tonight. Humans and animals.