Three Lost Dogs Who Wandered into My Yard

Imagine my surprise the other day when three strange dogs wandered into my driveway. Sheldon and Duncan were outside, playing in the garden on the other side of the front gate. Luckily they hadn't seen these four-legged furry visitors. I was able to shoo them into the house before anyone got all barky at each other. John and I were very cautious around these three dogs, as they were unknown, but also because one was a Pit Bull. I like Pit Bulls, but some people train them to be aggressive. Not knowing how they had been raised, we were initially very careful. None of the dogs were wearing collars or identification, they looked healthy with nice shiny coats- these clearly were not stray dogs. After a few minutes it was clear that all three dogs were from the same home. They played with each other and knew each other well. They must have escaped and went on a stroll together exploring Palm Springs.
Sounds like fun, huh? Well not really. You see, it's 110 degrees here, not a hospitable climate for dogs to be wandering the desert. If they had been out all day it was very possible they could have died from heat exhaustion or dehydration. The dogs already looked thirsty, so I put out a bowl of water, which they quickly lapped up. 

John drove around the neighborhood to see if anyone was out searching for a dog, but with no luck. We took photos of the dogs to make signs about "Found Dogs". Soon, the city animal control arrived to pick up these three sweet dogs. We drove around the area, posting our signs to let someone know the dogs were safe and how to locate them. As luck would have it, while out posting signs in a nearby neighborhood, a young teenager saw us putting up the sign and realized it was about his three dogs! A sense of relief came over me, as the fate of the dogs became clear, they would be reunited with their family again. As an animal lover, I hate to see things like this. I always blame the humans for not properly looking after their pets. In the end, it turned out alright, but I couldn't help wonder what if...
-Rick Rockhill