My wife and I both teach parenting classes at the local pregnancy resource center, she teaches several groups of young girls, I teach a 24 hour dad class and court ordered parenting classes. She teaches on Wed afternoons, we had planned to go to the park after she got out. (This was the silly old people article from yesterday). I was sitting there with 2 ferrets running around happily exploring a bag of kids clothes and I happened to glance out the window and noticed a chicken running around the parking lot. Now even in a small town a chicken wandering around a parking lot isn't a common site. It was still a young one so we're thinking someone from the apartments next door bought it for their kids for Easter and then like responsible parents when they realized they did something stupid they just let it go. Why are these people never there so I can slap them silly? Anyway, it clucked and peeped and wandered under cars, meanwhile there was a large black cat watching it, no doubt thinking KFC. So I made sure the ferrets were happy in the bag of kids clothes so I got out and went to get it, if possible. I didn't think it would but it let me pick it up. I couldn't take it to the car because the ferrets would have eaten it so I took it in the building and waited for my wife to get out. So here I was, an old man sitting in a waiting room full of young guys, holding a chicken that was happily cheeping and clucking. I guess you had to be there but it was a unique scene and I got a lot of looks. So being staff, I took it back into the classroom area here several new mothers and mothers to be saw it. Mothering instincts went into high gear and I was accosted there by young women wanting to mother it.
Finally my wife got out of class, knowing me the way she does she didn't even blink. I decided that we would drop it off at the local pet store. We know the people, they consult us on rat and ferret issues sometimes. So, chicken happily rescued we went on to the walk in the thunderstorm. I guess you had to be there to understand the novelty of it all.

Wow thats so nice of you GMS!

I used to live on the outskirts of the city, far enough where people would feel safe enough to release their unwanted animals. Since I had 4 dogs and a couple of neighborhood cats who loitered, the dumped animals always seemed to find my house. Your heart wants to save them all. But I focused more on the irresponsibility of owners who are completely heartless and dump their pets (doesn't matter which kind). So, on one hand, I was glad I was able to save some animals. On the other, I wanted to hunt the scumbucket owners down and give them a piece of my mind.

Thanks for sharing your story, Gms9810. Sometimes I feel like our crossroads in life are planned that way by a higher authority. Unfortunately, not everyone is as aware of that nudging as some of us are.

That's why we have 22 rats, probably 21 by tomorrow. We're about to lose one.

Aw GMS thats so sad!
I feel your pain, my dog is 10ish, and well he isn't getting a bit "older", and starting to lose some of his spring. He has this weird Gag that he does from time to time, we took him to the vet for it and they found nothing.

usually that's caused by worms, or sort of backwards sneexe. I don't know what you call it but it's common.

That's a cool story, GMS. I laugh every time I think of you sitting there with a chicken in your lap.

Not worms, we took him to the vet to have him checked out.
I guess it could be something like a backwards sneeze, he is a golden retriever.
and I have never heard another dog make such a noise

It could be laryngeal paralysis. It is most common in labs, but our australian shepherd had it. It can be surgically repaired but our girl was old and we didn't want to burden her with surgical procedures. We just had to put her down in January due to this. And when she was short on air she did sort of gag. It might be worth googling it and seeing if the symptoms match. The only way they can tell for sure is to anesthetize the dog and look down their throat.

That doesn't sound good, and he doesn't pant heavily or anything, just has this really loud gag, before we didn't know what was causing it, but we have been giving him Antiacids, as suggested by the vet, and now it seems to happen only when he eats a lot of grass. (sorry this didn't come to mind earlier)

some dogs seem addicted to eating grass and gagging (or barfing). That would be annoying but not really dangerous I guess.

They eat it to induce themselves to throw up, when they feel sick. At least that's what a vet told me.