A Dog-Gone Kinda Situation

There's been a lot going around town lately, most notably some high-profile political event in Hollywood on Thursday evening, but most of the Militant's adventures had to be put on the shelf this week for one reason:

The Militant's K-9 unit - a frequent companion of some of the Militant's pedestrian adventures - was missing.

The Militant last saw his K-9 unit this past weekend during the big rain storms. The dog frequently finds its way outside of the compound, only later to show up at the front porch the next morning, returned by an observant neighbor or being caught by the Militant a few blocks from the compound.

But this time was different.

On Monday evening, while the Militant was performing some highly classified duties, one of the Militant's siblings visited the compound, hoping to spend time with the K-9 unit, and texted the Militant asking whether the K-9 unit was taken for a walk.

"Negative," the Militant replied, somewhat concerned.

The next day, no K-9 unit at the front step, no observant neighbor and no sight of the K-9 unit anywhere.

The Militant had grown more concerned.

The day after, the Militant went on a search and rescue mission on his bike on several streets in the vicinity of the compound.

The search turned up fruitless (forgive the pun, but the Militant was barking up the wrong tree).

At this point, the Militant felt like singing a popular childhood nursery rhyme that dealt with a missing dog. You can say the Militant had a ruff, er, rough week, as he paused for the cause of the paws.

The Militant scoured Craigslist's 'Lost and Found' listings, hoping someone nearby might have found the Militant's mutt. One person who lived in an adjacent community posted the picture of a dog that bore a similar likeness to the Militant's K-9 unit, and the Militant replied, but he learned the posted pooch was of the opposite gender.

But ever the resourceful Angeleno, the Militant recalled that the City of Los Angeles' Animal Services department has several animal shelters (now PC-ized as "Care Centers") around the City. Before he planned a trip to visit one of them, he discovered that the City's animal Care Centers have an awesome website where one can search for their missing pets, filling in descriptive parameters and coming up with search results containing a photo and description of the animal, as well as which shelter it is located in.

The Militant went to the site of his local shelter, the North Central Care Center and searched for his K-9 unit. There was one that resembled Militant Mutt somewhat, but the Militant wasn't quite sure. The breed and estimated age in the description were way off.

By chance he tried his luck with some of the other regional shelters in the City. Just in case. Who knows.

He went to the West Los Angeles Care Center's site and searched for his K-9 unit there.

After looking through two pages of results, one dog comes up -- Hello, what's this? The correct gender, the correct breed, age somewhat close, been at the shelter since...January 28...The photo was a very close match...can this be?

On Thursday afternoon the Militant canceled his coverage of the presidential debate and rally in Hollywood to visit the West Los Angeles Cere Center with his sibling to settle this once and for all. Armed with several pictures of the K-9 unit, they arrived at the shelter on Missouri Avenue near the FOX11 TV studios and...

...They had moved a mile or so away on Pico. D'oh.

Shortly after arriving at the brand-spanking new shelter on Pico and Pontius, just west of the 405, and visiting the front desk, the Militant was told to go to the kennels to ID his missing K-9 unit.

It wasn't before long when they spotted the dog. It was most definitely the K-9 unit, absolutely positively.

There is a dog!

The K-9 unit sounded overwhelmed and traumatized, as the shelter staff reported to the Militant that it was discovered roaming the streets around the Beverly Center -- some six miles from the compound, most likely disoriented by its usual scent references having been washed out by last weekend's rain. Besides, the K-9 unit is simply not used to life in a sterile concrete cell, accompanied by the cacophony of several other K-9 units - likewise just as traumatized - barking in such close proximity.

After paying a fee covering vet care, food and boarding, a City dog license and, yes, getting the K-9 unit fixed (hasn't yet been done out of procrastination), the Militant will pick up his trusty, yet wayward, K-9 unit on Friday for its return to the compound.

The Militant does not know whether to punish the K-9 or grant it gratefulness like a reunited prodigal scion of Biblical lore. Regardless, the Militant is thankful his K-9 unit did not suffer the fate of being roadkill, and that our City has such a great online resource that allows people to search for their lost pets online without wasting time, money, gas and hassle.