**DISCLAIMER:**
- DO NOT tamper with lights or sprinkler system
- Look, but DO NOT touch, vegetation
- KEEP AWAY from neighboring gas company and its fence
- DO NOT reveal your sleuthing skills in your log
- PLEASE DO share in your log any stories you may have
regarding animal rescue
A big “Thank you!” to ohjoy! for her advice
and assistance with this cache!
This is my first hide. I hope you like it. I have the permission
of the facility manager to place this cache here. She is very
excited to have geocaching return to the premises. There used to be
a cache on the property, but it has since been archived. A gardener
maintains this site, so please be respectful when moving around:
watch your step; do not break or dismantle anything; put everything
back even better than the way you found it - including the
cache.
This is one of my favorite buildings in Lacey. I learned
about this shelter in August 2009 after I had found a stray dog,
whom I dubbed “Bear.” I was driving home on Marvin Road
one rainy Sunday afternoon, when I came across a large chocolate
Labrador walking on the side of the road. He was about to venture
into a field, when he caught my eye. I pulled the car over and got
out to greet him. He immediately came right over to me. He was a
very gentle, friendly dog. Bear seemed very excited for a human
touch. He immediately laid on his back in the grass for me to rub
his belly. Unfortunately, it was obvious he had been through some
tough times. He must have been lost or kept outdoors for some time
as he was soaked to the bone and covered in dirt. He hadn’t
been brushed in ages and his legs had several huge calluses
attributed to lying on hard surfaces. His ears were black inside
and his premolars were completely worn down to the gum line.
Chocolate Labradors are a large breed dog and he was no exception.
His paws were as big as my palms. Nevertheless, he was extremely
overweight and it was apparent the extra poundage negatively
affected his posture and gait. He adorned a collar, but there were
no tags attached.
I made several phone calls, but could only reach the local
police. It was Sunday after all. They pointed me to the nearby
Animal Services in Lacey. The shelter was closed, but they had some
empty cages available to the public to drop off stray or unwanted
animals. Being single and having two Labradors of my own, I could
not keep Bear. However, one night with us wouldn’t hurt. I
picked him up and placed him in the car. What a load! I took him
home and immediately gave him a bowl of dog food and a tub of water
to drink. He suspiciously inspected the food before finally
scarfing it down. I refilled the huge water bowl twice before he
was finally content. I then gave him a good bath and brushing. He
seemed very pleased during this and looked like a completely
different dog when I was finished. I introduced him to the GeoLABz,
and they smelled and examined every inch of him before losing
interest. Bear was very compliant during this ritual, but
afterwards would give a slow, deep growl any time either of them
got near him. This was not a good sign if I wanted to keep him. I
took all the dogs to the park to play and Bear came to life when I
threw some tennis balls. He would even break out to a mini-sprint
to retrieve a ball before Maxie or Allie got to it. Over the course
of the night, Bear would pant loud and hard, especially after
shifting his weight around. Every movement was a strain on his
massive frame. I had a hard time sleeping that night. Even with him
in another room and a door shut in between us, his pant was echoing
loudly through the house. I had to sleep with ear plugs!
I dropped Bear off at the shelter the next morning. That was
a difficult thing to do. Bear was the sweetest dog. I monitored his
progress at the shelter over the next week. He was about 8 years
old and weighed over 100 pounds! That equaled the GeoLABz combined!
Bear was not micro-chipped, and ultimately nobody would come to
claim him. That was good news to me. I didn’t want him going
back to whatever misery he was forced to endure before he
eventually made his escape. I was getting attached to Bear, and
after a week, I made the irresponsible decision to adopt him. I
immediately regretted the decision when I brought him home and he
and the GeoLABz often voiced their displeasure with one another.
Instead of bringing the Labz to the shelter and slowly introducing
them to Bear, I basically threw Bear to the wolves, so to speak.
However, Maxie and Allie quickly bowed down to Bear, which seemed
to make him happy. But it didn’t make me happy to see the
Labz a nervous wreck with him around. Bear was negatively affecting
their health and a decision had to be made. Two dogs were enough
for me to deal with, so I sadly returned Bear to the shelter. I was
heartbroken for awhile, but I was ecstatic to hear he was adopted a
week later and renamed “Hank.”
So, Hank, wherever you are, buddy, I dedicate my very first
cache to you!