To ‘Loving Owner’:

The following letter could have been written on behalf of any animal that has been abandoned by its “loving owner�--for whatever reason. This letter is intended for the owner of the extraordinarily faithful red chow-like dog that was seen along Otay Lakes Road from the middle of March until early May.

Each day, as I drove to and from work, I hoped that I would not see the dog. Then, I began to worry that I would see it--dead along the roadway as it was sleeping within a foot or so of the pavement on an extremely dangerous curve. Even though I felt that someone had abandoned it, I found it difficult to believe.

As the weeks passed, the dog remained in the same area--and had lost a great deal of weight. Surely this dog had been abandoned. I stopped early one morning--hoping to entice the dog into my car. As I approached, it moved off into the brush bordering the lake. (Did I hope to find an owner--take it to the animal shelter where it would, perhaps, find an owner, or be “put to sleep�--or, did I only want to relieve my own empathy with this animal’s abandonment by someone it loved?)

A small container of food appeared along the roadside--replenished by a young lady driving a small camper--obviously another of the daily commuters who had been impressed by the dog’s faithfulness.

I placed a call to the South Bay Animal Shelter. Only partially completed with my story, I was interrupted with, “Is this about the dog on Otay Lakes Road? We have been out there several times, and we have been unable to catch the dog.� End of conversation. I felt somewhat consoled by the fact that I was not the only one concerned, but now what?

Each morning and evening, I looked for the dog. On several occasions, I would see it sleeping peacefully within only a few feet of the roadway, with its nose pressed against the tin container. If only the owner could witness this heart-rending sight.

Where are you anyway? And what could be your reason for leaving this dog to survive on its own?

The dog has not been there in recent days. I don’t know whether it has run away or been killed.

But if, by printing this letter, only one animal owner is made aware of the consequences of their actions when they decide that a “pet� is no longer wanted and abandon it--then, the red chow-like dog has proved its point.

CAROLYN S. BRADY

Jamul