Sometimes I Love Animals Too Much

So as many of you know, I’m one of these nor’easters who splits time between Scranton, PA and Palm Beach, FL. But unlike the typical “snowbirds” I travel back and forth all year long instead of just avoiding winter. After all, the summers down here aren’t much different than the summers up north except the for humidity.

This past weekend, while at the beach, I noticed something odd swimming along the shore. After taking a closer look it turned out to be a fairly large Iguana. Knowing that the ocean really isn’t the Iguana’s natural habitat, I knew something was wrong. He was being battered by the surf, washing up on shore then being hauled back out with the tide.

I made several attempts to capture the Iguana knowing that I had a very good chance at getting bit or slapped with that huge tail. He alluded me for a while, but then after finally giving up after a hefty beating from the sea, I was able to grab him and take him to safety. He put up no fuss at all, and just looked at me with those bright, colorful eyes and titled his head back and forth.

He was truly exhausted.

I took him to a secluded area of the beach where there was a mix of sun and shade and plenty of plant cover. A young lady came over with a bottle of fresh water and we tried to get him to drink some of it. After “drying out” in the afternoon sun, he eventually recovered and went on his way - this time AWAY from the ocean.

Just how he got into the water I don’t know, but this area of Florida has it’s share of Iguanas, who got here from people abandoning them after they realized their pet store purchase requires a lot of work.

The next day, I was traveling north on I-95 near Lake Worth when I saw a small black and brown dog, which may have been a terrier, walking along the divider. I felt sick to my stomach knowing what the fate of this poor dog was going to be if he didn’t get off this very busy interstate. I quickly pulled off at the next exit, turned around heading south, and got back on to find the dog.

I spotted him, still walking along the divider and pulled off to the side of the road. Looking back, I did something really stupid here. Wearing a pair of flip-flops, I ran across 8 lanes of traffic to chase after this dog. Now, traffic on here averages about 85 mph, and I’m what Southwest Airlines considers a “customer of size” so get the right mental picture of what’s going on. Here I am, running along the center divider chasing after a dog who is about 500 feet in front of me and trotting pretty fast.

Needless to say, I didn’t catch up with him, but the Florida Highway Patrol caught up with me. The officer was nice, but angry. He asked me if I would risk my life over a dog. Without hesitation, I said “absolutely.” I made another mad dash across the 8 lanes of traffic again to get back in the car and go home. All the way, all I could think of is that dog. How did he get there and is he going to make it. The FHP was aware of him, so I’m hoping that they were able to catch him before something bad happened.

Those of you that know me, know that I am a huge animal lover. I have three wonderful Chihuahua’s who are more like children than pets, and one cat. I serve on the board of the Luzerne County SPCA and Solid Cactus is a strong supporter of the organization both financially and with services provided at no cost. My heart aches every time I walk through the shelter and see these poor, homeless pets. Sometimes, I can’t even walk in the kennel area because I get so emotional.

The two animals I came in contact with this weekend, were not in these locations because they chose to be there. I’m pretty sure they both ended up where they were because their owners couldn’t take care of them any longer, which is sad. As the economy continues on its downward slump, I’m sure we will see more of this as people decide whether they purchase food for their pets or for themselves. I certainly hope I’m wrong.