07/09/2025
Pet on the run…
I typically talk about personal wellness, but my pets are also very dear to my heart. As we were attending a concert last week while visiting Santa Fe during the 4th of July, we received a phone call from our hotel stating that one of our pets had escaped from the room and was on the loose.
We typically don’t take our pets on trips, as they can become stressed if not in their usual environment. However, we had them with us this time, as it was just a short trip.
We had notified the front desk of our hotel that we would be checking out half an hour later, as we were going into town to participate in the holiday celebration. However, for some reason, housekeeping had opened the door to our room while we were gone, and our white dog, Blanca, escaped as she was looking for us.
We hastened back to our car, and about half an hour later, we arrived at the hotel. The front desk told us that our dog, Blanca, had run off towards a trailer park behind the hotel. As she was leaving the premises, the front desk clerk felt it was not their responsibility to try to catch her/or bring her back. He told us that he had called the police and animal control, but I would assume that they have better things to do than chase a runaway dog, especially on a holiday weekend.
So we started driving around the neighborhood, being very worried and anxious, and asking anyone we saw if they had seen a white dog running around. Fortunately, after about a mile, we spotted her in the distance, looking tired and dehydrated, as the heat was already intense outside. She was glad to see us. We put her into our car and went back to our room. That's when I broke down and cried as the emotions became too much.
So, what did I learn?
First, never trust the hotel staff, as they may open your door when you are not around, at their discretion.
Next, we’ll take a sign with us to hang on our door, saying “dog inside” in both English and Spanish.
Additionally, we’ll investigate how to tag our dogs so that we can track them when they are loose.
We can’t blame our poor dog because she was looking for us and wanted to find us, even though we had her bed inside and her trusted companion, dog Nero, was with her. But she could have been easily abducted and/or hurt running loose, as the hotel was next to a busy street.
Thankfully, this incident ended well, except that she was severely dehydrated; otherwise, she was a happy camper. So, remember to be cautious when leaving your dog alone in your hotel room while you're away on vacation.
Johanna Oosterwijk, Shambhala Wellness manager/practitioner