Wild Dogs

Although it has only been a week, it seems as if it has been forever since I have written.

I should be going to bed, but I feel it is only fair to write something quickly for the people who check my blog (hi mom) and so I can get a few things recorded before I forget them.

Monday was my last day teaching PK-5th grade science lab. Even though it was my "last day" it was still very eventful...

I got to school early on Monday to make sure I was prepared for the day ahead. I was going to have the 5th grade teacher that I will be replacing shadowing me all day so he is able to learn some of the procedures and how I interact with my kids throughout the day. I was a little nervous about him being in my classroom all day. I was hopping there would not be any conversation about the switch or anything that would put my in an awkward situation.

Anyway, I got to school early, it was still dark outside. I signed in at the front office as I do everyday and began to walk to my classroom. I was about 50 feet from my classroom / trailer when a huge German Shepard mixed dog came running at me. The dog barked and growled as if it was protecting the door to my classroom. I quickly slipped into the door of the trailer that is attached to mine and slammed the door. I am sure I mumbled a few curse words as the fear of the dog coming out of no where almost made me have to go home to get new pants before school started.

I peeked my head outside again to see if the dog was still there and it was laying in front of my classroom door. I closed the door and decided to walk through the connected classroom and begin my work for the day. I would call the office in a little bit when I knew someone would be up there to answer.

About thirty minutes later I looked outside again and the dog was gone. I walked around and couldn't find it anywhere. Once the teacher whose room connects to mine got to school I told her all about my morning encounter. She explained to me that the dog was probably a stray, which I agreed with, as there are dogs all over the area where my school is located. On my way to and from school I see a couple stray dogs everyday. It is pretty strange to see so many dogs just wandering around the streets, but after a few weeks at my school I guess I have gotten used to it.

Anyway, at the end of the school day, the dog was back again. It was at the side of my trailer, barking and growling at students as they quickly walked by on the other side (outside) of the school's fence (chain link with barbed wire on top) on their way home. Usually this would be taking place the other way around, with the dog outside the school grounds and the kids on the inside, but fortunately school had just let out and most of the students had already left by the time anyone noticed the dog again.

The Houston Animal control officer showed up about 10 minutes later and shot the dog with a tranquilizer. I was happy he was going to get the dog out of the school area and that all the students would be safe, but once he shot the dog it ran underneath my classroom (which is up on blocks with an aluminum skirt). The animal control officer waited a little bit and then decided to crawl through the same hole the dog did to go underneath my classroom. I was very impressed by his bravery, or craziness, as I would not have crawled under the building into the darkness where the dog had just ran.

The animal control officer could not find the dog under the building, which is something I still don't understand. Either way, he packed up a little bit later and we haven't seen the dog since. He thinks the dog had babies underneath my building but he could not find them either so I guess I will just have to wait and see. So far, there have been no sighting though. lots of stray dogs, just not that one.