Recently, my husband and I planned a trip to the mountains. He had some work to do on a client’s vacation home in the area, and I decided to tag along for the ride. After he finished his work, we could spend the day doing something fun.

Since it was a vacation home, our client was to unlock the door remotely, as he had not planned to return for a few weeks. We opened the door and came face to face with a dog—an old, sweet, gray-muzzled, tail-wagging dog! Our client does not have a dog and has no idea how the dog got in. Most likely, she sneaked in when one of the doors opened and was overlooked when the doors were locked.

It was fortuitous that we showed up on that Sunday. The dog could have been locked in the house for two weeks or more without food or water and most likely would have starved to death or been near death by the time that someone found her. When I gave her a bowl of water, she practically dove into it. Our client had been there a day ago, so she hadn’t been locked up for more than 24 hours.

She had a collar but no tags. Rule #1: Always put tags on your animals with their name, your name, two phone numbers, and your address. You can even write your phone number with a Sharpie pen right on the collar in case the tags break off.

I always keep a leash in my glove box, so I took the dog for a walk to see whether she would perk up at any of the few homes in the surrounding area. She didn’t. So I put her in my car and drove around looking for signs or people. One woman I ran into said that I was wasting my time, that I should let her loose and that she would find her way home. I told the woman that I would do nothing of the sort. This dog needed help, and I was either going to find her people or take her home with me and continue my search.

Rule #2: Always help an animal in need. I don’t care if it ruins your lunch plans or makes you late for an appointment. There are too many people who turn a blind eye to animals in need, so we all need to make that commitment to help. I must say that I completely forgot about the plans that my husband and I had. My mission for the day changed the minute that I saw that poor dog locked in a stranger’s house. My mission was to do all that I could for her.

I wasn’t having any luck in the surrounding area, so I went back to the house to get my husband. We packed up our things, along with the dog, to continue the search. We knocked on many doors, with no luck. Finally, a young girl said that the dog looked familiar and that we should try around the bend.

As luck would have it, an old couple came out to look at the dog. The old man said, “That looks like Mellow. She lives next door.” Excitedly, I went next door. A man ran out and said, “You found Mellow?” I first asked him to identify the dog before letting him see her.

Rule #3: If you find a lost companion animal, always ask for a description before handing over the animal to a stranger. There are some unscrupulous people out there, and you don’t want to give an animal to someone who might have bad intentions.

The man described Mellow perfectly. He told us that she had run off during a thunderstorm. He also said that she never would have found her way home and was very grateful that we took the time to help her. I told him that he must put tags on her. He said yes, definitely.

In the end, I could not have had a better day, knowing that we had helped Mellow find her home. I shudder to think what could have happened had we not shown up that day. I shudder to think that if someone else had found her, they might just have let her loose to find her own way.

And I am so thankful that my husband feels the same way that I do—that his day was enhanced, not ruined, by what we did for Mellow.