OK folks, I know this is a hell of a long shot, but here goes…
I’d like to introduce you to two inseparable pals: this is Rusty and Max…
…and this is their home:
Over the past two months, I’ve been scouting out in the desert about an hour and change from Los Angeles, and every time I drive down one particular road, the same thing happens: a little black dot appears in the distance out of nowhere…
…quickly followed by his little brown companion:
The two dogs run alongside my car, tails wagging, clearly hoping for treats or pats, then watch mournfully as I drive off.
A few weeks ago, our production finally arrived for the big shoot, and every day, the dogs came to hang out with the crew. They were the sweetest animals you could imagine – social, playful, clearly over the moon at having so much activity going on (and always eager for some handouts from catering).
And they always stayed together, practically joined at the hip.
As we were leaving on the last day of the shoot, I asked a local where they lived to make sure they got home OK. That’s when I learned the truth: they don’t have a home.
No one knows where they came from, but people abandon pets in the desert all the time, and it’s a good chance this is what happened. The handful of locals in the area try to take care of them when they can, but it’s not exactly an affluent community, and no one can afford to take them in. They said if I knew of anyone who would be interested in adopting them, everyone would love to see them find a loving home.
The brown and white one is Rusty. He’s friendly but shy, keeps his distance til he knows he can trust you, always watching with those forlorn, sad sack eyes.
Max is the outgoing one, always looking to play, big silly smile on his face – except when I try to take a picture, of course :).
Whether they arrived together or found each other independently is also not known, but whatever their past, it’s pretty clear they’re a family now, and no one is going to break them up – including me.
So I’m throwing it out there today to see if there’s anyone interested in adopting Rusty and Max as a pair.
I don’t know anything more about their temperament than what I’ve observed. They were extremely friendly all week with our 100+ crew, and the locals certainly enjoy having them around. They’re both very cautious with new people as all strays typically are, but you also get the sense that these guys are going to love the hell out of whoever gives them a full bowl of food and a warm place to sleep at night. Obviously, nothing is known about their current health or vaccination status, nor their breed or past history with humans.
If you’re at all interested, please shoot me an email at nycscout@gmail.com telling me a little bit about yourself and your home, and why you’d like to adopt these dogs. Please be sure you’re up for the challenge of taking in two dogs – the last thing I want is for them to end up being abandoned a second time over. If you sound like the right fit, I’ll pass along the address where they hang out (about an hour and change from LA) and let you take it from there. There’s quite a bit of chance to this going right – as I said, it’s a long shot.
If we don’t end up finding anyone, I think they’ll get along as they have. As I said, the locals try to take care of them, and they seem healthy enough at first glance.
But they also have that sadness in their eyes that you often see with strays, where they look at you like they desperately want to trust you, but have learned from experience that you’ll most likely let them down. I’d like to prove them wrong.
The desert is a cold place at night. Let’s find them a warm home.
-SCOUT
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