Will say up-front I don't live in the UK (it'll be relevant).
Just took my 2 DDogs for a walk in the valley below my house. It's been incredibly hot where I live this week (36 degrees today, and that's not an anomaly right now), but around this time is when the heat starts to ease, so we drove there with the AC on and I took a massive water bottle with us for when we returned to the car.
As we parked, I saw a very skinny-looking foxhound type dog standing in the shade panting like mad. I couldn't see anyone nearby, and when I got close I could see he was almost passing out with heat. He had three collars on, including an electric bark collar, and a lot of scars and divots in his fur.
Very timid, in that hungry-for-love-but-also-terrified way, and very gentle. Any time I raised my hand toward him to pet him, he'd flinch, but as soon as we made contact he leaned in.
I hung out with him for a few minutes, and gave him two bowls of water, which he demolished in seconds. After a good look around to make sure there were no people nearby, I decided to take him to the local vet (who's not my vet) to see if he was chipped. He had no idea how to walk on a leash, and looked very uncertain about being in a vehicle, too...
The vet recognised him as soon as we walked in, saying "He escapes all the time" and started ringing his owner. One of the other clients in the waiting room commented on the electric collar, and she responded: "He's insufferable - it's the only way he'll behave" which seemed very odd to me having just interacted with him...
Owner then asks to speak to me, and is very grateful - but then immediately asks if I want the dog. Apparently he's always getting lost (which I, perhaps unfairly, read as: "We can't be bothered to keep him secure or train him"), and is very sweet but they already have 3 other dogs and small children and it's too much to manage.
He said they spent a while looking for him this morning, but then decided that he'd either come home on his own, or someone would take him home and keep him. I pointed out the third option was that he'd die of heatstroke or get hit by a car, but that seemed to fall on entirely deaf ears.
The owner then kept mentioning his other dogs, and how I could have one of them if I wanted... I had to keep reiterating that I was just returning the dog he'd chosen to have, not shopping for a new one for me.
I already have 2 rescue dogs, one of whom is elderly and needs a lot of care, and I purposefully avoid the dog rescue Facebook groups etc on social media because I can't handle how fast my heart gets tangled up in animals. It's not realistic for me to take this guy.
But I can't stop thinking about him, and hoping I've not just sent him home to get mistreated.
I don't think there's anything more to do here, but I just needed to let it out somewhere – I wish I could just take them all in and give them the love they deserve...