Gigi, Chihuahua

Missing dog survives for months on cheeseburgers before reunited with owner
Olivia Neeley
2009-03-27

SHELBY - Jo Anne Warlick never thought she would see Gigi again. But God had other plans for the 3-pound Chihuahua and it included surviving off of Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburgers for six months.

"It was beyond my dreams that I would ever have her again," Warlick said.

Warlick and Gigi were inseparable for five years until the unthinkable happened in October.

"I had a stroke," she said. "The doctor told me he wasn't sure I would ever walk again."

Warlick's family decided it would be best to give Gigi a new home because of circumstances surrounding the life-changing event.

"Since it would be a lot on us, we had to find the dog another home," said Rhonda Lovelace, Warlick's daughter.

The family had no idea how long Warlick's recovery would take and the decision was made to give Gigi to another family.

After Gigi was given a new home, she somehow got out of her cage one day and decided to run away.
Warlick never knew Gigi was on a mission to find her way back home.

Runaway

The new owners called the Cleveland County Humane Society for help and the search began for the Chihuahua.

"No one had been able to catch her," said Sherry Crowder, who is a volunteer with the organization. Crowder has spent most of her life rescuing animals, especially the missions that are a little more challenging than others.

"They know I like these special missions that take a lot of time," Crowder said. "They told me about the story of Gigi." Crowder began her quest and started in the area where Gigi was last spotted.

The stakeout

Crowder talked with neighbors who had seen the dog and found out she was staying in an abandoned house.

"We went over there ... the Lord led us to the area," she said. Weeks went by and Crowder would stake out the house for hours at a time trying to capture the little dog - even making a bed in an old room and giving her wet and dry dog food.

But Gigi wanted to eat something different.

Crowder said she had a hunch that neighbors in the area were probably giving Gigi human food.

"It popped in our heads - cheeseburgers."

For the next few months, she bought a Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger daily and broke it into little pieces for Gigi at the abandoned home.

"The only way to have a really good chance of catching an abandoned, scared or shy animal is to establish a pattern," she said. "You have to learn their routine."

Crowder tried everything including sitting in the attic of the house in hopes of catching the dog.
But it didn't work.

With a little faith and trust in God, Crowder said a miracle happened one day.

"We had made a little bed inside the room and noticed there was a rabies tag on the little bed," she said.

That rabies tag would be the key to Gigi's rescue.

Rescue

The Humane Society tracked down the original owners with the rabies tag and Warlick's daughter was contacted at work.

They asked Lovelace to meet them near the abandoned house. Lovelace said they had no idea the dog had been missing so long.

"I prayed all the way over, ‘Please God let me find her,'" Lovelace said.

Crowder met her with a cheeseburger in hand and both starting looking and couldn't find Gigi anywhere.

"I crossed the street just on a hunch," Lovelace said. "She (Gigi) stuck her head out around the building and came running to me after I called her name."

Crowder said they all had tears of joy and the countless hours were worth the wait.

"To see that little angel in the lady's arms within a minute or two ... my prayer had been answered," Crowder said.

Reunited

Lovelace took Gigi home to her mother who couldn't believe what she saw.

"I sat her down and she ran over to mom and dad and jumped up on the couch with them," Lovelace said.
During the months Gigi was missing, Warlick also received some other bad news - she had cancer.

"I am fighting the battle right now," Warlick said. "The Lord has helped me ... I feel like he is the one who gave me back my dog."

Lovelace and Warlick said it's wonderful to be reunited with their dog and thank the Humane Society for caring so much.

"It has been a good story for me," Warlick said. "After all the bad things this is a good thing to have my little doggie back."

Although Warlick has been through a whirlwind of change in recent months, she knows God brought Gigi back to her to help her through the difficult times ahead.

"I don't have time to think about my problems," she said. "That dog has not forgotten one thing about being here."

Source: http://www.shelbystar.com/news/gigi-38077-crowder-warlick.html
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