Strangers tips help find toy poodle in New York Times writer's book, "Huck."
By Don E. Smith Jr
November 30, 2010
Wyckoff residents were among the many to help a New York family find their lost toy poodle, Huck.
In a recent novel released from Broadway Books, residents of Wyckoff were praised for their kindness when Huck, a toy poodle staying in Ramsey, went missing.
In the book "Huck," the Manhattan-based writer Janet Elder details how in 2006, Huck, their family pet, disappeared while the family was on vacation in Florida.
"The thumbnail of the story is my son Michael had wanted a dog for seven years and [in 2005] I was diagnosed with breast cancer," said Elder, who is a senior editor at The New York Times. "We told Michael that while I was going through cancer treatments he needed to think up a name for the dog."
She said she wanted to give her son something positive to focus on while she endured treatments.
"So he chose the name Huck, and Huck became a symbol of hope for us," said Elder.
She said that the week preceding the start of treatments, her family went to Newark International Airport and picked up the toy poodle.
"We brought him home and fell in love with him," said Elder.
In March 2006, Elder said her family took their first vacation and brought the dog to her sister's home in Ramsey.
However, Huck went missing.
"We got the phone call in Florida that Huck had been missing for six hours, so we boarded an airplane and flew to New Jersey," said Elder. "We got a motel room and stayed there for three days."
She explained that her family was especially concerned about his safety, given his small size and the prospect that he was on unfamiliar ground in the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains.
When Elder and her family arrived in New Jersey, she said was met with a pleasant surprise as people from Wyckoff, Ramsey, Allendale and Mahwah assisted in the search.
"I had people from Wyckoff ask me for posters," said Elder. "They offered to put them up in their town."
She added that people would offer tips on where to look and kids on bikes would volunteer to look in the woods.
"We were just touched by their kindness," said Elder.
Finally, the family received a phone call from a man in Mahwah.
"He told us that he saw a dog that looked like Huck, and we got him back," said Elder, but she added with a chuckle: "As to how we got him back, well you'll have to read the book."
Elder regularly covers the world of politics for The Times, and she called "Huck" a labor of love.
"The story has a real happy ending," said Elder. "We have been surprised at the response we have gotten."
The book has led her to The Late Show with David Letterman and The View.
And the happy endings do not end with the reunion of the family and Huck. "I am doing well," she said, when asked about her health.
"As Letterman said, 'It makes you feel good about everything.' "
Check out Elder's book here.
Source: http://wyckoff.patch.com/articles/residents-kindness-helps-reunite-family-with-lost-dog#c
No comments:
Post a Comment