Misty Maynard, Ledger Independent
Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 10:00 pm
Josh Ginn was reunited with his dog, Xander after 20 days thanks to a local rescue group which uses Facebook in its efforts to find homes for animals.
One social networking site has proven to be pet-friendly.
When Xander, a 1 1/2-year-old Rottweiler managed to escape from his East Second Street home earlier this month, his owners, Laurie and Josh Ginn, searched the neighborhood, inquiring of neighbors and friends whether they had seen the dog. When those efforts failed, they turned to Facebook.
Laurie Ginn said she posted on her status that her son, Josh Ginn's, dog had gone missing. The post failed to get any leads.
As the days passed, Laurie Ginn said a family member checked the Mason County Animal Shelter for Xander, but with no luck.
"I actually had kind of given up," Laurie Ginn said.
It was not the first time the dog, who Laurie Ginn described as an "escape artist" had gotten loose. One time before, the dog had managed to get out of the back yard and he was found by some children at Rotary Park. He was wearing his usual collar with identification tag at the time so they were able to contact the owner.
Laurie Ginn said an attempt to make the backyard escape-proof was made and no one thought the dog would be able to get out again. Somehow, he managed to find a hole in the fence that had eluded notice. When he got out the second time, Laurie Ginn said he was wearing a walking collar instead of his usual collar with ID tag.
Laurie Ginn sent up a prayer for the dog that had been with the family since about Christmas. Laurie Ginn said the dog was given to them by another family member who couldn't keep it and it was meant to be a temporary home for him -- until she and her son fell in love with him.
Not long after the prayer, a call came in from her nephew, the original owner of the dog, who asked if the dog was still missing and told her about a photograph he had seen on the local volunteer group, the Maysville Rescue Team's, Facebook page. The group often posts photos of dogs at the animal shelter to promote adoption.
Laurie Ginn checked the page and contacted Bridget Case, who runs the group with her husband, Ryan Case.
"I called her and she was just overjoyed," Laurie Ginn said.
Bridget Case sent photos to Laurie Ginn via text and Laurie Ginn was able to confirm the dog in the photo was Xander.
Laurie Ginn learned Xander, who had been in the shelter for beyond the typical hold placed on animals, was to be euthanized. Laurie Ginn said she thought Xander might have been kept longer than usual because he was wearing a collar when he was picked up at a location past the animal shelter.
Laurie Ginn said she went to the shelter, accompanied by MRT, and was reunited with Xander.
Laurie Ginn praised both the shelter, who kept the dog past his original euthanization date and MRT for bringing Xander home. She also gave Facebook credit for the happy ending. She said she didn't think Xander, who had been missing for about 20 days, would have come home if it had not been for Facebook.
Source: http://www.maysville-online.com/news/local/article_37c2f1b8-b893-11e0-9886-001cc4c03286.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#ixzz1TSEXwcW5
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