Thursday, August 4, 2011

Gringo, yellow lab

Alisons story..How I Got Gringo Back....
Alison Campany to Lost and Found Pets of the MidSouth (FB)
Friday, July 29, 2011


Introduction from Teresa: I have some TAIL WAGGIN NEWS! Gringo has been FOUND! His mommie called me this morning to tell me the great news. She was having great difficulty because so many people have seen his lost flyer and many attempts by strangers with good intentions tried to capture him. This created much fear and confusion for him. So when she got a positive local on him he would run from her too. Last night I offered more suggestions on what she needed to do the next time she was face to face with her scared pup. She took it a step further and carried his crate, pillow, feeding bowls and had his best bud Bear, I think was his name, scent his crate. She placed it in the area he was most reported being seen. She went this morning to check and would ya know there he was asleep inside. Timid at first when he woke up to see his mommie. Alison literally slithered out of her car trying to be as calm and quiet as she could and avoiding eye contact. She began talking to him softly and moments later he climbed in the floorboard of her car. I am so HAPPY that he is now home safe and sound! Teresa ^~.~^

The story from Alison:  I sent word to many of the return of my wonderful Gringo.  I will share them with you in the hopes that you NEVER need to implement such things, but will be knowledgeable if you do. To just go chronologically will make the most sense.

Monday: Gringo escapes at about 9 am. Search of the immediate area fruitless.

Tuesday: The calls start coming in on Gringo sightings. He's about a mile-and-a-half due south of our home in a fairly localized area. We search and talk to those living in the vicinity Tuesday. Several people say they have seen him and tried to get him to come to them because they saw his collar and tags. They all say he just runs off seemingly frightened.

Wednesday: We drive and drive and drive AND SEE HIM! My husband (God bless 'im) slams on the breaks, swings open the door, and screams his name. Gringo goes bye bye. The calls keep coming. He's staying in the same area and nobody can catch him. While it was understandable the way my husband reacted, it is also understandable the way Gringo reacted. Nonetheless, it really took the wind out of our sails to have laid eyes on him, called for him and he wouldn't come to his own mommy and daddy. We knew we had to ratchet up the clever scale a bit.

Thursday: Hubby takes Gringo's best canine friend, Bear, out to a spot he's been seen many times. Brian brings Bear's crate, Gringo's crate, bed, bowl, and food with him as well. Poor Bear sits in his crate under the canopy with his ice water for a few hours with Brian watching to see if Gringo will come up. No Gringo. Brian leaves food for Gringo. Call comes in about 2:30 of a Gringo sighting. No Gringo. Nobody's touched the food. Another call comes in at about 6:30. I go out and the food in the crate's been eaten. Hmmm... Good sign.

Also on Thursday, I talk to some professionals about this predicament. I leave more food out with some disgusting Vienna sausages in it. (My boy LOVES Viennas, you see...)

Friday: I read Genius Miracle Worker Teresa Martin's (GMWTM's) tips on "What to do when you lose your pet" in the morning before work. How simple, right? What an easy topic, right? Couldn't anyone in the world write such a thing? WRONG! It had all kinds of wonderful ideas I had never thought about. One of which is, "The best time to call for your pet is at night, and at dawn". Hmmm.... Time for me to go to work. I am already late. Take a right and go to work? Take a left and trudge that street I am now all too familiar with? It isn't exactly dawn, but it is really pretty quiet out there at 9 am. I took a left and rolled the windows down (per GMWTM's suggestion because even the sound of rolling down the windows can spook if I were to come upon him, they were up, and he is THAT scared). I drove up to the spot we'd left his crate, bed, and food.

There was my boy. Sleeping in his crate.

But I spooked him and for a quick minute he thought about running. He even took a few strides right in front of my car. I turned my head to look away and not make eye contact [per Genius Miracle Worker Ann Marie Easton's (GMWAME's) suggestion because this will make him feel intimidated and want to run]. I started to talk to him in a very soft, mommy voice (per GMWAME). I told him how much we missed him and wanted him to come home. He walked a little more and out of my peripheral vision. I kept talking. I slowly opened my door and slinked down the side of my driver's seat to stay low (also per GMWAME's suggestion so that if he did see me, I would be low and not intimidating). I didn't see him, but I kept talking. He had rounded the passenger side of the car, come around the back and right up to me. I am pretty sure he still didn't know who I was at this point. I grabbed his collar and he wagged his tail and LEAPT into the floorboard of my driver's seat. Crying and whining the whole time. We drove home. As we drove, he just pawed at my right shoulder, and whined and cried. He is a bit shaken up and dirty, but he'll be fine with some love, rest, and good food... like Vienna sausages!! =D

So.. what would I like you to take away from this?

1) there is hope for humanity. I CANNOT TELL you how many e-mails and phone calls I have had supporting me in this ordeal and to tell me his location. He may have been missing, but my phone was ringing off the hook.

2) You don't know it all. Reach out to people that probably know more than you (GMWAME) and be receptive to the people that offer to help you that you don't know from Adam (GMWTM) because you just never know.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=109045929172698&topic=13

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