Shaggy, sheltie

Wrong lost dog is found
Track-A-Pet members return Shaggy to his family, continue search for Attaboy
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, April 12, 2007

Shaggy, a 5-year-old Shetland sheepdog missing since August, sits on owner Jacci Ford's lap, as her husband Kenny Lindauer and one of their twins, Kristina Lindauer, 7, look on. The sheltie was found less than a mile from their North Versailles home with the collar and tag he was wearing when he went missing still around his neck.

A monthlong search for a scared Shetland sheepdog named Attaboy ended with cheers and tears Tuesday when a skinny little dog stepped into a humane box trap baited with roast beef and cheese.

But when one of his rescuers looked at the "lost" poster that had been widely distributed in North Versailles and surrounding suburbs, she said, "I don't think this is Attaboy."

The tricolored sheltie in the trap, it turned out, was a dog named Shaggy who had bolted out of his yard on Aug. 7, when the storm that spooked him blew open the gate. Around the neck of the dirty, bedraggled dog was a tattered collar with a bone-shaped tag bearing the name and telephone number of his owners.

Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Deborah Jugan called Shaggy's owners while Sandy Reech, secretary for the Forest Hills Police Department, drove the dog to his North Versailles home.

Meanwhile, Attaboy is still missing. He ran away from his new home March 13.

He had been adopted from a New Kensington shelter, and had lived in his new home only two days when he ran out the back door and never came back.

Before he was rescued by Animal Protectors, Attaboy had been living alone in a boarded up house for as long as two years. His former owners left him there when they moved away, and relatives supposedly had been dropping in to feed him, shelter workers said. He had become very shy and distrustful of people.

Both dogs are tricolored Shetland sheepdogs -- white with black and tan spots. Both are 5 years old. Pictures of both dogs show they are remarkably similar, but Attaboy has more white fur than Shaggy does.

Attaboy weighed 38 pounds when he was adopted last month.

Though Shaggy's family had never stopped missing him and had never stopped looking for him, "after eight months we never thought we would see him again," Jacci Ford said yesterday.

Shaggy was welcomed home Tuesday night by Ms. Ford, her son Thomy Ford, 23, her husband, Kenny Lindauer, and the couple's 7-year-old twins, Kenny and Kristina Lindauer.

Shaggy, who was a very overweight 65 pounds when he ran into the storm, now weighs only 25 pounds. Aside from that, he is in amazingly good shape, said the veterinarian who checked him out yesterday.

A good weight for him would be about 35 pounds, he told the family.

Shaggy does have a prescription medication to clear up a skin condition that the vet said was probably caused by fleas he picked up while living in a wooded area off Irishtown Road in North Versailles.

"Shaggy has always been such a good dog who got fat because everyone gave him treats," Ms. Ford said. "He's very sweet and affectionate with all of us, like he's never been away. We can't believe he wouldn't go to people who tried to feed him and help him."

Ms. Ford also can't believe that the dog was found less than a mile from his home.

Shaggy was found by a network of animal lovers who sometimes jokingly call themselves "pet detectives."

Ms. Jugan, who is known as "doggie DA" because she prosecutes many animal cruelty cases, owns an e-mail list called Track-A-Pet. Approximately 40 list members, including Ms. Reech, have made it their mission to reunite lost pets and their owners.

They post fliers and forward e-mails asking friends, co-workers and neighbors to look for lost dogs and cats. They call police departments, shelters and animal control agencies. Sometimes they organize dog or cat hunts and spend hours in cars and on foot looking for lost animals.

No one keeps records, but they frequently find their targets and get them home.

"It's amazing that Shaggy survived and it's a blessing that he's back with us," Ms. Ford said. "My family just cannot thank those people enough."

The Attaboy search party included Peggy Buckley of Brookline, a retired teacher and member of Track-A-Pet. On Tuesday night, Ms. Buckley sent out an e-mail prayer chain, asking people to pray for the safe return of Attaboy. Less than an hour later, Shaggy stepped into the trap.


Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07102/777312-56.stm#