Monday, January 31, 2011

Coco

The night of the missing dogs
Heather B Armstrong
8/19/2010

It all started when we received our second water bill for this house, one that had more than quadrupled in amount than the bill before it. Meaning we were spending more on water than a monthly payment on an Italian sports car. Maybe this was Jon's mid-life crisis? And instead of losing it and running out and buying a convertible Porsche he freaked out one day, stood in the back yard, and sprayed the trees with water for twenty hours straight. Would that not be the cutest mid-life crisis ever?

Now, I'm taking way more baths than I ever have in my life, but it's not like I'm filling a swimming pool every time I do it. So I know my cleanliness is not to blame for this ridiculous jump in the amount of our water bill. The only explanation is that we've got leaks or some other major issue going on with our sprinkler system. ISN'T THAT FUN. SO FUN. Welcome, sprinkler system, to our collection of home owner nightmares! Sprinkler system, meet our troubled boiler! Here's our twenty-five-year-old roof that is falling off in chunks! Sorry, you missed the dehydrated cat that was living in our attic, but here are all our broken gutters! Oh, and a retaining wall that threatens to crush the garage!

Who in their right mind would buy a house like this, right? Let's just put it this way: have you seen my bathtub? Fifteen minutes in that thing is like four shots of bourbon, and suddenly everything is fine and next thing you know you're drunk dialing friends and slurring YOU ARE SO NICE, I LIKE YOU.

So we called out The Sprinkler People, and sure enough, several spots were just shooting gallons of water into the air every time they were turned on. Did I actually just write that sentence? Oh my god, I did. I'm not going to edit it because the thirteen-year-old boy in me is begging me to elaborate.

A few hours later and things were mostly fixed, and all that was going on while we were upstairs shooting video footage for the office remodel. In fact, they finished their work just as we were playing back the video and realized that Jon had plugged the microphone mixer into the wrong hole.

(Thirteen-year-old boy snicker)

(Sixty-eight-year-old father eye roll)

Meaning the microphone I had been wearing hadn't been working the entire time. Meaning he wanted to reshoot the entire thing. Meaning my face turned an angry shade of red, and I said through gritted teeth, "You know that appointment you're supposed to make with our marriage counselor? HERE'S THE PHONE."

Right then my niece came bounding up the stairs. It was her last day with us since she starts school next week, and I thought she was coming to say goodbye. So I stood up to hug her, and she was all, dude. Gross.

And then she mumbled something, I couldn't make it out, followed by, "We can't find Coco."

What?

"Yeah, someone left the gate open, and we can't find her anywhere."

Since I have lived through The Missing Dog Scenario more than is fair to a single human being, the script started running through my head involuntarily: I AM GOING TO FIND HER DEAD BODY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS. I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS. I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS.

It all happened so fast, but I remember ripping the microphone off of my chest, running down two flights of stairs and out the front door in my bare feet while screaming COCO! COCO! COCO! And while still in my bare feet I ran a block down the street to the major avenue that circles by our neighborhood, a giant lump in my throat growing in anticipation of what I might find. Where is her limp dead body? Where is her limp dead body?

I know this is morbid, but that's exactly where my brain goes every time we can't find one of the dogs. Maybe because that's how my brother's dog died, maybe because I know so many people who have lost their dogs to cars. And suddenly my head is spinning with scenarios in my brain like, how am I going to wake up tomorrow morning knowing she's dead? How will I bring myself to put her body in the car and drive her to the vet? How am I going to tell everyone on the Internet who has grown to love her like I do? Despite her poop-eating, barking at leaves, non-stop licking everything ways?

Luckily I didn't find anything on that road, so I ran back up to the house, shoved on a pair of flip-flops and grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen. We've trained the dogs to come running to the sound of pills rattling around in a bottle, and I thought I'd drive around shaking the bottle out the window while calling her name. Jon would stay at the house in case she suddenly showed up. That was the longest car ride of my life, next to being in labor on the way to the hospital. And I know I must have looked completely insane, my head reaching as far out the window as I could stretch it, a bottle of pain meds in my hand, screaming COCO! COCO! COCO!

I imagined a horrified mother playing with her daughter in her driveway saying, "No, sweetie. That's not some new ice cream truck. Hurry inside and hide."

I circled and circled the neighborhood: nothing. Again: nothing. Again: nothing. That's when I started bawling. This is a new neighborhood. She wouldn't know her way home. What if she tried to run to the old house? I decided I'd drive over to our old neighborhood, but I wanted to touch base with Jon first. As I turned up our street, Jon was standing in the front of our house waving madly at me. That's when the lump in my throat sunk and hit my heart. I wanted to stop the car right there and never move another inch.

I know this seems ridiculous to people who don't have pets. It's just a dog, right? And even though I have kids and know the difference between the love for kids and the love for pets, that difference in no way diminishes the love for pets. We have raised this dog, fed her, treated her when ill, improved her behavior, taken her outside in the middle of the night because that's what was required. Yes, she is a total shit, but I love her shittiness. She wouldn't be Coco if she wasn't a shit.

Turns out she came running home from up the street, prompted by nothing, perhaps unable to find poop to eat in someone else's yard and remembering all the poop in ours.

And this is where the line between having pets and having kids starts to blur, because when they come home you have to act very happy about it even though your impulse is to call them names and yell hurtful obscenities. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU PUT ME THROUGH, YOU SHIT.

I parked that car so fast, ran inside the house, and actually sat on the floor so that she could lick my face with the same mouth she uses to eat all that poop, that is how much I love that dog.

However, that's another ten years off of my life.

And then later that night Chuck wouldn't come when called from the back yard. Usual behavior, except this went on and on, and then on and on, and finally Coco had to drag us up to the hole in the fence where he had escaped into the neighbor's yard. ISN'T THAT FUN. SO FUN. Welcome, broken fence! Meet the sprinkler system! We've got a boiler who is dying to meet you!

Source: http://www.dooce.com/2010/08/19/night-missing-dogs

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Archie, toy poodle

Poodle reunited with owner after epic journey
By Liam Sloan
Friday 28th January 2011

FOR 18 months, Chris and Julia Moran had no idea whether their poodle Archie was alive or dead.

Julia Moran with Archie the toy poodle

The toy poodle vanished without trace from a garden in Heybridge, Essex, in July 2009, and had not been seen since... until he turned up two days ago in Oxford.

Yesterday, 549 days on, the couple were reunited with tiny Archie, more than 100 miles from where he went missing.

The 2ft-long dog was found yelping, lost and alone in Abingdon Road by a member of the public on Wednesday.

When Oxford City Council dog warden Ken Williams discovered the dog was microchipped, he traced the owners back to Corringham, Essex, and broke the news on Mrs Moran’s 47th birthday.

Mrs Moran, a pre-school teacher, said: “It is the best birthday present I could ever have.

“When we heard the news, we thought we were in a dream, because when we lost him it was like being in limbo.”

Archie went missing from Mrs Moran’s sister’s garden in Heybridge, near Maldon, on July 27, 2009, while the family were on holiday in France.

When she phoned with the news, the family cut their trip short and sped back to Essex to look for the dog.

Mr Moran, 52, said: “We searched for days and days, and came back every weekend for several weeks.

“We put up posters all over Maldon and in the supermarkets, and there was a newspaper article in the local paper.

“We put him on Dog Lost and the Missing Pets register.

“You name it, we did it.

“We went to every effort possible but he had disappeared off the face of the earth.

“We either thought he had been knocked down and he was in a ditch somewhere, or he had gone off with somebody. It was like losing a member of our family.”

Daughter Kelly, 17, said: “When Dad told me Archie had turned up, I thought he was joking. I can’t believe it.”

Archie’s missing 18 months remain a mystery.

He was dirty but not malnourished or injured when he was found, suggesting he had been looked after.

Mr Moran said: “We don’t know how he ended up here. Maybe he came up to Oxford to study for a degree.”

Mr Williams added: “Something like this makes the whole job worthwhile.”

Source: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/8818230.Poodle_reunited_with_owner_after_epic_journey/
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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Jazz, foxy looking dog

I Saved A Lost Dog - Advantages To Walking
posted by Rob, Former Fat Guy - Weight Loss Blog
Sunday, June 10, 2007

As you may or may not know, I started the 10000 steps a day walking program earlier this week. I've been heading out my door and into the river valley walking trails here in Edmonton.

Well, as you DO know, walking is a great way to get and stay in shape. It's a low impact method of exercise that improves all area's of you life, gives you time to reflect on the day, or create your day. I listen to self help and motivational audios on my mp3 player, spending my time wisely for learning and motivation. Right now I'm listening to the unstoppable fat loss audio series from Scott Tousignant, otherwise known as the "fit bastard".

So yesterday I was out for my walk and I caught a glimpse of a "lost dog" poster on the edge of the trail. I had a look and sure enough, I recognized the dog. I called the number and spoke with Sonja and told her where I'd seen her dog Jazz, a few days earlier. Sonja lives about 12 blocks down the road from me as it turns out, so having her lost dog show up near me was not out of the question.

As I work from home, I take short breaks out on my back porch and a few days earlier, I had noticed a dog walk up to the garbage container, have a sniff and then proceed onwards. I watched the dog the whole time. Nice enough looking dog, kinda looking a bit like a fox.

So I continued on with my walk which was another 45 minutes, then spent 10 minutes on the back porch sipping a Fortune Delight to re-hydrate and then went in for a shower. I was then sitting at my desk working a bit when I heard a dog collar rattle coming from outside my window. I jumped up to have a look and sure enough, it was Jazz again.

I called up Sonja and then put on my shoes to race out to catch her. Sonja told me that she was pretty much right outside my door and I guided her toward the direction Jazz ran off. I called Jazz by name and she stopped to look at me kinda funny and then a thunder clap scared her off.

As I ran over to the neighboring street through the back alley, I saw a lady taking shelter from the rain under a car park and I asked her if she saw a dog run through here. She said yes, and that it looked a little "like a fox". That was her!

I kept on going, crossing the street and calling out to Jazz when my phone rang. It was Sonja. She had found Jazz based on the directions I had given her as she was coming up the street. Jazz had been missing for about 4 days, so was happy to be back with her owner. We had a hug and then I headed home to get out of the rain.

How many things played into finding this dog. I had looked directly at her when I first saw her and watched her the whole time she was in the back area of where I live. I walked the path where the posters were put up. I actually NOTICED the poster and had a look at it. I took the initiative to call the owner and give directions to where I had seen her. I was sitting at my desk and "heard" the collar rattle. Sonja had put out the posters and had the "intention" of finding her dog again and held that belief that she would find her. Sonja was in her car and less than 100 feet from where I saw the dog when I phoned her again so was able to be close and meet her on the road, and on and on. So many intentions, beliefs and focus and it all manifested itself.

You've gotta love the power of intention and belief. It was also no accident that I had been listening to the Joe Vitale interview from Unstoppable Fat Loss either, listening to Joe talk about Manifesting the body of your dreams and manifestation in all parts of your life. Nope... no accident at all.

So walking is not just about getting fit, clearing the mind, feeling better, improving lung capacity and bone density, but it's also about helping another find their dog. I love my life.

Source: http://www.formerfatguy.com/weblog/2007/06/i-saved-lost-dog-advantages-to-walking.asp#axzz1COxTsRf8

Friday, January 28, 2011

Tucker, German wire-haired pointer

Owner reunites with lost dog
Bill Grimes, Effingham (IL) Daily News
January 19, 2011

GREENUP — Stew Rowles wasn’t sure if he’d ever see his dog again.

Stew Rowles, left, reunites with Tucker, a German wire-haired pointer, in Greenup recently. Kathy and Bob Sponsel of rural Greenup found Tucker had taken refuge in their garage.

Rowles, a Washington, DC, resident who grew up in Sullivan, had lost Tucker — a German wire-haired pointer — while pheasant hunting near Martinsville two days before Christmas.

The retired US Bureau of Prisons employee extended his holiday visit for more than a week in a vain search for the 2-year-old pooch.

“We did everything we could think of,” Rowles said. “We put up signs, offered a reward and called radio stations.

“We also put out food in various locations, as well as clothing that he would associate with us. But none of that worked.”

What did work was Tucker’s apparent instinct for survival that led him to the garage of a rural Greenup couple.

“We saw him Wednesday (Jan. 12),” said Bob Sponsel, who lives with wife Kathy about two miles east of Greenup on the York road. “He had moved into our garage. By Friday, he’d gotten close enough for Kathy to pet him and look at his tags. Once we called him by name, he was a different dog.”

The tags included a number to call in case Tucker was lost, which he most assuredly was. The Sponsels called that number and the company contacted Rowles, who didn’t waste much time making the 12-hour drive from Washington, D.C., to be reunited with a haggard-looking Tucker.

“January 14 is a day I’m going to always remember,” Rowles said. “He’d lost a huge amount of weight and he had some cuts and cockleburrs. But right now, he doesn’t seem to have any ill effects from being out in the woods.”

Rowles said he and wife Alexandra are glad to have Tucker back home.

“We have three other dogs, but they’re all elderly,” he said. “We got Tucker because we figured our other dogs would not be with us much longer.

“He’s my wife’s favorite dog,” Rowles added. “She was pretty torn up about the whole thing, but she was sure glad to see him.”

Rowles said he was grateful Tucker found a dog-friendly home. The Sponsels’ black lab has been in the house this winter because she is expecting puppies soon.

“He picked a great couple,” Rowles said. “They kept food out for him all the time, and they had a nice place for him to stay out of the weather.”

Sponsel said the reunion was a joyous one.

“It was a real heart-jerker when the dog saw his owner,” he said. “It was an awesome scene.”

The Sponsels declined the $1,000 reward.

“We’re dog people, and besides, Tucker found us.”

Source: http://effinghamdailynews.com/local/x233964678/Owner-reunites-with-lost-dog
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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Gannon, german shepherd dog

Owner reunited with his lost guide dog
By Jeanne Starmack
Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Sam Vona of Struthers and Gannon, his seeing-eye dog, are reunited. The dog disappeared Saturday evening, and Vona got him back Tuesday morning.

STRUTHERS   It’s a tale with a tail- wagging ending.

Gannon, a seeing-eye dog who’d been missing since Saturday evening, was brought home to his ecstatic owner, Sam Vona.

The 8-year-old German shepherd was found wandering Tuesday morning by a Struthers resident who knew he’d been missing, Vona said.

He was found on Clingan Road near Poland Seminary High School, about three miles from Vona’s home at 414 Creed St, Vona said.

The man who found the dog, Sam Detoro, lives on Sixth Street in Struthers, Vona said. He had left his father’s house in Poland and saw a German shepherd walking on the side of the road. Because of extensive news coverage after Gannon’s disappearance, he suspected he’d found the missing guide dog, Vona said.

“He stopped his car and said, ‘C’mon, Gannon,’ and he got right in his car,” Vona said.

Detoro was unable to be reached Tuesday.

Vona said he got a call about 11:30 am from Struthers police — Detoro took the dog there.

He was missing his collars and ID tags, Vona said. But The Seeing Eye, the guide-dog school in New Jersey where Vona got Gannon, had tattooed a number in the dog’s ear. The police checked it and verified the dog’s identity.

Detoro drove Gannon home.

“I was crying, tears of joy,” Vona said. “He was barking. He jumped out of the car and came right to me.”

Gannon’s disappearance Saturday, after he bolted out of his yard to chase something, set off a search in which the police and about 100 people participated.

Police searched nearby woods and found no trace of him, leading the family to believe he likely was stolen.

Vona said Tuesday it’s possible that whoever took Gannon was nervous about the publicity surrounding his disappearance and set him free without his collars.

Vona said he’s sure the collars couldn’t have fallen off. “They’d have to be taken off,” he said.

Gannon seems fine after his ordeal, though he’s lost some weight, Vona said.

“He’s here, playing with his ball,” he said.

Source: http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/sep/01/owner-reunited-with-his-lost-guide-dog/
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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Huck, Viszla

Twin Cities man asking for help locating his hunting dog
By: Kevin Wallevand, WDAY
October 19 2010

(WDAY TV) - A Twin Cities man on his way to hunt pheasants in Western North Dakota has a plea out tonight, hoping you can help locate his dog "Huck." Mark Michaels, along with his friends and family today, combed the ditches and fields near the Downer exit.

On Sunday night, Mark rolled his S-U-V end over end when he swerved to miss three deer crossing Interstate 94. He suffered cuts on his head, but his hunting dog Huck, a Vishla, got scared and left the accident scene.

“A great companion, good house dog, hunted a little bit. He was not the greatest hunting dog in the world, but great family pet.”

If you see Huck, look for the owner's number on the dog's collar. Otherwise contact the Clay County Sheriff's office or the Minnesota State Patrol.

Source: http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/39676/
Follow-up story:


Pheasant hunter is reunited with his dog
By: Kevin Wallevand, WDAY
Published October 21 2010

Downer, Minn. (WDAY TV) - A remarkable, happy ending to a story we've been following all this week. The pheasant hunter who lost his prized dog following an accident near the Downer Exit is back together with him. Huck has been found!

“There he was, sitting by the door.”

When Huck strolled into Sherri Anderson's yard today, he found a friendly family willing to help.

“This is just crazy, we didn't do anything. He found us.”

At the farm, just two miles from the rollover accident, Huck hung out most of the day waiting for his owner, who along with others had combed the fields and back roads near Sabin and Downer.

“And the owner called us back in ten minutes. I am on my way. This will be a good day for somebody.”

This afternoon, after hours on the road, almost to the point of giving up, Huck's owner Mark Michaels rolled up.

“How we doing.”

What a reunion. Four days apart.

“Oh baby. God hello.”

A hunter welcomed home his best friend.
“How are you. I love you.”

In tears, Mark thanked the Andersons for taking in his dog and on this perfect autumn day, an awesome ending to the story.

“Ready to go Huckster?”

This journey on his own, finally over. He is a special dog that is for sure. Huck's owner says he can't get over how helpful people in the Red River Valley have been. Complete strangers putting on hundreds of miles in search of Huck since Sunday.

Source: http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/39808/

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Archie, cocker spaniel

Stolen dog and owner reunited after 13 months
By Peter Johnstone
January 24, 2011


Ms Masson and Archie were reunited by RSPCA staff

A STOLEN dog has been returned to its delighted owner after more than a year of separation.

Archie, a black cocker spaniel, was missing for 13 months after thieves took him from his dog trainer’s car in December 2009.

But he was back where he belonged on Wednesday (January 19) thanks to the efforts of staff at the RSPCA's South Godstone Animal Centre.

Archie's owner, Selena Masson, made television and radio appeals to find him last year, as well as amassing a 7,000-strong Facebook following, but it was all to no avail.

“We never got any leads in spite of all the publicity,” said Ms Masson, who lives in Hastings, East Sussex.

“I burst into tears when I heard he had been found.”

Staff at the centre tracked down Ms Masson after Archie was spotted by the side of the A22 and taken in by a concerned motorist.

Darren Parrish, manager of the animal centre, said: “We found he was microchipped, but the chip did not show him as being registered to anyone.

"However, the chip did have the details of the vet who implanted it, so we managed to trace Selena through contacting the vet.

“You can trace an owner through the information on a micro-chip even if it does turn out to be a bit more complicated like it has been in this case.

“We are really pleased that this story turned out to have such a happy ending.”

Source: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2086126_stolen_dog_and_owner_reunited_after_13_months_

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Rocky, Boston terrier

St Lucie Humane Society, microchip help reunite owner with dog missing since 2008
By Kim Hughes
December 22, 2010

FORT PIERCE — An unexpected phone call from the Humane Society of St. Lucie County made Ricky Allen's holidays a whole lot merrier.

Ricky Allen, of Kissimmee, is reunited with his 3-year-old Boston Terrier, Rocky, Tuesday at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County. Rocky had been stolen while still a puppy in 2008. On Monday, he was picked up by St. Lucie County Animal Control, and a microchip implant led the Humane Society to his owner.

Allen, who lives in Kissimmee, received the call Monday and was surprised to learn the shelter had his dog, Rocky. Allen had not seen the Boston terrier since February 2008, when the dog, then a puppy, mysteriously disappeared and was suspected to have been stolen in Kissimmee.

The ability to reconnect Rocky with his owner was made possible thanks to a microchip implanted under the dog's skin that included information about its owner.

When Rocky was brought in to the Humane Society by St Lucie County Animal Control, he was automatically scanned for a microchip.

Shawn Hart, outreach coordinator for the Humane Society, said scanning each animal that comes to the shelter is standard procedure.

After getting the owner information from the microchip, a staff member called Allen to notify him of his pet's whereabouts. When she heard Allen's story and recounted it to the rest of the Humane Society staff, "the whole place had tears in their eyes," Hart said.

Allen never really thought he'd see the dog, a birthday gift from his wife, again.

Although Allen knew Rocky had a microchip when he disappeared, he was under the impression that the implant acted like a GPS device and could pinpoint the dog's location. Unfortunately, after reporting the dog stolen, he learned that identifying the owner was possible only if the animal was scanned for a microchip.

On Monday, when he received the phone call from Humane Society, Allen was ready to jump in the car and head south to reunite with Rocky. But he was told he'd have to wait until Tuesday morning because the shelter was closing for the day.

The next day, he left at 4 am and was at the Humane Society by 7 am.

Unsure what to expect, Allen said the dog seemed to remember him.

"As I petted him, he smelled me and he knew," he said.

On the trip home, Rocky sat on the armrest beside Allen, occasionally licking his neck.

"It's just like he never left," he said.

After returning to Kissimmee, Allen took Rocky to work with him and said they plan to spend a lot of time hanging out together.

"It made my holiday," he said.

Source: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/dec/22/no-headline---sl_reunited/
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Friday, January 21, 2011

Sage, shepherd mix

Dog lost for 32 days became Loudoun woman’s Christmas miracle
by Alex Withrow, Times-Mirror
Thursday, Jan. 6

Part of the team that helped find Sage, who was found secure after 32 days on the lam

Carrie Reilly-Greiner had already touched down in Florida when she received a call that would drastically change the course of her holiday season.

On Nov 23, just two days before Thanksgiving, Reilly-Greiner, who was in Florida with her siblings, received a call from Shadow’s Retreat dog boarding facility in Leesburg. Sage, Reilly-Greiner’s 13-year-old Shepherd mix, had jumped two fences surrounding Shadow’s Retreat and was nowhere to be found.

“I was a little confused as to how an elderly dog could jump not one but two 4-foot tall fences, when she can’t even jump 25 inches up into my car,” Reilly-Greiner said.

Officials with Shadow’s Retreat said they were just as shocked as Reilly-Greiner to find that Sage had gone missing.

“We’ve never had any dog jump our fence,” said Carla Robey, who works at Shadow’s Retreat. “We show every dog owner the fence that lines our perimeter and ask them if they think their dog would be able to jump it.”

Reilly-Greiner boarded a plane back to Virginia. Once in Loudoun, Reilly-Greiner, who volunteers with Loudoun County Animal Care and Control, began the necessary motions to find Sage.

“We created a new plan every day,” she said. “A dog tracker identified an area very close to the facility that Sage left from, so we went off that. We had a huge search party, two trackers, dozens of volunteers and their families. The community effort was really quite humbling.”

Despite the countless hours contributed by every Animal Control volunteer and officer on staff, Sage remained lost.

After several days, Reilly-Greiner switched the perspective of her search.

“I became convinced that we needed to change the focus from active search to more of an outreach,” she said. “That’s when we went very heavy with putting up flyers in the area where she was lost.”

But after weeks of snowfall, harsh winds and freezing temperatures, Reilly-Greiner still had no leads.

Then, on Dec 23, Reilly-Greiner received her first message of hope in more than a month. She received a call from a woman who lives in the area where they were searching.

“She told me that her son and a friend had seen a dog matching what they saw on the flyer,” Reilly-Greiner said. “After speaking with her for a few minutes, I knew they had spotted Sage.”

Shortly after 10 am on Christmas Eve, while patrolling near Route 15 and Trail Race Road, Reilly-Greiner spotted Sage feeding on a deer carcass. Despite gentle calls to her dog, Sage did not respond to her owner.

“She didn’t recognize me or my voice,” Reilly-Greiner said. “The wind was blowing against me, so she couldn’t pick up my scent, either. There was no recognition. I was a stranger to her. I called Animal Control, who came out and set up a few humane traps. By 7 pm, no one had seen her.”

After 32 days of no solid leads, Reilly-Greiner was aggravated but inspired by her fleeting moment of hope. Hours later, at 10:30 pm on Christmas Eve, Reilly-Greiner received what she calls her Christmas miracle.

“I got a call from Amy at Animal Control, telling me they had found my baby girl,” Reilly-Greiner said. “It only took me a few seconds to get out the door. Once I was in front of her, a very strange thing happened. Dogs have serotonin in their brains, which makes them act domesticated. And when that serotonin dissipates, as it does very rapidly when a domesticated dog is out in the wild, they revert to survival mode. Once I was reunited with her, I could literally see the serotonin kicking back in. She began to lick me and cry and wag her tail. It was quite a remarkable moment.”

According to Animal Control staff, Sage and Reilly-Greiner’s reunion was heartfelt for everyone involved.

“I honestly don’t remember too much about making that call to Carrie. I think I was in such a state of shock,” said Amy Seymour, who found Sage on her day off. “Everyone, especially Carrie, put so much hard work into this search. And to see Carrie and Sage reunited, it made it all worth it. It was really very special.”

Animal Control Officer Chris Brosan said the reunion was something he’ll never forget.

“Sage had been gone so long, and at her age … you start wondering what her fate is,” Brosan said. “But the moment the two of them were reunited was just incredible. It truly was unforgettable.”

Minutes after locating Sage, Reilly-Greiner called Tom Jones of Ashburn Veterinary Hospital, who opened his doors at 11 pm on Christmas Eve to treat a very malnourished Sage.

“Her lab results came back with her having a very common parasite, which is easily treatable,” Reilly-Greiner said. “She lost 32 percent of her body weight, but she’s getting back on track.

“I rescued Sage when she was 3 months old,” she said. “I know her, and I honestly think I would’ve felt it if she was gone. I wasn’t able to accept that she was gone – I knew she was still here. Owners looking for their dogs just need to follow their instincts. Be realistic and don’t give up.”

A week after her rescue, Sage confidently pranced around the grounds of Loudoun Animal Control, secured by a fluorescent-colored pink leash held tightly by her owner. It was the first time Sage had been reunited with many of the people who spent a month searching for her.

After catching up with Animal Control staff, Reilly-Greiner looked down at Sage, who was standing obediently by her side. As she patted Sage’s head, she said the same thing to her as she did during their reunion.

“Come on, baby girl,” Reilly-Greiner said. “It’s time to get you home.”



Source: http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/dog_lost_for_more_than_a_month_became_loudoun_womans_christmas_miracle123/

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Max, chocolate lab

Lost Dog Found in Malverne Reunited With Owners
Two-year-old Max returns home to Rockville Centre.
By Tara Conry
January 9, 2011

There was a happy ending to the story of a dog found wandering alone on a busy street on the border of Malverne and Lynbrook late Saturday night.


Max, a 2-year-old Chocolate Labrador, had been darting across Lakeview Avenue around 11:30pm on Dec 8 when Malverne resident Ryan Conry spotted the playful pup.

Another driver, a middle aged man with a few passengers in his car, had stopped to try to retrieve the animal but the dog was much too quick as it romped around the snow and through the streets and roadways.

Conry spun his car around and came to the pooch's aid, using a few pieces of cooked chicken breasts he had been bringing home from a family party held that night to coax the dog toward him and grab the leash.
"He hopped right into the car," said Conry, who added that the other concerned driver followed him home to his house to make sure the dog was in safe hands.

Once inside the Conry home, Ryan discovered that the dog did not have an ID tag, but it quickly became clear that the dog was no stray. In fact, he appeared to come from a good home. He was friendly - licking everyone's faces- housebroken and would sit upon command. At first he enjoyed frolicking throughout every room in the house and following his new friends like a shadow, but he soon showed them he was not there for a permanent stay when he made not one, but two breakaways.

While on a walk that night, he broke the belt the Conry's had fashioned as a temporary leash and escaped down the block before two of the family members cornered him and caught him again. Then around 1am, he hopped over a small gate and pushed open a screen door to flee the house, at which point Ryan Conry found himself sprinting several blocks in the chilly night through Malverne wearing only a thin undershirt in pursuit of the dog, who kept stopping to make sure the young man was still following.

"It was like he was playing a game," said Conry, who didn't even have a coat, a leash or a cell phone on him to call in back-up.

He finally caught up to him around Our Lady of Lourdes School in Malverne, where he tackled the animal and grabbed hold of the collar.

"Once I had him, he didn't fight me...he easily walked with me back home," Conry said.

It appeared that the dog didn't know how to find his way to his actual home, but the Conrys, who had watched their beloved 14-year-old Old English Sheepdog pass away in late June, were determined to unite the lovable animal with his owners. They called the local police stations for Malverne, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre and Nassau County, but the officers said no one had reported a missing dog that matched the description.

"He's so fast, he could have come from Connecticut," Richard Conry said.

They began to post announcements on Facebook and Patch, hung flyers in some of the local stores and after purchasing a heavy-duty leash, walked the dog around the neighborhood asking passer-bys if they recognized the pure bred pooch.

Many people remarked that it was a beautiful dog, but not one they had seen in the neighborhood before. The Conrys also brought the dog into Asissi Veterinary Hopsital in Malverne, where a helpful technician scanned the dog for an identification chip but her search was fruitless. They also checked their list of patients to see if the dog matched any others that had come through their doors, but did not.

The Conrys were starting to wonder if anyone was even looking for the dog and if through their good deed they had unknowingly just brought a new addition into the family, when a call came in late Sunday afternoon from the Rockville Centre Police. An officer said they received a call from a woman looking for a dog that sounded much like the one the Conrys reported finding.

They connected with a woman from Rockville Centre, who described the dog exactly and said his name was Max. The woman said she knew the owners, who had moved to the area recently from Michigan, and had been searching with them until 3am for the dog. She explained that Max had been staying with a relative of the owners when he got loose Saturday night.

Moments later she and the owners were at the Conrys door with a camera full of photos of the same dog that had spent the night in their home. They said they had called local police stations in the area to report their dog missing, but not all were cooperative. They were very grateful to the family, even joking that they had found a new sitter, and happy to have their dog back.

While Max seemed to enjoy his adventurous trip and short stay in Malverne - where he enjoyed plenty of treats and left with a new stuffed toy - he was very excited to see his owner again and return safely home. (Although the Conrys kept the leash in case he decides to return.)

Source: http://malverne-westhempstead.patch.com/articles/lost-dog-found-in-malverne-reunited-with-owners

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Highway, jack russell terrier

Runaway Dog Found On Highway, Reunited With Owner
Jamie Peter | Web Producer
December 28, 2010

Bethlehem Twp, PA -- A dog who was found running on a highway during rush hour is home safely.


The Bethlehem Fire Department said it responded to a crash on Route 22, near the Route 191 interchange, in Northampton County.

The crash happened when a woman swerved to miss hitting the dog as she traveled west on 22 during rush hour, Asst Chief Ron Ford said.

As crews rolled up on the wreck, Ford said the dog ran in front of the rescue truck.

Firefighters were then able to catch the dog, which Ford said appeared to be trapped on the highway because of the fences that surround Route 22 in that area.

Meanwhile the dog's owner, who just picked it up from a kennel earlier in the day, called 911 and asked for help.

Dispatchers were able to put the owner in touch with the fire department. The owner said he was introducing the dog to another dog when it ran away.

"We named her, at least at the fire house, her new name is 'Highway,'" said Ford. "So, it's up to the new owner, but around here she'll always be known as 'Highway."

The woman who crashed her car was not seriously hurt, firefighters said.

Source: http://www.wfmz.com/lehighvalleynews/26303536/detail.html
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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Tito, chihuahua

Bernards Township couple helps reunite lost pet with family in Kearny
This dog’s tale has a happy ending

By Amy Baratta, contributing writer, Recorder Community Newspapers

Friday, January 7, 2011

Tito, a 5-year-old Chihuahua who had been missing from his Kearny home since July, spent the Christmas holiday with Jim and Eileen Furst of Basking Ridge, who found the dog wandering down the middle of Pond Hill Road. With the help of Tito’s microchip and good old-fashioned telephone detective work, the Fursts were able to reunite the dog with his owners.


BERNARDS TWP. - As unexpected holiday houseguests go, Tito couldn’t have had more beautiful manners.

He seldom made noise during his four-day stay at the Basking Ridge home of Eileen and Jim Furst and he turned out to be great company for the couple.

In fact, he made himself right at home, according to Eileen Furst, who found the 5-year-old light-brown Chihuahua wandering, without a collar or dog tags, down the center of Pond Hill Road on Christmas Eve morning.

“He acted like he lived here all his life,” Furst said. “My husband fell asleep in his recliner with the dog on his lap.

“He barked maybe four times while he was here. As far as a houseguest, you couldn’t ask for anything better.”

A self-professed dog lover, Eileen Furst said she was just being a good Samaritan when she stopped her car at 9am Friday, Dec 24, to try to corral the small dog she saw wandering down the center of the two-lane road.

With the help of another passer-by, Furst said, she put the dog in her car and canvassed the nearby neighborhood, hoping to find someone searching for a lost dog.

While unsuccessful in that quest, Furst said she did come across a woman who worked for an animal shelter.

The woman was heading out of town for the Christmas weekend but told Furst that if she was unsuccessful in finding the dog’s owner by Monday, she would take him to the shelter. In the meantime, the woman gave Furst, who does not own a dog and did not have any supplies, a half a bag of dog food for her new canine companion.

Furst then headed home to Hunter’s Lane, where, while she did some Christmas Eve cooking, husband Jim took up the task of trying to unravel the mystery of the dog’s owner.

“He found another neighbor who also works for a shelter and she suggested we take him to Basking Ridge Animal Hospital to be scanned for a (micro) chip,” Furst said. “Shortly, Jim comes back walking the dog on a red leash. The hospital had given him a leash and loaned us a crate with towels in the bottom and everything. One of the girls who works there also gave us a half a bag of food.

“They were great. They even clipped his toenails free of charge – he got a pedicure - and they scanned him for a chip, which, to my surprise, he did have.”

Armed with information about the Nebraska company that stored details embedded in the chip, the Fursts tried to make contact but to no avail.

“We’re talking Christmas Eve,” Furst said. “Nobody’s around Christmas Eve.”

The question then arose what to do with their tiny visitor the next day, since they were planning to spend Christmas with family in Yardley, PA.

“We took him with us,” she said, adding that they would be gone too long to leave the dog by himself. “He was clean, very well behaved and housebroken.”

Long Journey

A quick call to Nebraska on Monday morning revealed that their mystery guest was born Aug. 7, 2005, and had been purchased from The Pet Company in the Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, Furst said.

However, when the couple called the pet store to see if they could obtain any details about the dog’s owner, she said, they were told it was closing for the day because of the blizzard.

“So there we were, high and dry again,” she said.

When they called back the next morning, they were told that a Kearny woman named Anna Ferreira had purchased the Chihuahua.

At that point, Furst didn’t know what to think.

“I mean, how would a Chihuahua get from Kearny to Basking Ridge,” she asked.

The answer is still a mystery.

When the Fursts contacted Ferreira, she told them that the dog and her cat had gone missing from her yard in July and efforts to find them – by posting fliers and contacting animal control officers and the police – proved fruitless.

She indicated she had paperwork with the chip number to prove that the dog was hers and showed up at the Fursts’ house shortly thereafter.

“She didn’t even know where Basking Ridge was,” Furst said. “But she came right away – she was here an hour and a half after we spoke.”

The woman, accompanied by her mother, who spoke only Portuguese, “started crying the minute she saw (the dog),” Furst said. “His name was Tito. It was definitely her dog.”

Ferreira told Furst that her family had had another Chihuahua that died, leaving them heartbroken, so she had purchased Tito. Her daughter had been asking to get another dog after Tito disappeared but Ferreira told her that she couldn’t bear to have another pet.

“She must have called every relative she had (about finding Tito) because she was standing in my kitchen and her phone kept ringing. She was speaking Portuguese but I could hear the word ‘Tito,’ ” Furst said.

Despite all the detective work that it took to reunite Tito with his family, Furst said the couple was only too happy to oblige.

“I kept thinking, ‘Here it is Christmas Eve and somebody has lost their dog. They’re sitting there with their family wondering where their dog was and who had him,’ ” Furst said. “Other than the fact that we had this blizzard and it was the perfect storm of not being able to contact somebody (because of the holiday weekend), it was a very happy ending.”

Source: http://newjerseyhills.com/bernardsville_news/news/article_93ed06fa-18f6-11e0-8740-001cc4c03286.html
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Saturday, January 15, 2011

Galley, golden retriever

Reunited: Service Dog Lost and Found on Southside
1/13/2011

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 10-year-old autistic boy depends on his service dog for much-needed therapy. This morning he woke up and his dog was gone.


"She is a highly-trained service dog, trained specifically for Bobby," said his father Robert Perry, Jr.

The family placed flyers all over the East Hampton neighborhood asking for anyone with information to call them.

"It's devastating. It feels like we lost one of our family members," said Perry.

Sometime overnight, their 2-year-old Golden Retriever named Galley managed to make a quick getaway through the garage and was nowhere to be found. Perry feared someone picked Galley up and planned to keep her as a pet.

"Galley is an extraordinarily friendly dog. She'd lick the hand of a burglar and she's a friend of mankind," said Perry.

Just when the family thought they'd spend another cold night without Galley, the missing dog was back home and oblivious to the trouble she'd caused.

"What a great, wonderful ending and our family is back together," said Perry.

It turns out that it was actually another mischievous dog that helped set the reunion in motion.

"My son's dog Maverick escaped last night so in the process of looking for Maverick about 10:30 or so, they found both Maverick and Galley back behind one of the neighborhood lakes. They were playing and having a good time," said Gary Barlow.

Barlow decided to take Galley in since it was so cold, figuring the next day he'd hear of someone looking for a missing dog. He was happy to reunite her with the Perry family.

"It feels good," said Barlow.

The family said one of their next steps is getting a chip for Galley, just in case she plans to make another escape.

The Perrys received Galley about 6 months ago from Project Chance. The organization specializes in placing service dogs with people with special needs.



Source: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=186356&catid=3

Friday, January 14, 2011

Fred, Beagle

Truck driver and his dog reunited
Sarah Weber
10:01 AM Nov 08 2010

Port Clinton (THE REST OF THE STORY)

Fred the beagle bounced happily off the chest of his master, Fred Sanicky, during a most unlikely reunion Sunday morning in Port Clinton.


Little more than a week ago, Sanicky thought he would never see his little pal again. The long-haul truck driver stopped to get a cup of coffee at a rest stop in Eaton, Ohio, west of Dayton, when Fred went missing. He had tied Fred outside the truck so the pup could get a little fresh air while he went into the store.

Sanicky got his coffee and returned to the truck within 10 minutes, but found Fred and his leash missing.

“I stood out there for four hours waiting,” Sanicky said. He hoped if Fred managed to get loose he’d tire and come back to the truck.

Fred escaped at a New Jersey stop one time, but that was different. The dog ran around the parking lot for about an hour before he came back to Sanicky for a drink.

This time Sanicky had tethered him with a good steel line, leaving little likelihood the dog disappeared on his own. Someone must have taken him.

Sanicky phoned his cousin, Mary Priddy, in Port Clinton to tell her she could cancel Fred’s upcoming vet appointment.

“We thought he was a goner,” Priddy said.

But Wednesday, Sanicky got a call from a retired couple in Anna, Ohio, about 70 miles away from where Fred went missing.

They told him they’d found Fred wandering around in their backyard. Luckily, Fred still had his collar and ID tags.

The couple wanted to know if Sanicky wanted the dog back.

“Of course I wanted him back,” Sanicky said.

But he was on a job and couldn’t reroute to get Fred right away.

So Priddy volunteered to go get the dog and take care of him until Sanicky came home.

“I don’t have any heat in my car, and I was freezing the whole way down there,” she said. “But the closer we got the more I got excited. I pulled in the driveway and I started crying.”

She shared grateful hugs with the couple and took Fred back to Port Clinton. He played with Priddy’s small pack of Chihuahuas last week while waiting to be returned to his master.

In Priddy’s kitchen Sunday morning, Sanicky scooped up Fred and held the wriggling pup to his chest.

“Yup, things are back to normal,” he said.

Sanicky got Fred late this spring from a friend who bought the pup for his children. The children named the dog Fred, and Sanicky didn’t want to change his name.

He likes having the dog to keep him company on his routes, and Fred loves to watch out the window.

When they stop Sanicky takes Fred for a walk and fixes him a good meal.

Priddy kept Fred’s vet appointment after all, and the doctor declared the 3-year-old Beagle in excellent condition despite his ordeal.


“Tomorrow morning we’re leaving for Springfield, Ohio,” Sanicky said.

Fred will be riding shotgun once again.

Source: http://www.sanduskyregister.com/2010/nov/07/homewardboundsw110810xml

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Dixie, aussie

Dixie is Found!!!!
Serina L
March 29, 2010

Dixie- thank god, is found! I would like to share the story filling in the gaps between her loss and her final return.

Dixie was lost and found in March 2010

As we know, Dixie had gone missing out of Terence's back yard Tuesday night, and he bagan searching for her. There were many people involved donating hours uppon hours of their time walking, and talking to people and handing out fliers. The mornings were early, and the nights were so late, you could count them as quite early as well.

On day two (Wednesday) Besides the street searching, her hunt became more advanced including puting fliers in pet stores, gas statios, any other place that would take them, including along the streets. The humane society and animal control were called. (and became a daily task)

Then on Wednesday night, it was beginning to feel hopeless. We had heard stories about puppies being stolen from people's back yards, and that was a huge and gut wrenching shock! We knew that either way, the longer she was lost, the less of a chance we would have in getting her back.

That night, we searched the internet for any puppy sale listing in Minnesota. (ther are a lot of them by the way) We put adds on any internet sight that might help, and in every news paper we could think of surrounding the St Cloud area. This was extremely time consuming, not to mention heavy on the pocket book. None of the time or money mattered however, as long as it gave us even the smallest posibility of getting Dixie home safe.

Thursday, a lost dog specialist was called, and she set up a search game plan, and designed poster boards to promote to the dense weekend traffic in St Cloud. The poster boards were picked up thursday night in big lake and a group of people were recruited to create a full on weekend search for Dixie.

Friday morning, Terence was on his way to pick up Dixie's Lost Dog posters, when he got a call. The newspaper adds had come out, and someone had Dixie! Terence turned right around and hurried back to St Cloud to be reunited with his dog.

He arrived at the house where Dixie had been staying the whole time, and was pleasantly greeted by the man at the door.

The man asked about the reward posted on the flier Terence had put out. Terence told him he was planning on offering $500 - he didn't have it with him, but he would be happy to get the money and bring it to him. The man then said that he planned to keep her until Terence came back with his reward. Terence told the man he was happy to get the money and come right back, but he wasn't going to leave without his dog. Then the man became hostile and informed him that this was unacceptible and refused to give Terence his dog back!

Terence then called the police. While they waited the man informed him that he had planned to keep Dixie and only decided to call and return her when he saw the posters. He then had the audacity to inform Terence that HE owned the dog now, and his friend in the house piped in "posession is 9 10ths of the law"

The police came and negotiations began. Obviously Terence owned the dog, but the officer asked him to try and settle this peacefully and which point a friend brought $75 to the house for the man and Terence left with his dog.

Bravo to Terence for managing to stay civil! He had spent the better part of a year finding and preparing for the perfect dog, and finally got to bring her home last month. Then this jerk off just decides to make her his! She would have been home days ago if it weren't for the scum like the man who poor Dixie had to stay with for 3 whole days!

Hours of searching, and hundreds of dollars were spent in her search, and all the while this guy had taken her with absolutely no intention of giving her back. If the flier hadn't said there was a reward for her, he wouldn't have even given her back. He would have just let us continue to worry, with no idea what may have happened to her for his own selfish benefit. I take a little bit of comfort in knowing this sorry excuse for a human being didn't get the full reward. He screwed himself with his own selfishness and showed his true colors. I honestly hope that his selfishness continues to hold him back in life because he doesn't deserve any better.

Meanwhile, little Dixie is back home, and content! She is micro chipped and will never go back yard running without her collar and close supervision again! (Smart little girl to figure her way out of a fenced yard)

Thank you to all of the good people out there who helped us find Dixie! The world is blessed to have good people like you in it! I can't believe the number of people who stepped up to help us find her, whether it was keeping watch for her, or helping in the full on search, every little bit helped. It's nice to know there are some truely wonderful people out there!

Source: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=107988595892223

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Barkley, silky terrier

Dog reunited with owner after two years missing
Aaron Vaughn, FOX 13 News
9:03 PM MST, November 15, 2010

HERRIMAN, Utah   After two years waiting, a Herriman woman is reunited with her lost dog.

Melissa Alexander was living in West Jordan when her beloved Silky Terrier went missing. Alexander exhausted her search efforts looking for Barkley when he went missing. She later moved to Herriman and after a few years past she decided to adopt another dog.

When Alexander logged on to the Salt Lake County Animal Services web site she spotted her long lost Barkley.

Barkley was brought to the shelter as a stray. Melissa says she knew immediately it was her dog and their reunion proved it.

"The first thing he did was he just kind of came up rolled over on his belly right by my feet and just was lickey and happy and just excited and it was neat to get him back," said Alexander. "I guess he just needed me as bad as I needed him, maybe it was meant to be."

Melissa says Barkley is now microchipped and wears three ID tags.

Animal control officers say they can't recall such a reunion that resulted from such a long span of time.



Source: http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-lost-dog-reunited-2-years,0,5620364.story
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sadie, pomeranian

Pomeranian stolen from Onset yard reunited with owner
By Ashleigh Bennett , Wicked Local Wareham
Posted Dec 22, 2010 @ 11:10 AM

Sadie, a purebred Pomeranian, was stolen out of an Onset yard last year.

ONSET — Kathleen Stetson received one of the greatest Christmas presents this year. In July 2009, her Pomeranian, Sadie, was stolen from her fenced-in backyard. So she was beside herself when, over a year later, she got a phone call saying, “We found your dog.”

Sadie was stolen from Stetson’s summer home in Onset, where she’s spent her summers for the past 35 years.

“I was out on the porch with a friend,” she said, “and I went inside to answer the phone. When I came back a minute later, Sadie was gone.”

“I knocked on doors, I put up fliers and I called every shelter,” she continued, “but because it was a long weekend, I couldn’t get in touch with everyone.”

Stetson also found out that the microchip Sadie had doesn’t act as a GPS locator; it only works when scanned by a vet or shelter.

Stetson, who has to undergo surgery for severe leg, joint and arthritic problems, was sitting with a neighbor the day before she had to go in for another surgery when her phone rang.

“I was just telling a neighbor about Sadie,” she said, “and two hours later, the Dartmouth Humane Society called telling me that they found her.”

She rushed from her Attleboro home to Dartmouth to be reunited with her dog.

“Sadie remembered me. She definitely recognized my voice,” she said.

Sadie, in true dog fashion, walked through the front door and went right to where her food bowl was.

Stetson said that receiving that phone call was like a dream come true. She never gave up hope on being reunited with Sadie, but she said that after she didn’t get a call about Sadie during the first two weeks, she began to worry that something horrible had happened to the dog.

“Your mind goes crazy,” she said, “For months, I dreamed she was crying for me and I couldn’t get to her. It was very disheartening.”

The woman who dropped Sadie off at the shelter said she found the dog wandering the streets in the rain. Stetson, though, feels the scenario doesn’t add up. Sadie was dry and well groomed despite the weather, and the woman also dropped off a toy with the dog, which she had renamed as “Sugar.”

As someone who regularly donates to the MSPCA to prevent animal abuse, delivers food to people who can’t leave their home and who works at the Attleboro Food Pantry, Stetson was deeply bothered by whoever could be callous enough to steal her dog.

“It’s really wrong and needs to be stopped,” she said. “There needs to be some type of repercussion for people who do this. It’s very inhumane, and it nearly destroyed me.”

Stetson isn’t sure who stole her dog, but she thinks Sadie was stolen to be bred, and she will find out this week if Sadie had a littler of puppies. Purebred Pomeranian puppies can go for $1,000.

“The day Sadie was stolen, I changed. I went into a deep depression, and everything went downhill from there,” she said. “I lost my job, had gotten injured and had gone through a second surgery for my legs.”

Stetson couldn’t bring herself to return to Onset without Sadie.

Meanwhile, she bought another Pomeranian named Sunny Boy. Sunny Boy and Sadie get along perfectly.

“They’re like brother and sister,” she said. “they play and play-fight all day. If you have one dog, you need two.”

“I couldn’t go back last year because it conjured up so many bad memories,” she added. “But now, this year, I get to go back with two beautiful Pomeranians.”

Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/wareham/news/x1682030015/Pomeranian-stolen-from-Onset-yard-reunited-with-owner

Monday, January 10, 2011

Bear, golden

Lost dog, owner reunited after drama
Golden retriever goes home after legal adoption by another family
By Salatheia Bryant, Houston Chronicle
Sept. 16, 2006, 12:53AM

Christina Porreca plays with her golden retriever Bear, who she says got lost and was adopted by a family before Porreca was able to find her.

A day after the day she thought would never come, Christina Porreca was as ecstatic as a new mother.

Her beloved Bear was back home with the rest of her four-legged "babies" after weeks of negotiations with a breed rescue group to win the dog's return from the family who legally adopted her.

The reunion came Thursday night, an hour after the scheduled meeting time — but not before she handed over a $250 check, money borrowed on her mother's credit card — to cover the expense of caring for Bear.

"It's good to be a happy, happy family again," Porreca said Friday. "Now, she's going to be spoiled rotten."

Porreca's six-week lost-dog drama started July 28, when Bear escaped from her son's yard after a child left the gate open. Porreca searched local public and private shelters. It wasn't until she logged on to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Houston's Web site three weeks later that she discovered Bear had been adopted. The new family was calling her Ella.

Patti Page, president of the group, said that while Porreca may be happy, Bear's return leaves another family who had bonded with the dog unhappy.

Page said it took time to investigate Porreca's claim that "Ella Bear," as she refers to her, belonged to her.

Page noted there were things Porreca could have done, such as having an identifying microchip embedded under Bear's skin and putting up "lost dog" posters in the neighborhood, that could have speeded the dog's return.

"What would have been best if she would have found her before she was adopted," said Page said. "The adopter adopted Ella in good faith. Legally, it was her dog. She wanted to do what was best."

Porreca said she will get Bear microchipped. She also plans to take more pictures of Bear.

"I felt like it should have been (over) sooner," Porreca said. "But if this was the ordeal I had to go through to get her back then I'll do it."

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4190984.html

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Ace, black lab

Dog found in Beauregard reunited with owner in Georgia after missing 5 years
Published: January 30, 2009

Ace, a black Labrador retriever from Georgia, was found in Beauregard Jan. 22.

When Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Pharmacist Helen Gill called Randy Dely earlier this week to tell him his dog had been found he was a bit confused.

As he held the phone in his hand, the Webster County, GA, sheriff looked to his left at his dog, Harley, safely by his side. Surely there had been a mistake, he thought.

Then he heard Gill say, “We have Ace.” The telephone fell silent as Dely began to ponder those words.

That’s when it hit him. Ace was his black Labrador retriever that had been missing for almost five years.

“I never thought I would ever see him again,” Dely said Thursday as he stood inside the AU Small Animal Clinic’s lobby, where he was reunited with his rotund, four-legged companion.

Almost five years after Ace disappeared from Dely’s Webster County, Ga., home in March 2004, the dog was found in the yard of AU Large Animal Clinic pharmacy technician Mechelle Golden’s house in Beauregard.

“I could tell he was somebody’s dog, because he was very well taken care of and very well groomed,” said Golden, who found Ace lying next to her dogs’ outside kennel Jan. 22.

Golden immediately began searching for Ace’s owner. After checking with a number of animal clinics in the area, Golden decided to take the dog to work to have him scanned for a microchip that would provide contact information for his owner.

On Tuesday, Gill found a microchip which provided the information that eventually led to her telephone call with Dely. The microchip had been placed between Ace’s shoulders by a veterinarian in Americus, GA, who also implanted microchips in all of Dely’s dogs.

“The best $25 investment,” Dely said, referring to the microchip that helped reunite him with Ace.

Ace was a puppy when he was given to Dely by a close friend, who had given him the dog to take dove hunting. Dely had just began to train Ace in the field when the dog disappeared.

Ace shared the kennel with a yellow Lab, Reefer, a retired Webster County Sheriff’s Office drug dog who had a penchant for escaping by climbing the fence. More than likely, Dely said, Ace had also learned to climb the fence.

Dely seemed just as eager to reunite Ace with the his old friend Reefer, who is now 16 years old.

“We’ve got to get reacquainted,” Dely said, “Once he sees that yellow Lab, I think a lot will come back to him at that point.”

Ace left the AU campus sporting a few going-away presents he received from the staff, including Golden — a collar, bandanna, leash and tag — all bearing the AU logo.

“I hope you’re an Auburn fan,” Golden told Dely, as she handed him Ace’s leash. “I am now,” replied Dely, who gave a check to Golden and to the Auburn University Foundation as a way of saying thanks.

“The whole experience has just been amazing to me,” Dely said. “I had never believed I would ever see this dog again.”

Before helping Ace into the cab of a friend’s pickup truck to make the more than 60-mile trip home to Webster County, GA, Dely said, “We may just lead the life of Riley. But if he wants to hunt, we’ll hunt.”

Source: http://www2.oanow.com/news/2009/jan/30/dog_found_in_beauregard_reunited_with_owner_in_geo-ar-507724/
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Saturday, January 8, 2011

Jezebel, retriever

Las Vegas woman reunites with missing dog after 105 days
Updated: Nov 05, 2010 8:12 PM EDT


A Las Vegas woman is reunited with her best friend thanks to a tiny piece of technology and two people with big hearts.


22-year-old Melissa Lopez lost 6-year-old Jezebel in a Pennsylvania forest over the Fourth of July. Melissa was confident she would get the golden retriever back because the dog had contact information implanted in a microchip.

Melissa said, "I didn't know where I was gonna be or where she was gonna be but I knew, one day, because of that chip I was gonna get my dog back. I did not give up or lose faith."

105 days after Jezebel got lost, Cheryl and Neal Mann in Pennsylvania found the emaciated dog. They found the microchip when they had her screened by a veterinarian and contacted Melissa.

After the Mann's spent a week nursing Jezebel back to health, Neil drove her from Pennsylvania to reunite with Melissa in Oklahoma because the retriever was too frail to fly.

The Mann's also lost a golden retriever who wasn't micro chipped. The one they have now, is protected just like Jezebel.

Source: http://www.ktnv.com/story/13455272/las-vegas-woman-is-reunited-with-lost-dog-after-105-days?redirected=true
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Friday, January 7, 2011

Midge, border collie

Lost sheepdog turns up safe in Salford
Paul Britton
October 16, 2009

Reunited: Midge with Jean Bradley

A border collie who ran away from the countryside to the bright lights of Salford has been reunited with her owners after they mounted a desperate search.

Midge vanished from her home in Salterforth, near Barnoldswick, east Lancashire, leaving owners Robert and Jean Bradley devastated.

The couple embarked on a search for their 10-year-old pet, clocking up 600 miles and putting up 300 appeal posters in the area around their home.

Eventually, they placed an advert in the M.E.N. The ad was seen by neighbours Christine Clough and Janet Riston, who had found a collie collapsed near their homes in Leicester Road, Broughton, three weeks earlier and taken her in.

They had nursed the dog back to health and given her the name Jordie, splitting the job of caring for her between them. The neighbours responded to the advert and an emotional reunion followed.

Midge is now home, but mystery surrounds how she travelled from her home to Salford, nearly 40 miles away.

Owner Jean, 55, said the kindness shown to her pet by the two Salford neighbours had 'restored her faith in human nature'.

She said: "Only Midge really knows how she got there. It is just amazing and a miracle to have her back. If it was not for the M.E.N. and the two ladies then she wouldn't be here. We can't thank them enough because it was like losing a family member. We feel blessed to have been so lucky in finding her, although we have aged 10 years."

Midge disappeared from a house Jean's husband Robert was working on in Chatburn, Clitheroe, on September 13.

She said: "It is not like her but we think she was looking for me. She is always with me." The family searched surrounding roads and villages and an advertising campaign followed. They even put up a huge sign appealing for information on a main road.

Jean said: "We rang every dog warden and vet as far as Blackpool and Preston. We were also talking to kennels. People were ringing up but it was never Midge. We were very worried because she is quite a timid dog and was on medication at the time. I could not sleep and it was terrible. We were just hoping she would turn up and the advert was the last resort."

Midge was spotted by friends who had been invited to dinner at the home of Janet Riston. Janet, 48, a civil servant, said: "The poor dog was collapsed in the street. We thought it was dead at first because it wasn't moving.

"Christine has dogs so she stayed with me. I fattened her up and she was quite lively in the end and was running around the garden. "We knew it was possible that it was the same dog in the advert so we got in touch.

"She was a really lovely, affectionate dog. I thought that I might end up keeping her but we did the right thing. I've never regretted it because I would hate to think of someone keeping my dog."

Janet sent Jean a photo and Robert arranged to collect her. Janet said: "The man was overcome. It was quite something to see." Jean told how they thought the call was a joke.

She added: "The wait for Robert to return was the longest of my life. It was unbelievable. I was just stunned when she came home and couldn't believe what had happened. We just want to say a big thanks to everyone.

"Midge is fine and at home wondering what all the fuss was about. We just don't know how she got to Salford but we are glad she did. "They took great care of her and it was like someone had given us a million pounds."

Source: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1176612_lost_sheepdog_turns_up_safe_in_salford

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Piper, tan dog

Kingsport family's lost, sick dog returns for Christmas
By Phillip Murrell
Published: December 24, 2010

A Kingsport family has been searching for their sick dog since Saturday.

The Nelson family went on vacation, leaving Piper at her local animal hospital.

While an employee walked her, she accidently slipped off her harness.

The Nelsons and the animal hospital have been looking for Piper, hoping to find her so she could get her medicine for her illness.

She has a disease that causes inflammation of her spinal chord.

Thanks to dozens of flyers and a helpful neighbor, they found her.

Larry Lyon looked through a wooded area in his neighborhood of Preston Forest, and found Piper laying down at the bottom of a hill.

An 11 Connects crew captured the moments leading up to a Lyon finding her.

"Oh...Merry Christmas to the Nelson family. This is great! I've got to call everybody," exclaimed Marsha Nelson.

Piper is doing well tonight - she's set to receive chemo treatment for her illness on Monday.

Watch the video above to see the amazing reunion.




Source: http://www2.tricities.com/news/2010/dec/24/kingsport-familys-lost-sick-dog-returns-christmas-ar-735553/?referer=http://twitter.com/&shorturl=http://tricities.com/ar/735553/

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Bruno, German shepherd

Couple finds dog reported missing
By Diana M. Alba / -news.com
Posted: 12/27/2010 11:30:29 PM MST


LAS CRUCES - Atop Alex Estrada's wish list this year was something that didn't belong there in the first place: Bruno, his family's 2-year-old German Shepherd dog, which was snatched from a fenced yard on Christmas Eve.

It may have come a day late, but his Christmas wish became a reality.

Following the theft Thursday, Estrada, 30, of Las Cruces posted a stolen-dog notice on Craigslist, along with an old photo of Bruno. That captured the attention of interested Las Crucens, some of whom began e-mailing the notice out to their contacts. It reached the Sun-News and was published as a brief article online Saturday, along with a noteworthy fact in the case: footage of the theft had been captured on the family's security surveillance system.

A man who took the dog from Estrada's parents' home was driving a two-tone, black-and-silver pickup, possibly an '80s model Chevy or GMC. Estrada, who frequently visits his parents' home, said his family had noticed the vehicle cruising the neighborhood several times over the past week.

Estrada said the family had reported the incident to authorities on Thursday upon discovering that Bruno's had disappeared. The police didn't take a copy of the video footage, but did take down an incident report, he said.

Estrada said Bruno was a gift to his father around April 2009. The friendly canine had endeared itself to the family, Estrada said, and his young son was heartbroken when Bruno went missing.

Sunday afternoon, Estrada said he received a phone call from a Mesquite man, who had discovered a German Shepherd munching from a bin near a pizza shop on Avenida de Mesilla a couple of days earlier. The man called the dog over to his vehicle, and it hopped in. Then, the man's wife happened across the article about the dog theft online, and the couple decided to contact Estrada. A few questions later, the couple confirmed the dog was indeed Bruno. And Estrada zipped down to Mesquite to pick up the missing pet.

The dog was in good health and didn't have any injuries.

Las Cruces police department spokesman Dan Trujillo said it wasn't possible to comment Monday about any trends in dog thefts. But he offered some tips to dog owners.

We recommend "to make sure that, if they're going to have their pets outdoors, have them behind closed and locked gates. Also, pets can be microchipped, that way if they're either lost or stolen, it would be easier to identify the owners."

Estrada said he's grateful not only to the man who found Bruno but also to the community. He said he believes the thief likely dumped Bruno when he realized that the theft had been captured on video.

Bruno was returned just in the nick of time. Estrada said he attempted to retrieve the video footage again from the security camera on Monday, but the system had already disposed of the file through an automated process. The family didn't have another copy.

Source: http://www.lcsun-news.com/dona_ana_news/ci_16955682?source=rss
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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Huck, toy poodle

Residents' Kindness Helps Reunite Family With Lost Dog
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