Mia, mastiff

Missing Kingston dog reunited with owners
By Sara Feijo, the Patriot-Ledger
May 07, 2012

KINGSTON — Every dog has its day, and for 4-month-old Mia that day came when the puppy was finally found – 10 pounds lighter – after being struck by a car and missing for five days.

Tom Judkins with Mia at Roberts Animal Hospital in Hanover, Sunday, May 6, 2012.

Mia, a blue brindle mastiff, was found Friday night by a driver on Route 3 north between exits 9 and 10, said the pup’s owner, Danielle Saccoach of Kingston.

The driver, Cassandra Noel Lester of Plymouth, noticed the injured dog on the side of the highway.

“She stopped and reversed her car back down the highway,” said Saccoach, who called Lester a “guardian angel.”

Lester’s assistance wasn’t the only help Tom Judkins and Danielle Saccoach received.

Danielle used Facebook and Craigslist and posted fliers around town to get the word out about Mia’s disappearance. She received a lot of well-wishes on Facebook, including many from strangers, such as: “Thinking of you guys and I don’t even know you!”

“All these people from Kingston and Duxbury have spent more time searching for our dog than being with their families,” Saccoach said.

Last Sunday, Mia was spooked by a passing motorcycle and fled her Kingston yard. Saccoach said the dog ran toward St. Joseph Catholic Church on Main Street and disappeared in the woods behind the church.

That was the last Saccoach saw of her until she got the call five days later that Mia had been found.
Saccoach said the dog was dehydrated, had a bruised liver and lungs and a severe fracture on the elbow of her front right leg that requires surgery. Without surgery, Mia’s leg will not grow and she won’t be able to walk, Saccoach said.

“She lost 10 pounds in five days,” Saccoach said. “She’s all skin and bones.”

The Duxbury-based nonprofit Fairy Dog Parents, which raises money to help pet owners with veterinary bills during times of need, is helping to pay for the $6,000 surgery. It has raised $4,500 since Friday, said Marlo Manning, founder of Fairy Dog Parents
.
“So many people have come together to help this dog and I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” Manning said.

Mia is scheduled to have surgery today, Saccoach said.

“We cannot thank people enough for their endless kindness. It’s unbelievable. We are overwhelmed,”  Saccoach said. “There are no words to express our gratitude.”

Source: http://www.patriotledger.com/features/x1809306170/Missing-Kingston-dog-reunited-with-owners