Angel, German shepherd

Lost for five years, dog found, returned home
May 23, 201

MANSFIELD — This story was not supposed to have a happy ending.

Five years ago on Christmas Day, the Sinnett-Dekrell family lost their dog when the wind blew open the door and the dog bypassed the electric fence and wandered out onto the streets.

From left, Maggie Sinnett and sons Brandon and Andrew Dekrell were reunited with German shepherd Angel on Wednesday.

The family did everything they could to find their dog. They roamed the streets, distributed countless fliers, offered a reward and contacted everyone they could on Facebook.

All to no avail.

“No one answered any of our fliers,” said mother Maggie Sinnett. “You go looking everywhere, but you don’t know where to look. You feel lost. You feel hopeless.”

A year passed and there was no sign of their beloved German shepherd. Two years soon turned into four, and no one had seen or heard anything about their dog.

It came as a surprise to Sinnett, now nearly four-and-a-half years to the day, when Richland County Dog Warden Dave Jordan called her at work Monday with some unexpected news.

“He said, ‘We found your dog,’” Sinnett said. “I was not expecting that.”

The dog warden had picked up the German shepherd on Reed Street near North Trimble Road. A microchip implanted inside the dog upon adoption from the pound made the reconnection possible.

The family went to pick up the dog Wednesday and they found her in great condition. Sinnett said their dog was found with a collar, meaning someone had taken her in as a pet during the four-year absence.

Sinnett said she was a little upset that someone kept her dog for so long, but she also was appreciative that person was kind enough to keep her dog healthy.

“She was like my child,” Sinnett said. “She was obviously very well loved and we are very thankful for that.”

The Sinnett-Dekrell family rescued the then 6-month-old puppy from the pound nearly nine years ago as a present for then 7-year-old Andrew Dekrell.

Andrew was the last person to know about the fated reunion this week; he turned 16 on Wednesday — the same day they picked up the dog — and the rest of the family figured there would be no better gift for him than to see his longtime friend.

“We kind of kept it a surprise from him,” Sinnett said. “He had no idea.”

The family had taken care of the dog for about four-and-a-half years until the Christmas runaway incident, and there were a few runaway incidents along the way.

Andrew recalled a time when Angel ran away but was rescued by a stranger from Mifflin. They printed fliers and offered a reward that time, too, and someone was kind enough to promptly return her home.

The time lapse was a bit longer this time around, but well worth the wait.

The family has moved twice since Angel ran off. One of the places — Heatherwood Apartments in Mansfield — had a rule that prohibited ownership of pets heavier than 20 pounds.

It would have been a problem for the family had they found their dog two months earlier.

“There was absolutely no way we could have kept a dog that size,” Sinnet said of her 100-pound pet.

Once they brought the dog home, Sinnett said the family went to town and bought her everything and anything she could ever need.

Their dog, once lost, has now been found.

“(Angel) is back in our lives for a reason, and I do believe that,” Sinnett said. “I don’t know what God’s plan is, but she’s here now and we’re all thankful.”

Source: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20140522/NEWS01/305220029/Lost-five-years-dog-found-returned-home