Tara, Alaskan Malamute

Dog taken amid allegations of abuse reunited with family
Elad Shalom says he got a tip about Tara's location and is dropping charges
CBC News Posted: May 24, 2013

A dog that went missing in Saint John earlier this week amidst online allegations of abuse and neglect has been reunited with its owners.

Elad Shalom says he got a tip on Facebook about where his Alaskan Malamute, Tara, was located.

The disappearance of Tara, an Alaskan Malamute, was hardest on Elad Shalom's three-year-old son.

He went to the home with police and found his dog inside, he said.

Shalom says he will not pursue charges against the culprit and will still donate $1,000 to the New Brunswick SPCA, as he had promised if Tara was returned by Friday afternoon.

Tara disappeared from Shalom's west side home on Tuesday, after someone had posted a photo of the dog's outdoor crate and leash on Facebook, alleging she was left outside too much and mistreated.

Several posts had threatened to remove her from her owners.

Shalom, who only moved to Saint John from Israel three months ago to work as an IT consultant, said the Facebook photo was brought to his attention by email, after he had posted a missing dog ad on Kijiji.

He then created his own Facebook page, pleading for Tara's safe return. He said Tara was loved and well cared for and posted several photos and videos of the family's pet.

Although the New Brunswick SPCA had been called to the house several times, officials determined no abuse was taking place, Shalom said.

Keeping Tara out overnight is not neglect because she's an Alaskan Malamute, with a heavy coat and is meant to be outdoors, he said.

"Basically, Alaskan Malamutes, up until minus 15, minus 20 Celsius degrees, they don't need any blankets, or any shelter. Back in Israel, because it was 35 degrees above zero, which is extremely hot, she was inside 24/7," Shalom said.

Alaskan Malamutes are commonly used as Arctic sled dogs, according to the American Kennel Club website.

They have a "coarse outer coat and dense, wooly, oily undercoat, providing the ultimate in insulation," the Animal Planet website states.

Shalom said the theft was most difficult on his three-year-old son.

"Every night before he goes to sleep 'we didn't feed Tara,' because we feed her twice a day — morning before he goes to the daycare, and evening, just before we eat supper — and [he says,] 'Where's Tara? She's probably hungry,'" he had said.

His son also asked every night about brushing Tara's teeth.

"We brush her teeth every evening, otherwise he won't brush his teeth, so we have to brush Tara's teeth first. So half the time he's not willing to brush his teeth because Tara's not there."

Shalom says the family is planning to move to a permanent home in Millidgeville next month and has a fence ready to install for Tara.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2013/05/24/nb-missing-dog-saint-john.html

Fry

Finding Fry
AndyWhitlock
June 2, 2013

I lost my dog, Fry, for 23 hours. This is an account of what happened, which I’m writing for three reasons:

• Literally hundreds of people have shown support and concern for Fry’s well-being, so it feels appropriate to share the happy outcome with them (you)
• I have valuable advice to offer dog-owners who find themselves in this position, or want to reduce the chances of it happening
• I’m still swimming with emotions and I’m hoping this will help me to process it all and get back to normal

Let’s start at the end: The image below is Fry with a drip in his arm. A bit sad, but really this encapsulates a euphoric end to the drama: he’s safe and on the mend. :)

How did we lose him?

I was walking him in Clissold Park, North London. A larger dog frightened him - perhaps scratched him - and he bolted. Despite being nowhere near the entrance to the park, he quickly made his way there, apparently scared of even me as I approached with treats to get him back.

What began as calm, reassuring calls from me turned into desparate cries as Fry accelerated out of the gate and towards the busy road. I chased him for about a mile, shouting for someone to stop him and keeping on his trail thanks to the words and pointing of passers-by. After a few blocks, I came to a small traffic jam. I paused only for a few seconds; long enough to see a driver’s apologetic gestures and receive chilling sympathy from a stranger. Fortunately, going under this car hadn’t stopped him. I followed more shouts and ran after him for another ten minutes.

Then the trail ended. No more strangers could point me towards him. I did my own inevitable tail-chasing, running around the area, but failing to see him anywhere.

I won’t tell the full story in this level of detail. You get the idea. After many hours searching, doing the things, and making the calls, you’d expect, I returned home with my wife, who had joined me in the search. Our best bet was that someone would find him, alive or not and call us (our number was on his collar).

The call came, but it was a 23-hour wait. Again, you can imagine the things we did and imagined during this time. But before I share how things ended, I should tell you about the incredible support I received on Twitter:

Tweeting was a desperate act. And although it didn’t lead to Fry being found, it was a humbling experience. Now, this is a nice, feel-good, family-friendly type of blog post, but if you’ll excuse me for a minute: FUCKING HELL! 790 Retweets. I was not expecting that. And the constant - and I mean constant - flurry of support was incredible.In absence of solid results, this activity gave me a sense of perpetual progress. Something was always ‘being done’. There were no moments, where we were just sitting, waiting. A special thanks to @doglostuk, who were amazing. This post is largely for the people that showed support and whom continue to share messages about Fry’s well-being.

How did we find him?

After almost 24 hours we received a call from a man who had opened his front door and seen Fry lying on his lawn. It was in a small cul-de-sac, hidden from the main road, a few blocks from where I had lost the trail. Our phone number was on his collar and fortunately (if I can use that word), Fry’s injuries prevented him from running away, so the man could approach.

He was pretty scratched up and one of his paws was really mangled. I won’t describe it in any more detail (it looked horrific). The important part is that he is now in hospital and on the mend. It’s an ending that, if I was religious, I would have prayed for. It seemed impossible at the time and the length of this post is partly down to the euphoria that seems to be powering my fingers.

Lessons to pass on

Here’s what I learned from this. I hope some of it is useful to other dog owners:

1. If in doubt, keep them on the lead
Fry is 8 months old now and had been fine off the lead for months. But in recent weeks he’d become a bit more independent, staying away from us for longer and not coming when called. We had decided to keep him on the lead for a while. I stupidly tried him off the lead again, thinking that in a cleaner park than usual (Clissold) he would be less distracted by scavenging than usual. That was true, but it wasn’t enough. This was a mistake I regret deeply. He needed some more training before we let him off again. If you ever feel like this, keep your dog on the lead.

2. If in doubt, keep them away from bigger dogs
It was another dog that scared Fry out of the park. I instinctively thought it was the kind of dog I’d rather Fry stayed away from, but I didn’t want to offend its owner. Again, a moment of weakness that nearly led to a horrible end. You have to look after your dog first, which might occasionally lead to having to offend strangers. A small price to pay.

3. Stay calm, even when you’re terrified
Although I began calmly, I started yelling when Fry was heading towards traffic. This yelling scared him even more. I don’t know if it’s possible to stay calm when you think your dog might go under a car, but you have to try to keep the panic within. Fake it. Pretend to be calm for your dog’s sake. I can’t say it would have brought him back, but I wish I had managed to hold it together.

4. Search more thoroughly in a smaller area
Fry didn’t go far from where I lost him. And from reading online, it sounds like dogs tend to go in triangles, staying within a smaller perimeter, once they’re looking for somewhere safe. If I could go back and do it again, I would search systematically, street by street, bush by bush rather than travel further out to cover more ground. This is especially relevant if your dog is injured and unlikely to keep on the move.

5. Make sure your phone number is on the collar
Fortunately we did this. It could have taken another 24 hours to get him back if we had to wait for him to be taken to a vet. He is microchipped.

6. If he’s badly injured, don’t feed him!
When we found Fry he hadn't eaten for 24 hours. Our instinct was to feed him, which we did - and which he accepted enthusiastically ;) But if your dog needs medical treatment that requires anaesthetic, then food will delay the operation. We had to wait 8 hours before he could be operated on because of this. Although he got to snooze on me for a while in the meantime, which I think he enjoyed:

7. Get good Pet insurance
Ours is pretty decent. M&S. But his treatment is costing around £1500 (still waiting for the final bill). We will probably have to pay £500 of that.

Update: I’m also going to keep a keen eye on GPS solutions like this.
Happy ending
I can’t post a picture of Fry in his bandages because he’s still at the hospital. But here he is at a happier time. Not sure he’ll be doing much yoga for a while though.

Update: I can now...

THANK YOU to everyone that showed support. It meant a lot. The Internet really does love dogs. :)

READ my lessons if you’re a dog owner and have any concerns about this kind of thing.

SORRY to anyone that thinks I’m being a bit over the top with this. I had no idea I could love an animal this much. Thank God he’s okay.

And now I’ve said it all, maybe I can get back to normal life a little. Welcome home, Fry.

http://checkthis.com/findingfry

Sir Cocoa, chocolate lab

After 18 months, missing Staten Island dog, owner reunited thanks to microchip
By Virginia N Sherry/Staten Island Advance
on May 27, 2013

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Sir Cocoa, a friendly chocolate Labrador retriever, escaped from his yard on Nov. 16, 2011, owner Ralph Vega unsuccessfully searched for him. He canvassed the community and plastered the neighborhood with flyers, hoping that the beloved male would be returned quickly, especially because the dog had an identifying microchip.

Sir Cocoa, a chocolate Labrador retriever missing since 2011, was reunited with his owner, Ralph Vega, at Bay Street Animal Hospital on May 6.  "He started licking me, and then lay down to get his belly rubbed. He was happy!" said Vega.

Months passed, however, with no word or sightings.

"Every time I saw a chocolate Lab, I had to stop, go up to the dog (and greet it), to be sure it wasn't mine," said Vega. "I notified shelters, vets, and hospitals, and called the police to find out about dogs hit by cars. I called the microchip company, did an Amber pet alert. We did everything."

Vega bought Sir Cocoa as a puppy at a pet store on Staten Island in 2004, already microchipped.

"He was very intelligent, lovable, and protective of the kids," he noted. "He was friendly with everybody, even other dogs, and if you scratched his back he'd stay there forever. He would kiss anyone."

FOUND
Earlier this month, on May 6, two women walked in to Bay Street Animal Hospital in Rosebank with a chocolate Labrador male that they said they found near Bayley Seton Hospital in Clifton, reported team leader Cheryl Augustyne, a Rosebank resident who has worked at the animal hospital for 10 years.

In such circumstances, "we automatically wand the dog," to check for a microchip, she said.

That's how the hospital identified and reached out to Vega. "His (voice) mailbox was full, so I sent him a  We found Sir Cocoa," Ms. Augustyne said.

"I was in shock, but I knew it had to be him," Vega said.

He drove to the hospital for what was a most happy reunion.

Sir Cocoa "started licking me, and then lay down to get his belly rubbed, something he really likes, said Vega. "He was happy, and I was in tears."

On his first night home after the lengthy absence, Sir Cocoa went to his usual place. "On the carpet, next to the bed, on the left-hand side," said Vega.

"He's been gone for one-and-a-half years, and I got him back because of the chip," Vega commented. "If you love your dog, get a chip."

Eighteen months after the dog went missing, Vega never completely gave up hope: "I kept saying that I knew he was still alive."

Source: http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2013/05/staten_island_dog_lost_and_fou.html

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Eeyore, great dane

Schenectady dog reunited with owner
Penny Eims,
February 1, 2012

Schenectady, NY - What started as an abuse investigation wound up being a lost dog reunited story...with just a twist of unsolved mystery.

"Duke", a Great Dane, in actuality is a dog named Eeyore who belongs to the Diaz family.

Eeyore apparently ran off when his owner, Wilson Diaz, took him out to go to potty (the dog was leashed, but he slipped free from his owner's grasp).

Somehow, Eeyore wound up tied to a very short leash right next to a river. His rescuers initially felt that the dog had been abandoned there and that there may be abuse involved.

However, after the dog's story went public, the Diaz family came forward and staked claim to their missing dog.

Investigators with the Schenectady SPCA reunited Eeyore with his family after photos and veterinary records were produced to confirm that the dog was indeed theirs.

The family was reunited with their missing dog on Monday night - by all accounts, everyone was over-joyed.

Hopefully Eeyore will be getting some ID tags and a microchip in case he slips away in the future.

As for the short leash by the river...still a mystery. Perhaps someone found Eeyore and thought that they were helping by securing him to a tree, but why by the river, in the mud, in a storm?

A mystery.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/schenectady-dog-reunited-with-owner