Chuma, Rhodesian ridgeback

A man is reunited with his dog five months after he was stolen by thieves
Sydney Cameron
October 30, 2010

Chuma before being stolen, as an 11 week old puppy

WASHINGTON, Dc. (WUSA) -- In late May, thieves broke into Kevin Fitzgerald's home in Northeast. The electronics that were stolen could be replaced; but they also made off with Chuma --Kevin's eleven week old Rhodesian Ridgeback.

A Pet Amber Alert went out for Chuma--pictures were posted on the internet--signs went up in the neighborhood. the Chesapeake Region Ridgeback Community was summoned--by the end of summer the emails had stopped--hope had faded--

Then on October 27 Kevin Fitzgerald got an anonymous call saying Chuma was listed on an adpotion website.

It was Chuma--five months after he was stolen from inside his home--the Rhodesan Ridgeback had been brought to the Prince George's County Animal shelter by someone who had apparently given up on raising the dog--

Its unclear how many owners Chuma has had since he was stolen from his owner in May. Kevin says hen appeared well cared for---no physical or mental abuse.

Source: http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=117944



Beloved Dog Stolen During DC Robbery
Andrea McCarren 9NEWS NOW & WUSA9.COM
May 28, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA)--A Northeast Washington man came home to discover his house ransacked...and his beloved Rhodesian Ridgeback, stolen.

"I'm hurt. I'm angry. I want my dog back," said heartbroken owner Kevin Fitzgerald.

Fitzegerald always dreamed of owning a Rhodesian Ridgeback, an unusual dog that was originally bred to hunt lions in Africa. Just three weeks ago, Fitzgerald's wish came true. He and Chuma quickly became inseparable companions.

"Without a doubt. Without a doubt," he said. "It was like having a kid."

Joy gave way to grief when Fitzgerald's fiancée called Thursday evening to say she'd come home from work.

"Probably 10 or 15 seconds later, I hear oh my God. We've been robbed," said Fitzgerald.

Thieves smashed a basement window to enter the house in the quiet Northeast neighborhood of Woodridge sometime between 9am and 4 pm. They stole television sets, laptop computers, electronics. Those can be replaced. Chuma cannot.

"He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback. 11 weeks old. He has a distinctive ridge of fur that grows down his back," said Fitzgerald.

Chuma was inside the house in a crate when the robbery occurred, so it's clear he was stolen and didn't simply escape. Another dog carrier of his was abandoned in a back alley.

"Return my dog, that's all. Return my dog," pleaded Fitzgerald.

He fears someone may think he's a pit bull and cause him harm. Police are investigating this robbery and several other recent break-ins in the neighborhood.

"There's a lot of other things I would like to say, but I just want my dog back. That's all. Real simple," he said.

Fitzgerald is offering a one thousand dollar reward for the safe return of his dog. No questions asked.

Source: http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=101872

Troy, pugalier (pug/CKC)

Boy reunited with lost puppy
Swindon Advertiser
10:00am Friday 29th October 2010

Little pugalier dog Troy is back in the arms of his best pal Parker after being dognapped from his Sparcells home.

The six month old puppy, a cross between a pug and a King Charles cavalier spaniel, was stolen from his home in Fyne Close on Wednesday morning – breaking the heart of three-year-old Parker and his parents.

The thief crept into the family home and stole the pup along with other items before making a getaway.

Yesterday the Adver ran an appeal for information and luckily a reader spotted the puppy and called the police.

Mum Claire McCrory, 21, said: “We have been crying all morning – we are just so thrilled.

“If it wasn’t thanks to the Adver running the story and the kind stranger calling the police we may never have seen him again.

“My little boy ran downstairs hoping to see his little friend and started crying when he was not home, then we got a knock at the door and it was the police with Troy.

“I am just so grateful and we are not letting him out of our sight ever again.”

The drama unfolded after an Adver reader saw our appeal and later that day saw a man with a puppy matching Troy’s description in a car in Wootton Bassett.

After contacting the police, the man was found hiding in the loft of a house in Wootton Bassett clutching the puppy.

A man was arrested.

Source: http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8483149.Boy_reunited_with_lost_puppy/?ref=twt
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Topaz, lhasa apso

Facebook Reunites Dog With Owners After 4 Years
by Josh Loposer
Oct 14th 2010 @ 4:00PM

After being separated from her family for four years and by thousands of miles, a Lhasa apso named Topaz is home again thanks to social networking. And they say Facebook is good for nothing but wasting time at work!

According to Time magazine, good Samaritan Diane Stess-Kirschner met Topaz when she found the dog wandering alone outside her home in Tamarac, Fla. "I felt something sniffing at my leg, and there was this dog," Stess-Kirschner told the Sacramento Bee. "She was a little grungy. She looked up as if to say, 'Can you help me?'" Upon taking the animal to the vet for a check-up, Stess-Kirschner discovered that Topaz was microchipped, and that the dog's owners were named Glen and Casaundra Greenfelder.

Attempts to find the Greenfelders by phone and search engine proved to be dead ends. It was only when she tried Facebook that Stess-Kirschner found some promising leads. She came up with two hits for Casaundra Greenfelder. Not knowing if either was the woman for which she was looking, she posted a comment about "a little blond dog" on both of their Facebook profiles.

The Greenfelders -- Glen, Casaundra, and their children, Jordan and Makenna -- hadn't seen Topaz in four years. Before relocating from Tampa to Sacramento, the family had placed Topaz in what they believed was a good, caring home. Somehow, the pooch had wandered her way 200 miles across Florida from Tampa to Tamarac.

When the Greenfelders received Stess-Kirschner's message, Glen Greenfelder called and asked about Topaz by name, which Stess-Kirschner had not provided. She knew then that she had found Topaz's family.

The Facebook communication from Stess-Kirschner convinced the Greenfelder family that they were meant to be with Topaz again. "I still can't believe it," Casaundra Greenfelder told the Sacramento Bee. "I'm still in shock."

Last Friday, after having her professionally groomed, Stess-Kirschner crated Topaz and put her on a flight destined for California and the waiting arms of the family who had missed her for four years.

Source: http://www.pawnation.com/2010/10/14/facebook-reunites-dog-with-owners-after-4-years/
Also see http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=99691&provider=top

Faith, siberian husky mix

After almost four years, owner and dog are reunited
By James Hart, The Kansas City Star
Posted on Wed, Oct. 13, 2010

A Gardner woman has been reunited with her Siberian husky mix almost four years after she lost contact with her beloved dog.


Dana Klint said she “was in tears when I found it was really her” after reconnecting with Faith, a 15-year-old husky mix


Dana Klint of Gardner was reunited with 15-year-old Faith over the weekend thanks to the Pet Connection, a no-kill animal shelter in Mission. She saw photos of the dog, nicknamed “Medora,” online on Saturday and reclaimed her Sunday, she said.

Klint had given up hope of ever seeing Faith again. She lost contact with the dog after leaving her with an ex-boyfriend about four years ago and hadn’t seen the animal in two years.

“I was in tears when I found it was really her,” Klint said.

Faith had apparently been living on the street for several months before she was taken to the Kansas City, KS animal control shelter. Thanks to the Humane Society’s Ray of Hope program, which takes animals from the Kansas City, KS, shelter and places them with no-kill shelters and volunteers, Faith was placed at the Pet Connection.

Faith didn’t have a working microchip or any other official identification, but Klint produced old photos of her dog that matched Faith’s distinctive markings, Pet Connection founding director Melody Kelso said. The ages line up, and the dog acted like she knew Klint. The shelter is confident that it’s the same dog, Kelso said.

This isn’t the first time that Pet Connection has reunited a missing dog with its original owner, though none of the other cases involved such a long gap of time, Kelso said.

On Monday, Faith was settling in with Klint. “You can still feel her ribs,” Klint said. “I’m still working on putting some weight on her.”

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/12/2307038/after-almost-four-years-owner.html
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