Alfie, pomeranian

Athelstone dog missing for three days found in Hope Valley thanks to Facebook
by Emily Griffiths, East Torrens Messenger
January 25, 2013

ATHELSTONE pooch Alfie spent three days roaming the northeast lost and alone, until social networking helped him find his way home.

Owner Nora Thomas says she contacted the Facebook group Lost Dogs of Adelaide after discovering the five-year-old pomeranian was missing from her backyard on Monday, January 7, about 8am.

"I went out to give him his breakfast and he wasn't there," Mrs Thomas, 42, says.

"We live in the foothills and the wind had blown the gate open.

"I was in shock, but knew I had to do something."

Within hours, Mrs Thomas, her husband Peter and children Patrick, 14, and Alysia, 18, had contacted Campbelltown Council and the Animal Welfare League, and plastered dozens of posters throughout the neighbourhood, all without luck.

"We thought we had exhausted every avenue, but then my daughter Googled `lost dogs' and this group came up," Mrs Thomas says.

"We were really excited that we had discovered something else to help us in our search."

The volunteer-run Lost Dogs Of Adelaide, which has been operating since November 2010, has more than 13,400 "likes" and claims to have a 50 per cent success rate of finding lost pets.

Mrs Thomas says without the help of the group, it is unlikely Alfie would have been found unharmed 10km from home in a Hope Valley reserve.

"Thanks to Lost Dogs of Adelaide, Alfie went viral (online)," she says.

"We had strangers and people we'd only met through the group helping us look for him.

"If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't have found him so I can't thank them enough."

Mrs Thomas says Alfie is settling back into his normal life.

"When we first found him he was in shock, but now he's back to his Beverly Hills lifestyle," she says.

"This (experience) has really made me rethink my concept of community.

"Before, I thought we were just people who lived close to one another, but now I see a community as a group of people who help each other, too."

A Lost Dogs of Adelaide spokeswoman says administrators of the site are committed to finding missing pets - mainly dogs and cats but extending to horses, rabbits, birds and other animals.

"I like to think we are the biggest organisation in SA dealing with lost pets," she says.

"We have an amazing, dedicated team of 12 animal lovers and pet professionals administrating the page and we also physically go out searching for lost pets."

Source: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/athelstone-dog-missing-for-three-days-found-in-hope-valley-thanks-to-facebook/story-e6frea83-1226561688602

Another version of the story at: http://thestir.cafemom.com/technology/150133/lost_dog_reunited_with_family

Tank, yorkie

Roanoke Dog Found Safe and Sound in North Carolina
Mark Kelly
Posted: Aug 16, 2011 10:31 PM EDT



News Video here


Lynchburg, VA - Losing your only pet can be devastating. But, a Roanoke woman was able to get hers back days later after finding it in another state. Tuesday, pet and owner were reunited.

Tank had been missing for three days. One minute, he was outside with his owner, and the next, he was gone.

Spencer Stephan says her Teacup Yorkie may just weigh three pounds, but missing him for three days really weighed on her heart. Spencer Stephen says, after two years together, three days without little Tank felt like forever.

"I'm just glad that he's back. Because he's the one that sleeps with me every night," said Stephan.

This isn't a one-sided love; Tank has taken the separation pretty hard too.

"He's usually really perky. He acted like he was sick, so it wasn't our Tank," said Chelsea Andrews, Stephan's relative who brought Tank from North Carolina to Stephan as she was driving through.

But this is the real Tank. Owners identify him by his quiet temperament. Tank, they say, rarely barks, and has never wandered off before.

"I thought he was a goner," said Stephan.

And, he could've been, if not for Paul Garver from North Carolina making a pit stop in Roanoke on Saturday. There, a total stranger asked Garver if he'd like a yorkie.

"She said, 'It's a cute little Yorkie.' She said, 'I found it along the road and I don't know what to do with it. Could you help?'" said Garver.

Paul said sure, and took Tank home to Sanford, North Carolina. There, he went online to find Tank's owner - and he did.

"I clicked on it a couple times, and lo and behold, here's a picture of the dog we have in our house,"said Garver.

Garver called Stephan in Roanoke.

"I said, 'I've got good news and bad news for ya. The good news is your dog is safe, the bad news is it's in North Carolina," said Garver.

"He had him in North Carolina. I was like 'O my gosh,'" said Stephan.

But, a 150 miles couldn't keep the two apart. Stephan and Tank did come together, and everyone's prayers were answered.

"We prayed every night as a family. I know people might think that's weird. But that's how I feel," said Stephan.

Spencer says this was a tough year for her and her family. She recently lost her brother, so losing Tank was hard to bare.

Garver in North Carolina says if he didn't find Tank's owner, he would've kept him. Tank, he says, is a great Yorkie.



Source: http://www.wset.com/story/15279987/roanoke-dog-found-safe-and-sound-in-north-carolina
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Marty, Katan/Cavalier King Charles

Dog Found Thanks to Community’s Help
By Wendy Edwards
Published: May 25, 2011

When Suzan Roberts told the community her beloved dog went missing, hundreds of people attempted to help find him. Roberts, beset by the grief of having lost the Katan/Cavalier King Charles mix she calls Marty, was overwhelmed by the generosity of those living in and around Fluvanna.

Marty has been found and the owner is grateful to a community that came together in many ways to look for the lost dog.

“It was just amazing when I would talk to people,” says Marty’s owner. “One gentleman I was talking to sent [word of the missing dog] on his iPhone right then and there.”

Marty went missing on a Sunday afternoon.

“I was out playing with him and my older dog and he slipped down in the woods, which is nothing unusual,” Roberts says. “I came around to help my dad with something,” then when she looked around for Marty, “he was gone. He may have had a seizure (the dog is diagnosed with Epilepsy) or may have gotten unfocused and I think he just got totally confused and he bolted.”

Roberts, her husband, Gary, and father, Roger Cyr, spent hours searching to no avail, looking in the woods, driving up and down the driveway, hollering for the dog who “usually comes running when he hears us.”

Together, the family checked along Route 53 near the Lake campground, where they were told a lady tried to catch [the dog], “but he bolted back into the woods. She said he was scared.”

By five in the morning Monday, Roberts was in front of her computer making fliers about her lost dog. “By six, I was at the Lake campground posting fliers.” Within a few hours, everyone in the vicinity of Routes 53 and 618 could see Marty’s picture and learn about his plight.

“It was totally amazing how the community came together to support this little guy,” Roberts says. “My husband gave a flier to one of his coworkers whose child saw the $200 reward, said ‘Dad, is that for real?’ And then out the door he went!’”

Pizza delivery drivers and Fluvanna school bus drivers joined Marty’s neighborhood friends and family in the search by keeping fliers on hand and helped to spread the news that he was missing. Even the Lake Monticello gatekeepers did what they could. “Every day we went to the Lake, they let us in.”

Roberts’ brother, Damon Cyr of Charlottesville, could not join in the search, but that did not prevent him from contributing to Marty’s rescue.

“He hired an online service called LostMyDoggie.com and they flooded the area with over 1,200 phone calls and sent out notices to 100 veterinarians and shelters in the area,” Roberts says.

By Tuesday, news of Marty’s disappearance was all over Facebook and Twitter. “And my phone started ringing!” People that had seen Marty were calling in, helping Roberts piece-together his trail.

Then came call she was waiting for. “Marty was found at a barn at Ash Lawn, a little over eight miles from our house.”

Apparently, the tired dog approached a caretaker who was thoughtful enough to share a little bit of his lunch. “I do not know how he managed to catch [the dog] but he did and he took him home,” Roberts says. “He even let Marty sleep with him.”

Thankfully, an associate that works in the Ash Lawn-Highland gift shop had seen one of Roberts’ fliers. “So, they found our number and called the house and spoke with my Dad.” Thirty minutes later, Marty was identified and brought home.

Because the dog experienced a number of seizures while he was away, Roberts and her family saw to his medical treatment first and foremost. They will be keeping an even closer eye on him from now on.

“We are looking into a GPS tracking collar,” she says.

As for everyone who helped share pictures of Marty and did their best to get him home, she says: “Thank you all for what you did. For the ones that helped hand out flyers, the online postings, Facebook … everything that you did made the difference in saving this little guy’s life and bringing him back home. The emotions are still running wild with me; I am so happy. You cannot see me, but right now I have tears of joy in my eyes.”

Source: http://www.mydailyprogress.com/ruralvirginian/index.php/news/article/dog_found_thanks_to_communitys_help/40489/

Max, chihuahua

Lost Dog Rescued by Another Dog Returns Home to Joyful Family
By Linda Chion Kenney
Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Max, a standard Chihuahua, returns home to the Rodriguez family after being rescued by another dog and its owner at a retention pond behind Mann Middle School in Brandon. Max’s three-night plight leads to a reconsideration of collars and microchipping.

Jerry Rodriguez,with his wife, Karen, and daughter, Nicole, has a tearful reunion with Max. This picture was taken moments after Rodriguez came home May 29 to see his dog safe at home after Max went missing for three nights, lost in the neighborhood.

When the call came, Karen Rodriguez rushed out of her Brandon home and drove three blocks to meet the good Samaritan who called her husband on a cell phone and said she thought she had found the Rodriguez family dog.

“I don’t even remember what the woman looks like, I was crying so hard,” Rodriguez said. “And when I told her husband about the reward money, he said, ‘No, ma’am, you just take that money and get the dog to the vet.”

Max, the four-year-old standard Chihuahua, who likes to sleep tucked between a pillow and its pillowcase, was found May 29 behind Mann Middle School, stuck behind a chain-link fence that separated ground from retention pond.

Turns out it was a dog named Coco, acquired by her family eight years ago from a rescue organization for Australian Shepherds, who discovered Max “all huddled up in a little ball” under tall blades of grass, according to Coco’s owner, Kathleen Gridley.

“We almost didn’t walk down there today,” Gridley said in an interview the day Max was found. “It was hot and I gave Coco some water and I said, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ "

The route took them to the end of Larson Avenue, off Parsons Avenue, behind Mann Middle School, to a fenced-in retention pond. There, Coco typically would sit in the grass and watch the ducks.

But on this day, Gridley said, “she just keyed in along the fence and followed it to the end where we saw [Max] rolled up into a ball."

“I think [Coco] realized [Max] shouldn’t have been there and that he needed a little taking care of,” Gridley said. "Coco and I sat down and they touched noses. We sat with him and I called my husband to run down to the corner and get the phone number."

That would be the phone number printed on flyers that the Rodriguez family hung around town, asking for help in finding Max.

When Rodriguez found Max, sans collar and having never been micro-chipped, wagging his tale furiously at her, she burst into tears. Even now, back at home, the emotions take over.

“He looks real good and we’re just thrilled beyond words,” Rodriguez said.

Missing since May 25, Max is home with Rodriguez and her husband, Jerry, and their daughter, Nicole, a ninth-grader at Foundation Christian High School, who reportedly fell in love with Max when she first saw him.

The family got Max from the same woman who had provided them with Midnight, the family’s other pet, an eight-year-old long-haired Chihuahua mix.

“It was a fluke conversation with them, that we were looking for a companion for Midnight, and they said they had one,” Rodriguez said.

Apparently, it was a fluke, too, that Max would venture out alone, let alone go missing for days.

“Because we had not seen any evidence of him being hit by a car, we felt like someone had taken him in, and that maybe we would get him back,” Rodriguez said. "Unfortunately, he did not have his collar on him. And we didn’t microchip him because it didn’t help us when we had a dog stolen 10 years ago. And he never goes out on a leash because he only goes out in the backyard and never unsupervised.”

So it was odd when Rodriguez and her husband first noticed that Max had not been in the room with them, under feet somewhere, sitting on the couch next to somebody, as the night unfolded May 25.

“We couldn’t find him in the house anywhere,” Karen Rodriguez said. “He wouldn’t go outside without us. He wouldn’t even do his business without us. Jerry, I think, slept one hour that night. He walked and walked and he drove and drove throughout the neighborhood, calling him, and looking out for Max.”

An announcement was posted on Brandon Patch and on Facebook. Notice was placed on Craigslist and in the Tampa Tribune. Flyers were photocopied and distributed throughout the neighborhood and signs were tacked at Petsmart, Petco, and other pet stores, as well as at area veterinarians.

The Rodriguez family took a trip to Hillsborough County Animal Services on Falkenburg Road on May 27, wondering if Max had been taken to the shelter.

“A lot of prayers went out, I’m telling you,” Karen Rodriguez said. “A lot of prayers.”

And now?

“Oh, it’s such a relief,” Rodriguez said. “When you commit to having a pet you make a lifelong commitment to that pet and they become a lifelong member of your family. And when they’re not there and you don’t have a clue where they are? It’s very unnerving. There’s no words to describe it. I am just so happy inside and so at peace that he is back home with us.”

Rodriguez said Max and Midnight both will be wearing collars from now on and microchip implants for pet identification are a possibility.

But one thing she most definitely is going to do, and she recommends that every pet owner take heed as well:

“When you think you’re going to go out, even for just a second, make sure that door is closed tight,” Rodriguez said. “It only takes a second for a pet to dash outside.”

Video at http://brandon.patch.com/articles/lost-dog-found-by-rescue-dog-returns-home-to-joyful-family-video#photo-6313975

Source: http://brandon.patch.com/articles/lost-dog-found-by-rescue-dog-returns-home-to-joyful-family-video

Matilda, rottweiler / shepherd mix

Woman reunited with dog who was stolen along with car
Fells Point woman's car was taken Monday with, Matilda the dog was inside
By Don Markus, The Baltimore Sun
May 19, 2011

A Fells Point woman whose 9-year-old dog was in her car when it was stolen Monday night was reunited with her pet after it was found in the yard of a Baltimore home.

Kelly Belk rarely travels beyond Fells Point, where she lives, and Hampden, where she works. But on Monday night, Belk decided to meet friends at a Pikesville crab house for an all-you-can-eat special. Belk took Matilda, a 9-year-old Rottweiler and German shepherd mix.

"When I was leaving for dinner, she gave me the stink eye. It was like, 'You better take me with you,'" Belk said Thursday. "She's happier being in the car than being home alone."

It's a decision that Belk regretted after her sport utility vehicle, with Matilda inside, was stolen from the parking lot of an adjacent bank on Reisterstown Road. Belk said she later realized that she had left the keys to the SUV inside the vehicle after earlier checking on Matilda, who had been injured that day while out for a walk with Belk.

But that regret turned into relief late Thursday afternoon when Matilda wandered into the yard of a Park Heights home about 10 minutes' drive from where Belk's car was stolen, allowed Gia Davis to check out her tags and was able to reconnect with Belk a few hours later.

Belk was overjoyed. Belk, a waitress, has owned Matilda since she was a 8-week old stray. Belk's late sister was on her way back from a Willie Nelson concert when she found the dog wandering on a Delaware highway. Belk named the dog after one of Nelson's songs.

"My car is still missing, but I'd rather have my dog back," Belk said Thursday night, after having a friend drive her to Davis' home.

Belk said that she will give Davis a $50 reward. She said the owner of the crabhouse also promised to send Davis another $200.

Baltimore County police are still searching for Belk's white 1991 Ford Explorer, but according to spokesman Lt. Robert McCullough, the fact that Matilda was found in the neighborhood between Pimlico Race Course and Druid Hill Park "will give us an area to focus on."

Police spokesman Sean Vinson said before Matilda was found that whoever stole the vehicle could also potentially be charged with the theft of Matilda.

After searching with her boyfriend and others for a few hours Monday night and nine hours on Tuesday, Belk hired Sherry B. True of Damascus, who bills herself as an "animal communicator," to assist in the hunt for Matilda.

Belk said she was skeptical about using a psychic, but she was desperate.

"It sounds crazy," Belk said. "But I don't know what to do. I'm just beside myself. I can't eat, I can't sleep."
True wrote Belk an email Thursday saying that Matilda was safe but feeling a little confused as to why she wasn't with Belk.



She also wrote that the dog was in "an area where there are pine trees and water," near a housing development and a drainage ditch.

Davis first contacted Animal Control, but after reading Matilda's tags, called the Milford Animal Hospital in Delaware, which put her in touch with Belk. Davis, who was able to feed Matilda and give her some water, said Matilda stretched out on her porch in front of the door and looked "kind of sad" until Belk arrived.

"When Kelly called her name, she jumped right up," Davis said. "It was definitely a great sight to see."

Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-05-19/news/bs-md-co-missing-dog-20110519-30_1_matilda-dog-car

Manny, terrier-pug mix

Missing Disabled Dog Found After Three Days
Posted: Apr 26, 2011

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - After three days of tirelessly searching for a disabled dog, Manny is back home, safe and sound, with his family Tuesday night.

The three-year-old terrier-pug mix turned up at SCRAPS in Spokane Valley after his family said he snuck out for a walk around the neighborhood on Saturday and didn't return.

Manny's owners, the Beechings, told KHQ that Manny has a neurological spine disorder that causes him to have a hard time walking and that's why they were so eager to find him.

Earlier Tuesday, family and friends set up a "search party", with around 30 people handing out flyers and canvassing the neighborhood in search of Manny.

Drew Beeching said he had some scratches and few bite marks on his body but was otherwise okay.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42774320/ns/local_news-spokane_wa/
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Mackie, golden/Great Pyr

Patience helps lost dog's return
By Paul Leighton, Staff writer
November 9, 2010

BEVERLY — A Beverly couple learned a valuable lesson in the art of retrieving a lost dog last weekend.

Three days after he had bolted, an adopted golden retriever/Great Pyrenees named Mackie came home Sunday night only after his owners heeded the advice of an expert and employed an amazing amount of patience.

"We learned a lot," said Mary Misencik, referring to herself and her fiance, Mike Allen. "It was a crash course."

Misencik and Allen had just adopted the 21/2-year-old Mackie on Friday when Mackie got loose as he was being loaded into the back of their SUV for a trip to the beach.

Mackie was spotted several times over the next three days in the couple's neighborhood on Independence Circle, but would run away whenever someone approached him. He was also seen in the woods off Boyles Street, on Hart and Haskell streets in Beverly Farms, and in front of an estate in Prides Crossing.

Through Facebook and old-fashioned posters, word spread quickly about Mackie's disappearance. Misencik estimated that nearly 100 people were involved in the search.

But it was the advice of a woman in Mansfield that finally turned the search in their favor. Misencik had been put in touch with Debbie Scarpellini, who runs a volunteer website called lostdogsearch.com.

Scarpellini told Misencik and Allen that Mackie, who was not familiar with the area, was most likely being scared by all the well-meaning searchers. Dogs interpret chasing as an aggressive action and are likely to take off, Scarpellini said.

When Mackie showed up on a hill across from Misencik's house on Sunday morning, Scarpellini advised patience.

For the next 12 hours, Misencik and Miller tried to entice Mackie into their house using food and their other dog, McKinley, as the bait. Scarpellini advised Miller to tie a string to the door and stay out of sight, to make it less intimidating for Mackie to walk through the door.

Finally, around midnight, Misencik lured Mackie into the house, and Miller pulled the door shut with the string.

"It was an unbelievable journey," Misencik said. "The whole neighborhood was united. It bonded so many people. We didn't know there were that many dog lovers out there."

Source:  http://www.salemnews.com/local/x104131227/Patience-helps-lost-dogs-return#
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Bear, Patterdale terrier

A mystery, a microchip and a dog named Bear
STEVE MAYNARD
Last updated: February 19th, 2011

A dog that somehow wound up in Lakewood – 715 miles from his home near Sacramento – will be reunited with his owner Saturday.


California construction worker Bryan Rapozo drove all the way from Woodland Ca. (near Sacramento) and arrived in the Tacoma area around 1am Saturday morning before being reunited with his beloved "Bear Bear," a rat terrier mix Saturday morning at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County Saturday, February 19, 2011. The father of two girls says Bear is his only boy and goes with everywhere with him. "I'm just happy to have him back" said Rapozo who added he's going to learn to go with me on my Harley because I'm not leaving him home alone anymore.

Hours after Bryan Rapozo's two-year-old Patterdale terrier went missing Tuesday, the heartbroken owner doubted he'd ever see his beloved Bear again.

"I figured that was it," Rapozo said. "I didn't think I'd ever get him back."

A woman who didn't identify herself turned in the 20-pound dog Thursday to the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County, saying she found him roaming in Lakewood.

Because Bear had been injected with a microchip, the Humane Society was able to get a message to Rapozo that the dog had been found and was safe in Tacoma.

"It was the best news I've ever heard," Rapozo said today.

"He's like my son," said the 32-year-old father of two daughters. "I just want my boy back."

Rapozo started the 13-hour drive up from Sacramento on Friday to pick up Bear Saturday. When he sees him, "I'll probably start crying."

Bear was sitting outside the office of the acoustical ceiling company where Rapozo works when he disappeared Tuesday afternoon.

"He sits out back waiting for a squirrel that's been bothering him," said Rapozo, who lives in Rio Linda near Sacramento.

How Bear ventured all the way to Lakewood remains a mystery.

"I think somebody took him and he got away," Rapozo said. "He doesn't stray. He doesn't go anywhere without me."

When Bear was turned in, he didn't have the new collar and identification tag that Rapozo had put on him Sunday. The tag included Rapozo's name and cell phone number, and the dog's name as well.

But Bear did have a microchip.

Humane Society officials scanned it for its identification code, contacted the microchip company and called the veterinary clinic that had injected the device. Then they left a message with Rapozo's ex-wife, whose contact information was listed with the clinic, said Marguerite Richmond, development director at the Humane Society.

Tammi Rapozo in Rio Linda called her ex-husband, and Rapozo called his dog's caretakers in Tacoma.

"I was excited that somebody found him, that I knew he was safe," Rapozo said.

In her 16 years at the Humane Society, Richmond said she's never known of a dog wandering so far.

"I think it's extremely unusual," Richmond said. "He didn't walk up here. He didn't get here by himself."

Bear was in fine condition when turned in.

"He's very happy," Richmond said. "He just wants to jump in your lap and kiss your face."

Richmond said the happy ending shows it's a good idea to have your pet microchipped, which costs $25 at the Humane Society. Rapozo said Bear will no longer be going outside alone. He said he's putting his dog on "lockdown" when he gets him back. "He's not going to leave my side," Rapozo said.

Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/18/1550798/dog-found-roaming-in-lakewood.html#
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Watch the video at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/dogs-epic-journey-12959228
Another version of the story is at http://www.komonews.com/news/local/116543968.html

Sally, cocker spaniel

Dog reunited with owner thanks to Twitter
By Jessica Thompson
Jan 14 2011

Sally, a missing Cocker Spaniel, has been found thanks to Twitter

A dog who went missing in Feltham has been found 30 miles away after a Twitter campaign snowballed.

Sally, a 10 year old female Cocker Spaniel, went missing on Tuesday night when she was walked by a family friend in Feltham Park.

Robyn Trainer launched the on-line appeal after hearing of the "distressing" news about the much loved animal. The pet belongs to her mother in law who had left the Sally with family while holidaying in Australia.

The pet in peril was found today, just 24 hours after her owner touched down at Heathrow airport to learn she had gone missing.

Speaking yesterday, Mrs Trainer, said: "We are quite distressed. We have let as many people know locally as we can including the council. It's horrible not knowing if she is ok or not.

"I turned to Twitter because I have to do everything I can. Yesterday 70 to 80 people had re-tweeted it, people I don't even know. The support has been overwhelming".

But it was good news when she Tweeted this afternoon to announce that the pet had been found.

Source:  http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/hounslowchron/jan2011/7/0/twitter-88120934.jpg

Daisy, sheltie

The Ultimate Christmas Gift: A Lost Dog, Found!
Summit residents and dog lovers join together to save a lost dog and deliver the ultimate Christmas present to one local family.
By Michelle Colandrea (New Providence Patch)
February 7, 2011

Nothing brings a community together quite like a shared mission and just before Christmas, Summit residents young and old found themselves unified on such a quest in search of a lost dog named Daisy.

Susan Grates is happily reunited with her dog Daisy who went missing for three and a half days in December but was miraculously found on Christmas morning.

You might remember having been in your local coffee shop or grocery store during the days leading up to December 25 and seeing a lost dog flier posted on the door. Or maybe you received the e-mail that showed up in countless inboxes that described the details of the dog’s possible whereabouts. Or perhaps you read a breaking news alert advising locals to keep their eyes open for the Blue Merl Sheltie on your town’s Patch homepage.

However you heard about the search for one of Summit’s four legged residents, we hope you also heard about her miraculous Christmas morning rescue. Read on for the heartwarming tale of a lost dog, the spirit and support of a New Jersey community, and a very happy ending.

On December 22, Summit resident Susan Grates, along with her husband and their three grown children and their families, were enjoying a holiday vacation in relaxing Puerto Vallarta, Mexico when miles away in chilly New Jersey, the Grates’ dog Daisy had just escaped from her sitter’s New Providence home.

“That breed (of dog) really wants to be in their home,” Grates said. “They want to defend their own property. (Daisy) wasn’t home, and she wanted to get home!”

For the next 48 hours or so, the Grates would be completely unaware of the devastating event that would soon gain the attention of residents and authorities in New Providence, Summit, Berkeley Heights and surrounding towns.

The Grates family had agreed to remain relatively “unplugged” from their electronic devices during their vacation save for the wireless internet access provided at their hotel. According to Grates, the family members didn’t own international cell phones, they hadn’t lugged their laptops along with them, and they hadn’t left their contact information with anyone back home in Summit.

“We’re never under the radar, and it’s kind of a nice thing to be unplugged,” said Grates of what could have been a relaxing vacation away from daily phone calls and e-mail messages.

But 2,278 miles away in New Providence, Daisy’s dog sitter and family were chasing after the Grates’ dog.

“When she’s scared, she runs surprisingly fast,” said Grates of the 23-pound dog which she and her husband have owned for more than six years.

Having had no luck apprehending the speedy canine, the searchers immediately contacted the Summit and New Providence police departments and eventually informed the authorities in Berkeley Heights as well. Grates had left the contact information of family friend and neighbor Tine Mikkelsen in case of an emergency and she was soon alerted of the news.

Mikkelsen played a crucial part in spreading the word about the missing Daisy. She sent out alerts through Facebook and Craigslist, posted fliers, called area veterinarians, and sent out an e-mail that eventually reached Patch staff inboxes.

“She was perseverance personified,” said Grates of her friend.

Other area residents also joined the search effort including a neighbor's son Matt who assembled some friends and used his new Christmas flashlights to look for the missing furry friend. Even Paw, the Mikkelsens’ golden retriever helped to search for her canine companion.

“In this neighborhood especially, most everyone cares about the dogs,” said Daisy’s owner.

On Christmas Eve, the news finally reached the vacationing Grates via a family member’s Smartphone internet connection. Shortly after they were informed, Susan decided to make the trip back to New Jersey to assist Daisy’s search team.

“I figured, ‘I’ll never be able to find (Daisy), it’s a needle in a haystack,’” said Grates of her thoughts on the decision to head home and help with the search.

As luck would have it, Grates wouldn’t even have to step foot in America before her beloved Daisy was discovered.

According to Grates, the final rescue effort began on Christmas morning in nearby Berkeley Heights. A happy family (who have yet to be identified) were opening their Christmas presents when the mother spotted Daisy through a window. The woman had received the chain email the day before and seen the lost dog flier posted in her local Dunkin’ Donuts, telling of the missing sheltie.

“She said ‘That looks like that dog!’” recounted Grates of the story she’d been told. “So what do they do? They stopped opening their gifts, they dropped what they were doing, and the man got in the car to follow Daisy.”

Meanwhile, the man’s wife made the necessary phone calls to let searchers know the dog had been spotted. Soon, a team of dog lovers, family friends including the Mikkelsens and Paw, and neighbors who heard the news were out of their homes and on the streets to do what they could to get Daisy home.

The story ends in a Berkeley Heights neighborhood near Summit Medical Group where a fellow dog lover had cornered Daisy on his front porch and was keeping her captive through the skillful use of doggie treats.

“So then there’s this crowd of people Christmas morning descending upon Daisy!” said Grates of the scene when Daisy was finally found.

Altogether, Daisy had traveled at least three miles and spent three and a half days without any reliable source of food or water.

Less than 24 hours after the dog’s discovery, a record breaking blizzard would sweep through New Jersey and those involved would call it a miracle that Daisy was found in the nick of time.

“Our friends never gave up searching daily along with their children and dogs, putting food and water on our porch and checking our yard and property several times a day in case she found her way back home," Grates said, calling the efforts of those involved “tireless” and described them as “an outpouring of love.”

Since Daisy’s return, the Grates and their dog’s unlikely search team have continued to receive congratulations and well-wishes from friends and town residents.

“Our visit to the Murray Hill Vet's office was more an exhilarated family reunion with stories of Daisy sightings than a regular pet check-up," Grates said. "The MHV staff congratulated us, expressed their concern, and informed us of the many well wishers who had contacted their office."

Grates said repeatedly that she would like to thank all of those who took part in Daisy’s rescue.

“It was heartwarming; we were very moved by it. I think that it brought people together, it really did. I think it goes beyond just the love of a dog. It speaks to people wanting to help each other out in these three communities.”

Source: http://newprovidence.patch.com/articles/the-ultimate-christmas-gift-a-lost-dog-found-2

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

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

Amos, a Boston Terrier

Man, 19-pound best friend reunited
Twice-rescued dog vanished June 16
By Donna Boynton TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Jun 26, 2007

MILLBURY— If Amos could talk, he’d have quite the story to tell. After being taken from his owner’s car in a grocery store parking lot June 16, he was found on the Route 146 roadside in Worcester less than a week later, on Friday, by a woman who had planned to take him to the pound. Instead, she read about a Millbury’s man search for his missing dog in yesterday’s Telegram & Gazette and realized the dog she rescued might have been that man’s pet, a Boston terrier.

Minutes after contacting James M Weaver Jr, there was no doubt that the dog was indeed Amos. “I am so happy,” Mr. Weaver said yesterday afternoon, as Amos lay beside his left foot. Mr. Weaver was working in his computer room when his phone rang early yesterday morning, with the Worcester woman, Shirley Moccia, telling him she might have his dog.

She explained that she found the dog on the Route 146 roadside, near Interstate 290, Mr Weaver said, and captured the dog to prevent him from getting hurt or killed. Though the dog was not wearing any identification, he fit the description of Amos, and she invited Mr. Weaver to her home to meet the dog. Mr. Weaver wasted no time. Moments after the 7:40 a.m. phone call, he left the e-mail he was typing in mid-sentence and raced to her address.
“I took one look at him, and he took one look at me. I said, ‘Amos!’ and he was jumping up on me, and I was hugging him,” Mr. Weaver said. “There is no doubt that this is my dog.”

Mr. Weaver doesn’t know who took him or how he wound up on the side of the highway, but despite the weeklong ordeal, Amos is no worse for the wear.

“He’s suffered some trauma, but he is not in too bad shape. Whoever took him, fed him,” Mr. Weaver said. Mr. Weaver, a 76-year-old Korean War Navy veteran, would not say how much of a reward he gave to the woman, only that she was amply compensated.

Amos is only 2 years old, but he already has quite the life story, a story that is marked by both trauma and good luck. Amos was 6 months old when he was rescued from living conditions that left him malnourished and ill. He was adopted by Mr. Weaver 18 months ago, and nursed back to health. The two formed a strong bond: The dog went everywhere with Mr. Weaver, whether it was camping or running daily errands.

They were inseparable until June 16, when Mr. Weaver went to Price Chopper on Greenwood Street in Worcester and left his companion in his truck, with windows rolled down a bit and the doors unlocked, while he went inside the store to buy sausages and meatballs. When he returned, Amos was not there to greet him; instead he found only Amos’ leash, which had been detached. Mr. Weaver contacted the Worcester Police Department and began searching for Amos, plastering the Price Chopper parking lot with lost dog fliers and asking all local veterinarians to be on the lookout for Amos.

The only thing that can compare with Mr. Weaver’s joy at being reunited with his 19-pound, four-legged best friend, is the gratitude he has for all those who helped in the search that led to the recovery of Amos. “I can’t thank you all enough,” Mr. Weaver said.

Source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20070626/NEWS/706260646/1116
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Molly, Miniature Poodle

Sweet story here. Well, it has a nasty neighbor early in the story. I love how little Molly's mom surprised the boy with Molly's return. Enjoy the story.


Trucker Helps Return Lucky Pup to Her Anxious Family
By Jessica Farrish/Register-Herald Reporter
7-6-2004

Molly's journey home from Sandstone Mountain is a fairy tale from nose to tail.

The miniature poodle tunneled out of her backyard, got tossed into a shed, was abandoned at a gas station, dodged busy interstate traffic, befriended a kind truck driver, got rescued and joyously returned to her favorite person - 13-year-old Corey Lilly of Shady Spring.

"It is quite a story," remarked Molly's owner and "mom," Janie Lilly. " Just because of everything else that's been going on in the world that's so depressing, this is just to show the good in people. It was truly a miracle. I cannot believe that we got her back."

Molly's saga began June 11 when Lilly left for work and Corey put the puppy in the backyard to play. Pushing her nose through a loose spot, Molly wriggled out of her own backyard and into the yard of a neighbor in The Oaks, a subdivision just off Interstate 64 in Raleigh County. When Molly didn't answer Corey's call to come back inside, the teen rode his bike through the neighborhood, looking for her.

A group of men working nearby told Corey a man who had recently moved into The Oaks had carried a little dog to where they working earlier that morning and had asked if she belonged to one of them. When they said no, he reportedly "grabbed Molly by her neck and then threw her into an outdoor storage shed connected to his house," the workers told Lilly. Frantic, Corey rode home and called his mom at her Glade Springs office. Corey tried to talk to the neighbor who allegedly took the dog, but he wouldn't come out, Lilly said.

By the time she found his residence, the man had already left for a camping trip. Lilly left a message at the campground for the man to call her, and when the phone rang later that day, the family hoped it meant good news. Instead, the man told them Molly had scared his little girl and that he'd driven the dog to a gas station near The Oaks and put the dog out of his truck.

While Lilly was searching for Molly, Donnie Blackburn of Ronceverte was underneath his tractor-trailer at the brake check area on Sandstone Mountain adjusting his brakes when a tug on his pants leg caused him to rise up suddenly and bump his head. The Greenbrier County trucker slid out from under the rig and saw "this little dog that just jumped on my leg. I brought it home; my wife gave it a bath," Blackburn said. "I wasn't going to leave it out there to get run over."

The Blackburns called the foundling "Little Bit" because she was just a "little bit of a dog" and - much to the dismay of their own indoor dog - they decided to keep Little Bit at their house over the weekend. They decided to wait until Monday to take her to the Greenbrier County animal shelter in Lewisburg.

Meanwhile, neighbors at The Oaks banded together and put up missing dog posters around the neighborhood. "Everybody went out looking for her," Lilly said. "A lot of people helped us out. They were wonderful."

The first big tip about Molly's whereabouts seemed dreadful: A man told Lilly Molly had been near the Bragg exit on I-64 on Friday morning - where vehicles whiz by at 70 miles per hour. Lilly began to doubt she would ever see the beloved pet again, but she posted a picture of Molly at the Sandstone Mountain brake check station, near the Bragg exit, that afternoon.

Monday morning, Blackburn rolled into the brake check station with Little Bit sitting beside him and spotted a missing dog poster. The face was definitely familiar.

"Molly was the name on the poster," he recalled. "I turned to Little Bit and called her 'Molly.' Immediately, her little ears perked up, and that little tail started wagging."

Lilly was at work when she received Blackburn's call at 7 a.m. saying he'd found Molly." As soon as I started pulling in the Texaco, I could see the trucker," Lilly said. "He was kind of a tough, rugged, 18-wheeler driver, and he was holding Molly up close to his face."

Corey wasn't out of bed yet when Lilly sneaked Molly into the house." I hadn't told him about Blackburn calling because I was afraid to give him false hope if the dog wasn't Molly," she said.

"I took her home and opened the door and let her run upstairs." Molly headed straight to Corey's room and jumped on his bed, waking him up with "kisses" to his face."I don't know who was more excited - Molly or Corey," Lilly said. "Neither one could have been happier

Source: WV Pet Pages - http://www.wvpetpages.com/raleigh_county_news.htm

Nigel, sled dog

Out of Iditarod, Yoshida reunited with her missing sled dog, Nigel

By Ryan Bakken, Grand Forks Herald

March 13 2009

Nancy Yoshida’s lost dog, Nigel, has been reunited with the musher and her team. Nigel, one of the 16 sled dogs in Nancy Yoshida’s team at the Iditarod, was rescued Friday afternoon after running loose in the wild for more than three days.

Like Lassie, Nigel has come home.

Nigel, one of the 16 sled dogs in Nancy Yoshida’s team at the Iditarod, was rescued Friday afternoon after running loose in the wild for more than three days.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am,” Yoshida said. “It’s such a huge relief.

“Not getting him back would have been my worst nightmare. I would have been devastated to lose an amazing animal like that.”

Yoshida praised the “Iditarod family” for his recapture. The male Alaskan Husky was spotted by a three-person search party on snowmobiles. Chris, Sara and Miranda Poynter, owners of a nearby lodge, were able to coax Nigel to them.

“It was the female voices of Sara and Miranda that did it,” Yoshida said. “The guys who tried to get him earlier scared him away.”

They radioed Yoshida, who then hopped on a Piper Cub airplane to the site from Willow, Alaska, where the race started. The plane landed, and Yoshida and dog soon shared a happy reunion.

“Nigel was absolutely thrilled to see me,” she said. “I said his name, and he came right up to me and gave me a kiss.”

The dog ran away early Tuesday after being unhooked from the sled as Yoshida went down a gorge.

While heartened by his return, the 58-year-old musher from Thompson, N.D., felt bad for her other 15 dogs.

“All that time and energy and training these dogs have gone through, and they don’t get to go to Nome,” she said, choking up. “Look what they’ve gone through to run that race.”

She could have been talking about herself. She has undergone rigorous training for several years with the Iditarod in mind. She and her dogs moved their training to Alaska in late October.

But she broke one of her sled’s two runners, resulting in a crash as she was traveling down a gorge. She was stuck there on the trail for almost 24 hours before, with the help of other mushers, she was able to get her dogs and sled organized to go down the steep slope and negotiate the final eight miles to the next checkpoint.

“If I don’t get to try this again, at least I’ll be just one of a handful of people who have ridden eight miles on one runner,” she said.

Mushers aren’t allowed to continue if a dog is lost. Even if Nigel had returned earlier, she wouldn’t have been able to continue because low cloud cover prevented a replacement sled from being flown to the checkpoint. She withdrew late Tuesday after going 136 of the 1,151 miles.

Heavy snows and warm temperatures made for a difficult trail. “The snow is so soft, so wet and so deep that you get huge ruts in the trail,” she said. “You fall into a rut, and it rolls you, like what happened to me doing down the slope.

“I’m so disappointed. The dogs were doing great, and we were right on schedule.” With Nigel safe, Yoshida will fly into Nome to witness the finish. She remains uncertain if she will give the Iditarod a second try.

“I would love to try it again, but it’s so expensive,” she said. “I’d love to try it where everything could hang together.”

Source: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/110529

Chemo, chihuahua

Cancer patient's stolen puppy recovered
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 5, 2006 (09-05) 16:11 PDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- Police have recovered a Chihuahua puppy that had been missing since Saturday and plan to reunite the pooch with its owner, 8-year-old cancer patient Kyle Jackson Wetle, later today, UCSF officials said.

The 15-week-old puppy was brought to the Koret Family House on 10th Avenue, where Kyle's family has been staying, around noon today.

When officers arrived at the building, they found a man holding the black-and-tan Chihuahua, university police Capt. Torin Fischer said. The man waited for police to arrive and was cooperating with officers, he added.

"It's a happy day," Fischer said. "Right now we are still investigating all of this. We're not drawing any conclusions yet -- we're just thankful the dog has been returned."

The dog, named Chemo, was taken from the Wetle family car, parked in the UCSF parking garage, on Saturday while Kyle was being treated at UCSF Children's Hospital.

Kyle, of Monterey, suffers from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a potentially fatal cancer, and Chemo has been a comforting companion for the past six weeks, his family said.

Chemo also has helped Kyle deal with the loss of the family's two German Shepherds, both of which died recently, according to his mother.

Before Chemo's disappearance Saturday, Kyle's 15-year-old brother had been playing with the puppy while waiting for Kyle's treatment to be over, then ran into the hospital to see if his brother was ready for a surprise visit from the dog, their mother said.

"Not 10 minutes later, they were paging me over the loudspeaker," said Katrina Wetle, Kyle's mother, who returned to find a car window broken and Chemo gone. "I think (the thief) was watching and smashed and grabbed when my son left."

The Wetle family and university officials started spreading word of the theft on Monday, and by this morning, UCSF phones were lighting up with investigative leads from tipsters hoping to help police find the stolen pooch, hospital and police officials said.

The tips ended up being for naught, said Fischer.

"This person just showed up," he said. "This is pure speculation -- but with all the media attention this received, I wouldn't want to walk around San Francisco with that dog. Would you?"

University police raised about $200 of their own money for a reward for the return of Chemo, and numerous people phoned in today to offer contributions, Fischer said. He did not know whether anyone would receive the reward money, but said there was no need for new donations, now that the dog has been returned.

"It's too soon to tell whether anyone will get money, until we complete our investigation on the auto burglary," he said.

Wetle said the family also had received an outpouring of support through e-mails and visits to Kyle's Web site, www.kylessmile.org.

"It's been great -- there's been a community outpouring of people wanting to help any way they can -- people offering puppies," she said.

Wetle broke the news of Chemo's disappearance to Kyle on Monday evening, she said, and he was confident the dog would be returned.

Chemo, whom the Wetle family has had for about six weeks, has been a huge source of comfort for Kyle as he undergoes treatment, she added.

"We tempered it with the fact that we were going on the news to try and get the puppy back," Wetle said. "He was very positive -- he said even though the bad guys took the puppy, the good guys will bring it back."

Doctors recently found a match for a bone marrow transplant for Kyle, but the procedure was delayed when they found that the cancer had returned to his marrow. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and will find out on Sept. 10 whether he will be able to receive the transplant.


Source: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/05/BAGQTKVGG931.DTL

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