Knight's Story
Penny Sanderbeck
January 2001
As she approaches the garage she looks up and sees the filthy, matted black dog. He senses the intruder’s presence and slumps to the ground as he scurries to hide under the bumper of the closest car. She quickly stoops and gently calls his name, “Knight.” His whole body freezes at that moment. He stops in mid motion. What was it that he heard? There. There it is again. “Knight.” His head slowly turns to look at these two intruders. Could it be? He looks from one to the other. He recognizes no one. Yet, they seem so familiar.
He turns and makes eye contact with them, looking from one to the other. There’s something there. He feels a strong sense of familiarity, gentleness and security. She gently reaches out to pet him, softly cooing to him. She takes the right ear in her hand and checks it. But, really there was no need. She already knew. She knew the moment she had seen him. She sensed it. It was Knight. There was no doubt. After four long, torturous months, the hunt was finally over. Knight was right there in front of her…
The date was August 26, 2000. Veronica Dowling (HiDow’s Shelties) of Brown City, MI, with the belief that Knight would be happier decided to place Knight with a couple from Columbus, OH. In the earlier hours of August 27, they arrived back home with their new four legged family member. Throwing caution to the wind and ignoring all instructions, the leash was removed and Knight darted away. Suddenly, less than eight hours after arriving, Knight found himself on his own and in unfamiliar territory.
Sheltie enthusiasts from all over the world monitored the events of the following days through the posts that the adopters made to the sheltie list on the internet. Sharon Brown, a local sheltie rescue volunteer, quickly came to the aid of the adopters. Signs were put up, flyers handed out, and a humane trap set near the last sighting.
The next four months became a flurry of activity. In early September, I had some free time so I drove the area (45 minutes from my home) hoping to see him. Once I reported on the internet my disappointment in not finding any signs and only one flyer, I found myself in the mix of things. I got more involved than I had ever intended. But, never having done this before, I had no idea what to do or where to start.
This is when Darla Duffey from Jacksonville (FL) Sheltie Rescue came to our aid. Not only did she actually come to Columbus on three different occasions to physically help with the search, but she stayed in constant contact with us via our cell phones when she couldn’t be here. She was a wealth of knowledge and encouragement.
With the adopters bowing out of the search, we needed help. That help arrived twice from West Virginia Sheltie Rescue (JoAnn Jones) and Precious Secrets Sheltie Rescue (Pam Linder) out of Cincinnati, OH. Because we kept the sheltie list constantly update on our progress, we were able to also get help from listers in Troy, OH and Chicago, IL. Veronica and her two sons came to town in early October during one of Darla’s visits to lend a hand as well. We also gained valuable help from other breed rescues (Irish Setter, Collie, Greyhound and German Shepherd Dog) and Columbus Dog Connection in Columbus.
We used my cell number and I fielded the calls. Sharon ran the calls between her pet-sitting business obligations. Lenette Carter made all the pertinent calls to the Police, Dog Wardens, etc. on a weekly basis. My husband volunteered to check the shelter for us every other day. With Darla giving us direction, and all of us hanging signs and handing out flyers, our basic system was in place.
The followers from the sheltie list on the internet were instrumental in providing us with ideas to try in our search as well as encouragement. We rejected no reasonable suggestion. I think we tried everything from walking a bitch in heat (Knight was not neutered) to consulting with animal communicators. But you know it never ceased to amaze us that when we would be feeling our worst and our hopes would be waning, someone from that list would send a nice email filled with encouraging words. They always seemed to know just when we needed it the most.
It wasn’t long before we were living the Knight search. It easily took over our lives. We felt the effects of our all out effort in our personal lives which caused even more pressure and stress. Husbands got angry, friends and children were ignored, pets were neglected, and employment was jeopardized. But, we kept going. Something, we were never quite sure what exactly, kept us searching. Knight needed us. We were his only hope. Our hearts told us that much? After considerable thought and discussion, we raised the reward to $1000.00. Peace of mind would be well worth that much!
There is no way possible that we could possibly explain all the calls and the emotions that we went through. A friend told me later that we could compare what we had been through and the aftermath to a soldier returning from war. She was right. It truly was a war against time, mother nature, man and machines.
The emotional roller coaster that we had put ourselves on isn’t something we’d wish on anybody. With each and every call that came in, our spirits and hopes would soar only to be quickly dashed when it didn’t turn out to be Knight. The tears and frustration were plenty and wearing on us. But, something kept driving us to continue. We just couldn’t give up…
With each new sighting came a whole new area that we needed to get the word out to. That meant more and more posters were hung, flyers passed out, and traps moved and reset. There was a lot of work involved. But, we did it without question. We just had to get the word out. Luckily, we had people from that sheltie list making flyers and mailing them to us. Darla made us some more signs and mailed them from Florida. What a help this was! We were armed and ready for the next sighting.
Some local “lost and found” volunteers were able to get our story in the newspaper as well as on television and radio. Thanks to a local benefactor (who quickly became our friend), we were able to access as many traps as we needed as well. Thanks to her, we had six of them set by the end of October.
Because of our high reward and the media coverage we quickly became the talk of the town. This increased interest meant the phone rang more often with each and every dog sighting that even remotely looked like Knight. Don’t worry, we didn’t abandoned those poor creatures. By the end of December, we would have helped 29 other dogs of all breeds (eight shelties). Some went to rescue, some were reunited with their owners, and some were placed in new, loving homes.
Before we knew it, we were in the midst of winter and Christmas was just around the corner. The phone rang much less often now. Mother nature wasn’t being kind. As the temperatures dropped, so did our hopes. But, our concern increased.
Then on Christmas Eve, the phone actually rang again. It was the “one” call that we had been waiting on. I sat in disbelief as this lady told me about a black sheltie that had been hanging around her fiancee’s home for several weeks. She didn’t think it was our boy, but she invited me to come out after Christmas to look for myself. Boy was that a long two day wait!
I invited Sharon to go with me. We arrived earlier than planned, but we just couldn’t wait any longer! And, what we found brought such a rush of emotions and relief that it’s indescribable. There, tied to an old Jaguar was our boy! What a sight! We knew instantly that it was Knight. Of course, we called Darla immediately who then called Veronica. This was truly a Christmas to remember!!!
The date was December 26, 2000, exactly four months since Knight first came to Columbus. Even though we had never seen him before, we were able to positively identify him because the tip of his right ear was missing. Besides, our hearts verified what our eyes were seeing. We paid the reward and without hesitation loaded him into my car and headed for the groomer, then to the vet’s office.
After about three days, his system was finally able to adjust back to regular food and feeding schedules. He quickly made himself at home with my furkids. He was found to be heartworm positive and is currently being treated for that condition.
On January 14, 2001, Knight was reunited with Veronica. He is now happily residing with her and her family in Michigan. He has become quite comfortable sleeping with her son William and lounging on the couch. I do have to admit that was a very long drive home that day. Even with Darla on the phone, I cried all the way.
The Knight Recovery Team consisted of not only those of us that were directly involved but all those people that followed our plight on the sheltie list. We couldn’t have accomplished our goal without their suggestions, encouragement and monetary donations. There was no way this feat could have ever been accomplished by any one person. It was truly a “team” effort like no other.
To fully understand what made this search so special, one has to understand that all these people (local and long distance) had never even met each other before. Yet, something made us all come together for the good of this one dog. And, no matter how hard I try, I could never, ever find the proper words to describe the significance of this story or what it meant to so many. We are still marveling on how and why this “saga” touched the lives of so many. I don’t think we will ever fully comprehend it.
None of us will ever be the same. This search brought out something in all of us that we never knew existed. The pure determination and perseverance that the recovery team demonstrated for a dog that wasn’t even their’s gave new meaning to “Never Give Up”. We hadn’t realized it, but those three words had become our motto and driving force.
The wealth of knowledge, understanding, cooperation and personal growth gained from this experience is immeasurable. And, the friendships that we walked away from it with are truly priceless.
Knight was our 30th recovery in four months. His legacy will live through our continued rescue and recovery efforts (and your’s) to help other lost and abandoned dogs. As part of that legacy, a “Knight’s Sheltie Searchers” has been set up and can be accessed on the internet at http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/adaptec/1848/index_m.htm.
Although we hope you never, ever need it, this list ensures that if you should ever find yourself in a similar situation that you, too, will have the opportunity to have a “team” beside you. Thank you Karen Fitchett for setting it up.
It is true that I will never, ever be able to find to words to adequately thank all of you for your support both financially and emotionally during this time. It's hard to find such good people.
Not any one of us could have done this single handedly...that much we agreed on. Darla was the knowledge and the conductor for us. We would have had to give up early in the search if it hadn't been for her and her knowledge. She was so willing to do whatever it took and there was no way you could even think of giving any less than your very best.
Those of us that were truly on the front lines of this search could not have done it without those "behind the scenes" people. From the followers on the sheltie list that sent suggestions, encouragement and financial support, to the friends, husbands, children and employers who all gave their support in many other ways, it truly was a "team" effort.
It may have gotten rough or testy at times, but I know of one very special dog that is quite thankful that we were able to pull it all together and make it work.
Source: http://www.centralohiosheltierescue.org/index_files/Page2243.htm
