Lucy, lab

Owner Recognizes Dog After Hearing It Bark Over The Phone
Jan 16, 2013

COMMERCE, GA-- Shane Wilson's prayers were answered when he received a telephone call Tuesday morning.

The caller told him she and a friend found his dog Lucy. "I don't know what to say other than I'm a lucky man," Wilson said.

Six days ago, Lucy jumped out of the back of Wilson's pickup truck at Banks Crossing in Commerce. He has been driving 30 miles from his home in Stephens County to Commerce to look for Lucy every day since.

Lucy was found by two strangers. She was wandering along I-85 when Becky Davis and Tiffany Scoggins spotted him.

The friends were getting breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Commerce when they saw Lucy. They walked down the exit ramp to get to her.

"We pulled out the treats and she just let me put the leash around her neck," Davis said.

Davis and Scoggins had no idea who Lucy was even though Wilson had posted flyers all over Commerce. They took her to a local vet who recognized the dog.

"They immediately recognized her and they were like, 'she's the dog'," Davis said.

Lucy is a service dog who helps Wilson, who lost a leg in a motorcycle crash five years ago. When Scoggins called him to say that she found Lucy, he was leery because he has had so many false hopes over the past six days.

Wilson told Scoggins to hold a dog treat up and say "Lucy, speak." She did and Lucy barked. "I heard her bark and I said I'm on the way and I kind of hung up on her," Wilson said.

"He was so happy, he was hysterical," Davis said. "He immediately knew and said 'stay right there, I'm coming'."

Wilson offered a $500 reward to anyone who found Lucy. Davis and Scoggins would have none of it. "It was worth everything," Scoggins said. "That was worth a million dollars, it made our day," Davis said.



Source: http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/263842/1/Owner-Recognizes-Dog-After-Hearing-It-Bark-Over-The-Phone-

Tasha, black lab

Dog lost after fatal car crash reunited with Weston family 6 days later
By Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
January 3, 2012

WESTON— Elyssa Hausman remembers sitting in the median in a daze, peering at the Hyundai's shattered back window.

That's when it hit her. Where was Tasha?

The family's 11-year-old black Labrador had been in the back with the luggage.

And now she was nowhere to be found.

Worse news was to come. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Elyssa, 17, learned the woman she called mom had died in the crash.

The family of four was driving home on Christmas Eve after a 10-day vacation when another car drifted into their lane near Port Orange and sideswiped their Hyundai SUV.

Their vehicle careened into the grass median on southbound Interstate 95 and flipped before hitting a tree.

Chris Goss, 54, died at the scene. Her 18-year-old son Jeffery Goss, her longtime companion Steven Hausman and his daughter Elyssa made it out with scrapes and bruises.

Hausman and Goss met in 2003 and never married, but considered themselves a family, Elyssa said.

Griefstruck, the three survivors drove home to Weston on Christmas Day. They had funeral arrangements to make. And a dog to find.

Elyssa called animal shelters, the Volusia County pound, state highway officials, even the company that mows the median along I-95.

No luck. After six days, the family had almost given up hope of ever seeing Tasha again.

Then a call came in from an animal control officer in Volusia County.

On the day after Goss' funeral, Tasha had been found wandering near the crash site, hungry and thirsty and covered in ticks.

A veterinary technician drove Tasha home that same day. But first she needed surgery — 32 stitches on a seven-inch gash that stretched from the top of her head to her neck.

"I have no idea how she survived the crash," said Amanda Goss, 23, who came home from college after getting the news about her mom. "We think my mom had something to do with it. We believe my mom wanted to give us back the dog so we could have some kind of joy while we are grieving."

As soon as the car drove up in the driveway about 10:30 p.m., the family dashed out to greet Tasha.

"We all went running out the front door," Elyssa said. "That's the first time we'd smiled since Christmas Eve."

The dog was still groggy from surgery, but managed to lick off the peanut butter they'd smudged on their hands to greet her.

"It was like bringing home a piece of my mom when we found her," Amanda said. "It's a miracle she was thrown from the car and was missing for six days and she had no broken bones. None of it makes sense. Everyone in the crash … it's amazing that they all didn't die."

Elyssa thinks Goss watched over Tasha for those six days "to make sure she'd come home to us."

Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/weston/fl-family-reunited-wth-dog-20120103,0,5760286.story
Video at: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/videogallery/67136791/News/family-reunited-with-dog-after-tragedy

Katie in Hyattsville MD

Catching Katie!
Submitted by Liam Hughes, Director of Animal Control Field Services, Washington Humane Society
Saturday, June 4th, 2011

For almost a week, Katie had been seen all over the park near her new home and visiting all of the other dogs nearby. Over the past 6 days since Katie went missing we received nearly a dozen calls reporting her whereabouts. A small army of WHS volunteers, most from our PACK program (People & Animal Cardio Klub) and some of her friends from the shelter including Penny (Who is still searching for a home of her own) went to go see if they could find her but by the time someone arrived, she was gone.

Katie, after her capture, looking over at her friend!

Scott Giacoppo and I started to look at the maps of all her sightings and we both figured where Katie was hanging out in. We consulted with one the nation’s top organizations for finding lost pets, The Missing Pet Partnership and with their help we devised a search strategy.

Today, Saturday, June 4th, 2011, I decided to take my sidekick Blazer who has the good habit of finding new dog friends where ever he goes. So with his search harness on we headed out and found a few deer paths that looked promising near where Katie was last seen. Walking through the heavy woods, full of mosquitoes, poison Ivy, more mosquitoes, thorn and sticker bushes, and even more mosquitoes we only found the tracks of deer, raccoons and surprised a few snakes that were not expecting us to be creeping around the woods. We found no dog tracks and nothing that gave us any hope.

We began our mile long walk back and stopped to speak to a few people and some university police officers that had not seen Katie, but promised they would call if they did she her. Blazer and I looked at the map again and decided to try the wooded area on the other side of the search area we were in so we filled up on water and drove off to the next area.

As we rounded the corner to Rosemary Lane, we noticed a woman looking at the lost flyer. When I stopped and asked if she seen Katie, the woman said “yes, she was just here 10 minutes ago. “ She was close! I decided to go back to the house she was just spotted at, and there she was, just sitting in the yard like it was her house!

Now there are 2 ways to catch a dog, you can chase the dog and try to wear it out, that’s the hard way. Dogs tend not to like you afterwards and get very stressed out. Not a good way of catching a dog and I wanted Katie to like me, so the better option was to slowly approach her and with many treats and being as non-threatening as possible. Ask any Animal Control Officer; they know how read what the animals are saying to them. Katie was telling me that she would stick around because I had food but not to get too close. So I laid down on the ground and started feeding her treats.

For about an hour I crawled on my hands and knees, and then slowly belly crawled closer and closer to her. As I inched up to her I never made eye contact with her, I was always looking past her or out of the corner of my eye. I made no sudden movements and even rolled over for her a few times, All the while being attacked by every gnat, fly and mosquito in the county. She realized I wasn’t there to hurt her so she laid there with me in the shade as I got closer.

When I was a foot away she started to sniff me and I began to scratch her under her muzzle. Katie was my friend then and there. I placed the lead around her neck and we slowly walked back to her new mom where Katie’s new harness and leash were put on and drove her back home to where she was finally able to be in her new home.

Katie had a lot of great people and neighbors looking out for her while she was out exploring, but stories like this don’t often get happy endings like Katie’s. Please make sure your pets are licensed and have register microchips. If your local Animal Control Officer does find your pet, they can get them home quickly.

Pet parents should also talk with trainers and make sure their pets know their names. If your pets are trained to come when called those rare times when they might push the gate open or they run past the UPS man, you have a better chance of getting them back inside. Blazer knows his name because we constantly train and positively reinforce the cool things he learns. Katie’s new mom is starting work on that right away and is just happy she is safe and starting her new life.

Katie’s new mom wants to send a big thank you to everyone involved in her search & rescue, and WHS wants to thank the Missing Pet Partnership for their assistance in developing a plan to catch Katie.

If you ever do lose your pet, please contact your animal control department immediately and file a report then visit www.missingpetpartnership.org for the most helpful tips and techniques.

Source: http://washhumane.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/catching-katie.html

Lucy, golden retriever

Dog's Amazing Tale from Alden to Indiana and Back
By: Laura Lee
Posted at: 06/02/2011 11:46 PM

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- It's a kind of journey too coincidental to believe.

Lost for nearly a week, a golden retriever named Lucy ends up a couple states away and with the help of the Internet she returns home safely.

What started out as a typical day chasing birds and rabbits ended with Lucy, missing.

"I was upset obviously, I started asking everyone," says Amber Yaw, who has owned Lucy for over four years.

"We went all the way around here and on the freeway and I had a feeling she couldn't have died," says Patti Yaw.

That's because this golden retriever was already heading east.

"The guy that picked her up was headed from Washington state to Rochester, he stopped at the the truck stop in Alden, took her collar off and asked if they knew a dog named Lucy that was out on the freeway and they had no clue so they said I guess you have a riding buddy," says Bob Yaw.

From there, she was handed over to a dog lover who promised to find Lucy's owner. "And then where does she go she lives in Nashville, Indiana and that's where she went, " says Bob.

"There really wasn't much I could do, so I created a 'Help Lucy Find Her Way Home' Facebook page, " says Amber.

At this same time, the stranger from Indiana posted Lucy on Craigslist--- fortunately, someone was paying attention.

"Within an hour someone had written on the page that she had seen on Craigslist for the 27th of May a listing for a Lucy," says Amber.

"Had we not had the Internet, had Amber not done what she did, and had the person that took her (Lucy) not put it on Craigslist, I mean all these different things had to work together," says Patti.

"It ended up being Lucy, so I asked, when I can pick up her and she said I'm in Indiana, and I said come again," chuckles Amber as she recalls the conversation.

Just by chance, her parents Patti and Bob were in St. Louis, Missouri visiting friends and decided to make the detour to Indiana.

"And met her at a gas station and as soon as she drove up Lucy got out," says Bob, "that's lucy, she gave me a hug and wrapped her arms around me."

A reunion destined to happen.

"777 was the odometer reading to the mile, from there to here in the driveway, talk about meant to be," says Bob.

"It was serendipity, who would have ever thought we'd ever find her again," says Patti.

And having a sense of humor helps. "It's nice to have her back, and she's not leaving again, she's on probation and in prison from now on," jokes Patti.

The Yaw family says Lucy is still a little shaken up from the whole ordeal, but they expect her to be okay.

They want to thank all of those who had a hand with Lucy's return.

Source: http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/s2139760.shtml
Printer-friendly version and video here

Also see:
http://www.kimt.com/content/localnews/story/Alden-Dog-Reunites-With-Family-With-Help-From/mDBkyytAzk2RN1KEu1tf5g.cspx
and
http://www.albertleatribune.com/2011/06/02/internet-key-in-finding-lost-dog/

Diddy, yorkie

Diddy's Story
as told by Nancy Despeaux
February 27th 2011

Diddy is a happy go lucky 5 year old male yorkshire terrier and companion to Liz, who's in law school at Howard University in the very urban Washington DC. He's tiny, at 7-8 pounds, and extremely friendly. He's a great dog!

Liz, sharing the great news for the ????th time!

Wish though she might that she could really take him every last place she goes, Liz had to leave him behind when she has an out of town trip to make in February 2011. A friend cared for him while she was gone, in his home accross town. Diddy knew the friend from his visits to their house, so it was a good solution.

All week long, the friend walked Diddy, but off leash, which was of course against the rules. However, good dog that Diddy is, he didn't run off. Until Saturday, the day Liz returned home. She got the call from the friend as she was boarding the plane. We can only imagine how awful that plane ride was.

Liz's mom, Cee, lives in New York, and they are very close. Actually, Diddy and Cee's dog Karma are litter mates. While Diddy was missing, Cee was miserable stuck at home in New York when she wanted to be boots on the ground in DC, helping Liz search for Diddy.

But speaking from the perspective of someone that has participated in many lost dog searches, Cee stands almost alone in what a rock she was, more helpful and supportive she was in the search that I've almost ever seen. Perhaps it is because if people have a lot of support, they don't contact me for help, but I almost never see anyone going through what Liz went through that has anyone like Cee in their lives, doing all that Cee did to try to circulate the word of who to call if a dog matching Diddy's description was to be found.

On the seventh day of agony came the ecstacy for Liz, and Cee. I would say for Diddy too, but he was far from agonized -- at least in the time after his "run-about" came to an end several hours after he vanished!

It seems that he had scampered about 5 miles from where he bolted, in about 3-4 hours. He was in traffic, risking his life, when his rescuer encountered him, and offered him an open door to climb through. It seemed like a good idea to Diddy; he loves car rides!

After first taking him to her house, where she already has 4 dogs of her own, she took Diddy to her mom's house. All week long he was doted on and loved, with assorted purchases made for him, and he was as well behaved and happy as ever.

And that was the total giveaway. His rescuer could plainly see that it was impossible that no one was looking for this wonderful dog. Much as she would have loved to have a dog exactly like him, she knew what she would have wanted had someone found her own dog. She tried the shelter several times -- not leaving him there, but as soon as Tueseday, notifying them of this found dog she had, with a full description. And then finally, on Friday, six days after he hit the streets and made his way to her house, she tried again, and apparently was insistent that someone MUST be looking for this dog.

Presumably at her urging, the shelter person made a phone call to this person, Liz, who had lost her yorkie the previous Saturday afternoon, to tell her about the dog found and being held by a citizen. It was the call that Liz had hoped and prayed for all week!

Liz of course flew to that house as fast as she could. Cee and Karma were already en route to DC; Cee hadn't been able stand another minute of not being by Liz's side. How nice for Cee that she got to drive straight to the house and be greeted by none other than Diddy himself!

Everyone enjoyed a beautiful reunion visit. But you know how dogs are -- Diddy didn't even look back at his wonderful temporary home and family when Liz walked out the door to go home!

A blog was set up for the search for Diddy, and you can read Cee's version of the story there:       http://pleasefinddiddy.blogspot.com/

Meg, sheepdog

Stolen sheepdog Meg reunited with Morpeth owner
by Sophie Doughty, Evening Chronicle
Nov 30 2009

Meg the stolen sheepdog has been reunited with her Morpeth owner David Craigs, thanks to the Chronicle.

David Craigs feared he would never see his beloved border collie again after thieves drove off in his Land Rover as she slept on the back seat.

But she has now been returned to her delighted owners after being dumped near a farm in County Durham.

She made her way to the nearest sheep-farm, in Wingate, but it was not until the farmer who found her read about the dog’s disappearance in the Chronicle that he realised where she had come from.

And David, 52, overjoyed when he heard his dog had been found.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” he said. “I don’t think we will ever get the Land Rover back, but I don’t mind. I was more worried about the dog. I really didn’t think we would get her back.”

David left his Land Rover Defender outside the back door of his home, in Tritlington, near Morpeth, for a matter of minutes with the keys in the ignition when the thieves struck.

They free-wheeled the vehicle out of the farm gates, at just after 4pm last Saturday, and started the engine on the main road before fleeing the scene.

But the thieves were unaware that seven-year-old Meg was lying on the back seat.

Fearing his beloved pet would be dumped on the roadside once the unintentional dog-nappers discovered she was there, David made an emotional plea in the Chronicle for her safe return.

And this was spotted on Friday by the farmer that has been looking after her for three days.

“She was found on Tuesday evening and the farmer kept her and had been asking around to see if anyone had lost their dog,” he said. “And when the article ran in the Chronicle, she rang me and we went to pick her up.

“She was a bit skinny because she had been fretting and had not been eating, but otherwise she is fine.

“She had obviously been dumped and found her way to the nearest sheep farm and she had just been rounding their sheep up for a couple of days.”

Meg is now happily settling back into life on the farm.

And David believes he would not have got his dog back if it had not been for the Chronicle.

“I would just like to thank the Chronicle. We had phone calls and messages from all over the country after the story went in.

“We feel really lucky to have her back, if she had been any further down south when they dumped her whoever found her probably wouldn’t have seen the article and we wouldn’t have got her back.”

Police are still hunting the thieves who took David’s Land Rover and are appealing for witnesses..

Source: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2009/11/30/stolen-sheepdog-meg-reunited-with-morpeth-owner-72703-25287532/