Georgie

Lost Pup Sought by Animal Detectives Returns Home
By Irene Plagianos
January 28, 201

LOWER MANHATTAN — Their dogged determination paid off.

An East Village couple that hired a pet detective to scour the city for their pup Georgie, who went missing on Dec. 25, has been reunited with their beloved pet.

An East Village couple was on the search for their beloved puppy, six-month old Georgie, offering a $2,500 reward for his return. The small pup went missing on Dec. 25, 2013 and has since been brought home.

But it wasn’t the scent-tracking dogs brought in to sniff out 6-month-old Georgie that finally collared the pooch. It was an ad on Craigslist, said Manu Pohani, who owns the rescue dog with his girlfriend, Margaret Mak, that led Georgie back to them late Friday evening.

“The young women who found Georgie saw our ad on Craigslist and, once they checked out our Facebook page, as well as the [DNAinfo New York article] about Georgie, they realized that Georgie was missed tremendously, and that we were not going to give up on him,” Pohani said.

Pohani said a 20-year-old Bronx resident spotted Georgie — without knowing about the search for him — in an acquaintance's apartment in The Bronx on Jan. 3.

"She said he was tied up in a corner, and it looked like something was wrong, so she decided to rescue the puppy from the apartment and take Georgie with her," he said.

The dog rescuer already had a pup at home so decided to give Georgie to her 8-year-old half-sister in New Rochelle, but after Georgie barked too much, the 20-year-old took Georgie back to her Bronx apartment, Pohani said.

"They said everyone quickly fell in love with Georgie," Pohani said, but the family happened upon Pohani's lost dog post on Craigslist, and quickly found his Facebook page and the media attention the search had garnered.

"They are all such good girls, and come from a wonderful family who clearly all loved Georgie and wanted what was best for him," said Pohani, who picked up Georgie from the Bronx apartment late Friday night. "They said they didn't want the [$2,500] reward, but we insisted they take it."

"We don't know how Georgie ended up in The Bronx, but we're just so happy that the girls found him, and brought him back to us," Pohani added. "We're forever grateful."

Source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140128/tribeca/lost-pup-sought-by-animal-detectives-returns-home

Knuckles, miniature schnauzer

Couple reunite long-lost dog with owner
By Eddie Jimenez / The Fresno Bee
Posted at 11:06 PM on Tuesday, Apr. 19, 2011

Thanks to a couple's compassion for animals and a microchip, a former Fresno woman will be reunited with her dog, who had been missing for more than a year.

A Fresno couple found Knuckles, a miniature schnauzer, last weekend and took him to an animal clinic to check for an identification microchip.

Knuckles, a miniature schnauzer, got away from his owner almost a year ago in Fresno. He was found and will be reunited with his family this week after a long flight to Florida, where the family has relocated.

Sure enough, employees at the Animal Hospital & Bird Clinic in northwest Fresno discovered the identification device in Knuckles and contacted his owner Monday. She has moved to Florida.

"She was overwhelmed with joy," said Jaclyn Mendoza, a clinic employee. "She had given up hope."

Knuckles became lost about 14 months ago, before his owner moved away, Mendoza said. The owner did not want to be identified. Much to Knuckles' good fortune, he crossed paths Sunday evening with Kristine Perez and Jason Hunt, who rescued him from the streets on Palm Avenue south of Herndon Avenue.

The couple had just left their home in the area about 6 p.m. to run errands when they came to a stop sign at Palo Alto Avenue and Palm.

Knuckles was running around wildly. They feared he might be hit by a car, so they picked him up.

"He was really scared, shaking and nervous," Perez said.

Perez and Hunt contacted neighbors and placed an ad on Craigslist, but could not find the dog's owner.

The couple, who have two cats with identification microchips, took care of the miniature schnauzer overnight Sunday before going to the clinic Monday morning.

A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is injected between an animal's shoulder blades, said Daphne Hill, a veterinarian with the Fresno animal hospital.

"A collar and a name tag with telephone number can be removed or lost, but the implanted mircochip remains to identify your pet," she said.

Knuckles is scheduled to fly out of Fresno to Florida today, Hill said. His owner will pay for her pet's medical care and the flight, though the clinic's staff is donating some of its time for costs. Perez and Hunt's reward is knowing they helped reunite a dog and his owner.

Said Perez, "A man who was in the clinic when we took the dog said, 'You really did your good deed for the day.'

Source: http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/04/19/2357270/couple-reunite-long-lost-dog-with.html

Gretchen, labrador mix

Stolen puppy reunites with family after four years
by Nadia Crow/SourceMedia Group News

Posted March 19, 2011 12:27 pm

CEDAR RAPIDS-After four years, an Eastern Iowa family finally reunites with a lost relative, the family dog. The Hodson family eagerly awaited their four-year-old Labrador mix Gretchen’s arrival from Washington state at The Eastern Iowa Airport. It’s the story of the missing piece to the Hodson family puzzle.

“Nervous, well beyond nervous,” said Margaret Hodson who reunited with the family dog Saturday.

Margaret Hodson with Gretchen

Back in 2007, the Hodsons learned terrible news; their Labrador mix Gretchen was stolen.

“We knocked on people’s doors we posted signs everywhere. I called all the veterinary clinics and we continued to do this for at least a year, a year and a half if not more,” said Hodson.

“I remembered her I didn’t forget her I still remembered that she got stolen,” said Meghan Case who reunited with the family dog Saturday.

The Hodsons were stationed in Washington while husband, Travis was in the US Army. Since his deployment to Afghanistan, the family has since moved back to Iowa. But there was one missing link.

Travis Hodson gets a doggie kiss from long lost family pet Gretchen.

“I thought for sure we lost her I thought for sure I wasn’t going to see her again,” said Hodson.

After waiting four years, their stolen puppy was found safe and sound wandering near a lake in Fort Lewis, Washington. She arrived at The Eastern Iowa Airport on an American Airlines flight Saturday morning to open arms.

“It was pretty neat, I love to see her back,” said Case.

Four-year-old Blaine Hodson (right) looks at the family's long lost dog Gretchen while Maggie Hodson (center) talks to her daughter Meghan, 9, (second from right) after the family picked up the dog at The Eastern Iowa Airport on Saturday, March 19, 2011, in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Also pictured is Travis Hodson (left). Gretchen was stolen from the Hodson's home in Washington state nearly four years ago. The dog was identified through a microchip after she was turned into an animal shelter after someone found her wandering the streets.

The kids have grown up and Gretchen has too.

“She wasn’t as big as this now,” said Case.

But she fits right in.

“She’s been a protector, she’s been loyal, a good family member,” said Hodson.

Two-year-old Corbin Hodson (left) stands with his mother Maggie Hodson of Wayland, Iowa, as she holds the tail of her long lost dog Gretchen after she and her family picked up the dog at The Eastern Iowa Airport on Saturday, March 19, 2011, in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Gretchen was stolen from the Hodson's home in Washington state nearly four years ago. The dog was identified through a microchip after she was turned into an animal shelter after someone found her wandering the streets. Travis Hodson said the family looked for the dog for two years by going door-to-door, putting signs up and placing notices on Craigslist

A piece of technology, a microchip, helped put this family back together.

“I’m really glad we had her chipped because if we hadn’t we wouldn’t of been able to ever find her,” said Hodson.

After a long flight from the west coast, Gretchen and the Hodsons can now move on to the next chapter, together again.



Source: http://www.easterniowaoutdoors.com/2011/03/19/stolen-puppy-reunites-with-family-after-four-years/

Toby, Australian Shepherd

Tweet brings Toby home
Dog lost in Kennedale

Social media leads to bull fighter's tweet reunion!
Written by Tammy Jones
Mar 15, 2011 at 12:19 PM

Toby, is an Australian Shepard who was rescued from an abusive situation over a year ago.

He's now best friends with professional bull fighter Jesse James Vick and son Cutter of Burleson, TX.

Toby and Cutter. Friends reunited.

On Wednesday March 9th Toby & Jesse drove to Kennedale to buy horse shoes at Texas Ferrier Supply on New Hope Road. It was a warm day, so Jesse rolled the windows down on his pick up truck, left Toby in the cab and went inside Texas Ferrier Supply.

When he returned to the truck, Toby was gone. He'd run off.

Jesse went home to Burleson without his dog.

On Thursday, I saw the frightened Australian Shepard running across New Hope Road dodging cars. I could tell he looked lost and felt really guilty for not stopping to help him; I thought he was an unfortunate victim of dumping that sometimes happens out near my home and I have enough animals.

When I pulled in my own driveway I was a little sad thinking about the scared Australian Shepard I'd just seen; and I mentioned it to my kids. I actually had to squash my 23 year olds attempts to find him.

On Friday, I was monitoring Twitter as I always do for tweets about Kennedale.

To my suprise there it was @Dallas_CL: Lost Austrailian Shephard Kennedale Texas: Lost black tri colored Austrailian Shephard on 3/9/11 in Kennedale.

To make a long story short, I replied to the tweet poster telling them when and where I'd seen their dog.

That evening Jesse's mom, Reedee Vick called me and was on New Hope looking for their dog.

"My sons a professional bull fighter and this is his traveling buddy. He travels rodeo."

"We rescued him from a breeder about a year ago and he's just become his little traveling buddy."

She was unsuccessful in finding Toby that evening.

The next day she sought help from Russell & Debbie Fincher, who live in the area. As it turns out she's known the Fincher's for many years saying they used to race cars together. [small world huh?]

Reedee said the Fincher's reported seeing the dog, and Russell got on his four wheeler to look for Toby. Still they couldn't find him.

Jesse lives on his ranch in Burleson Texas with his 4 year old son Cutter James Vick where he raises Black Angus Cattle and Quarter Horses.

The next day Jesse took his basset hound with him to search for the missing shepard. Having a general idea of where Toby was; Jesse parked and hollered for the dog. Just when he let the basset hound out of the truck Toby stuck his nose out of the woods. When Toby saw the basset hound he ran straight to them and was so glad to see Jesse; and vice versa.

Reedee used various social media outlets like CraigsList and PetFinder to try and locate Toby. Saying now she needs to go back and cancel her postings.

The Vick's were very happy to be reunited with their lost friend, and he was very hungry when he got home.

"He ate five bowls of food. Bam, bam, bam, just as fast as he could eat it."

"He was a mess - he was full of ticks and he was a mess. He was gone four days. From Wednesday to Sunday."

"I’ve got that basset hound; they’re buddies. He sleeps with that basset hound. They were sure glad to see each other. He don’t leave our side."

"He’d been real timid when we got him. He’d been abused at that breeder. He’s akc registered. He was real timid with men and I don't know why."

"I gave him to Jessie; he’s a good little old dog, I just hated to lose him."
Thanks to smart use of social media, she didn't.

Source: http://www.kennedalenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1252&Itemid=9
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Naomi, husky

UPDATE: Local Woman Reunited With Lost Dog
Reporter: Chris  Frank, KAKE

After seeing the story on KAKE, an El Dorado man has decided to give back the dog he adopted from the Wichita animal shelter as its rightful owner arrived to pick it up.

Naomi the Siberian Husky was reunited with Kellyn Johnson after the man who adopted the dog saw Chris Frank's story Thursday evening. The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, called the KAKE Newsroom shortly after the story aired. Reporter Frank put the two in contact with each other and they agreed to meet in order to get the dog back to it's rightful owner.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Frank's original story:

A local dog owner says that after searching for her missing Husky for two months, she finally located it at the Wichita Animal Shelter, but it was too late.

The Husky,named Naomi, escaped from Kellyn Johnson's back yard two months ago. Johnson and her friends had just shaved the dog because of the heat at the time. Because of that, Naomi didn't have her collar and tags on, further complicating the search.

"I looked at Craigslist every day," Johnson said.

It was, in fact, a notice on Craigslist's lost-and-found section which alerted Johnson that Naomi was at the Wichita Animal Shelter after officers picked her up last week.

She checked the shelter's website of pet photos and determined that it was her dog.

This was Friday evening and the shelter was closed. Johnson was scheduled to run in a regional cross country meet for the WSU Shockers the next day in Oklahoma, so she had her friend Heath go in her place.

He took a copy of a photo to show the shelter's staff that it was Naomi.

"As I handed the picture of Naomi to the woman at the front desk, I saw Naomi being led out of the back hall by a gentleman on a leash," Heath said.

Instead of Naomi being led to Heath, it was being adopted to an El Dorado man.

"She runs up to me and I'm petting Naomi a little bit. And I didn't really know what to think. Then he says he'd just adopted the dog," Heath said.

Heath says the man had no interest in reasoning with him or looking at the photo. Shelter staff said they couldn't stop the adoption.

"Once legal ownership had been established after the three day holding period, the city could not make the new owner turn the dog back over to its original owner," said Don Henry, City of Wichita Environmental Services Manager.

"It just didn't make any sense to me. I didn't see how somebody could be so heartless that they could just take somebody else's dog. Somebody standing right there ready to claim the dog and they could just take it," Johnson said.

The El Dorado man refuses to budge and Johnson is considering legal action.

For positive pet identification, the City of Wichita advises having a microchip inserted in your pet or having it tattooed.

Meanwhile, Johnson can only hope the El Dorado family with the new husky will have a change of heart.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/34842584.html?storySection=story

Lucy In South Carolina

Lost dog after 3 weeks reunited
Nancy White, shared on MyPetSpace
June 9, 2009

Hi All, I have a very warm & fuzzy story to share. It is also in my local paper {the Herald Independent in Winnsboro, SC 29180}

Three weeks ago there was a lady and her husband traveling, and they stopped at exit 48 on I-77 only to realize their dog was not in her kennel in the back of the truck bed. Not sure where they lost her, they looked for her at the exit 48, and nothing. Both very upset, they had to continue on their trip to a bible concert.

Well, not 20 minutes after they left, a Fairfield County sheriff officer found this sweet & lovable dog. Instead of bringing her to our local "kill" shelter, they brought this dog to my grooming & boarding shop in Winnsboro about 1/2 hour away from where she was found.

I said sure, I would take her in and try to find her owners with fliers, ads etc . Well, I posted mostly in OH as I was told that is where her family was traveling from.... I put it on the Pet FBI list and Craigslist in OH; she was broadcasted on OH radio station and still nothing. I posted her on Lost & Found and Pets on Craigslist in OH, Charlotte and in Columbia, SC. I put up fliers where she was found and nothing............

Three weeks later, I said, “OK girl, I tried, and now let’s find you a new home.” So I posted on Craigslist "Where R U" and "Lost dog in need of new family". I did this on a Friday and I got so many replies... I answered all of them, and a lady came into my shop and she said "Nancy, I would like a larger older dog, do you have one?" I replied "Yes" and she then said, “Well, could you hold her for me until Monday?” I said yes.

Well, Monday came and I never saw nor heard from this lady. I wrote everyone back who wanted her, to tell them I had a lady coming for her on Monday but that she was a no show....

But there was a reason GOD sent this lady into my shop, and "Lucy" was going to be reunited with her family again!

Yep, I placed one more ad and this time I wrote "Are you out there?" and put it on Craigslist again in Charlotte and Columbia, under Lost & Found and also under Pets..... Not 20 minutes later I received an email from a man saying......."My daughter-in-law & son lost their dog, and she looks just like this girl. Please hold her until I call them to confirm." I wrote back as fast as I could with excitement and tears of joy... OK

Well, the phone rang and it was "Lucy's" mom ... now she even had a name. Wow, I thought, GOD sent that older lady into my shop to hold onto Lucy because I was going to find her owners and SOON!

They drove up no sooner then we hung up and three hours later saw Lucy again for the first time in almost one month.

They have since called to tell me she is going to Tennessee to see her dad. He travels with his job and this was his dog ... He called me and said he cried as he looked at her picture every night on his cell phone.

And NO she was not microchipped....... that was the first thing I checked... so please get your dogs chipped!

It was a great story, and to this day I cannot believe I got her back to her family.... how cool was that!

I had fliers up at the Wilco gas station and they had fliers up at the Shell station........... right across the street on exit 48.

Nancy White
Pet Shack Of Northside

Source: http://www.mydogspace.com/forums/10-media/topics/1734-lost-dog-after-3-weeks-reunited

Zeb, Australian Shepherd

Zeb, come home: Dog crosses 520 bridge in rush hour
A dog is home safe after a harrowing trip on foot across the 520 bridge.
By Susan Gilmore, Seattle Times staff reporter
Originally published Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 11:38 AM

Zeb is home safe after a trip on foot across the 520 bridge

Good thing he didn't make his break this spring. He might have faced a hefty toll.

It was rush hour, after all, when Zeb made his escape across the Highway 520 bridge.

Zeb, an Australian shepherd, was back home Thursday in his Madrona home after his owners found him across the lake in Hunts Point, two days after he fled the Eastlake home where he was being cared for while his owners were out of town.

Owner Megan Ferestien said she thinks Zeb, who's 6 years old, was trying to get home. "He should have taken the Arboretum exit, but missed it," she said.

Friends who had been caring for him posted notices on Craigslist and received reports of him crossing the 520 bridge on Tuesday afternoon, weaving across the eastbound and westbound lanes. Drivers reported that cars on the bridge were driving defensively on Zeb's behalf, slowing down to protect the wayward pooch as he made his way east.

The Washington State Patrol tried to capture the dog, but he eluded troopers by jumping over a jersey barrier. Reports kept coming in to Craigslist. The State Department of Transportation tweeted that a dog "walked entire length of 520 bridge!"

The dog was spotted in Medina. Friends searched for him Tuesday night through Wednesday, before Ferestien and her husband, Dana, found Zeb about 8:30 a.m. Thursday hiding in Hunts Point.

He was starving, said Ferestien. He smells bad and has a torn paw, but otherwise seems healthy.

"Both my husband and I are now firm believers in the power of social media," Ferestien said. "Without friends spreading the news through various networks and strangers responding to Craigslist postings, I don't know if we would have been able to narrow our search and bring him home.

"This is a feel-good story," she said. "He's a special little guy. It's a miracle he made it across 520."

She later joked about it all.

"It's a good thing we won't get a ticket in the mail because he crossed without his transponder."

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014119359_dogescape04m.html

Zeta, Australian shepherd

Ramona dog reunited with owner after 5 months on its own
Dixie Pettit
Published 12/10/2010 - 1:08 p.m.
Dogs: 2, Coyotes: 0

That’s the score in the Cavender household.

When his father died last May, David Cavender brought his father’s three dogs home to live with him in San Diego Country Estates. “L.G.” is a basset Hound, “Zeta” an Australian shepherd, and “Doofus” a 30-inch tall but not big, long-legged mutt.

Ramona is surrounded by family adn EARs volunteers

Within a week, the gate was left open. Doofus and Zeta walked out for a romp in the neighborhood.

A devastated Cavender flooded the neighborhood with posters.

“My son and I posted signs up on the mailboxes, at the equestrian center, at the Country Store,” he said. “I made calls to all the animal shelters – you know – San Diego, Escondido – I called everyone I could think of. Nothing. After a couple of weeks of trying to find them every day, I just figured the coyotes got them.”

Five weeks later, Cavender saw a flier about a “found” dog. Someone had found Doofus near the International Equestrian Center.

“I concentrated my search over there, hoping to find Zeta, but I couldn’t find her,” said Cavendar.
Again it was assumed that Zeta was a victim of coyotes or, if lucky, “had been picked up by someone who had simply decided to keep her.”

Zeta, like other family pets in the Estates, disappeared without a trace. As time went by, the signs came down. Cavender could only return to work and the two dogs who remained.

Martha Fredericks walks every morning with her dog by the equestrian center. It was during her daily walks that she noticed “kind of a shadow” in the bushes.

“I saw just little glimpses of her,” said Fredericks. “I wasn’t even sure she was a dog when I first saw her,. She blended well into the bushes. I started seeing her early October. She came out of the bushes a couple of times and walked ahead of me about a hundred yards. She had tags and was obviously somebody’s dog. She was real nervous and kept looking back at me but wouldn’t let me get close to her. I put kibble out and something kept eating it, but she was so very skinny that I don’t think she would have lasted much longer.

“That one weekend when it was so hot I got really worried about her. I tried to find her with one of my daughters. We looked all over the bushes for her, but we just couldn’t find her. My other daughter (Anne Mueller) thought of craigslist. She looked there to see if a dog was missing but then placed an ad. That was how we found Laura.”

A volunteer for Emergency Animal Rescue (EAR), Laura Bedinger looks under the pet section on craigslist every day.

“We (EAR) have the equipment, experience, and the willingness to go out and help animals out of dangerous situations,” she said. “I do this on my own. I help to rehabilitate animals, rescue other abandoned animals, and then find homes for them.This girl, Anne Mueller, was asking for help. Animal control wouldn’t help, so I set a trap up for her (using a cheeseburger) but didn’t catch her until the second night when I threw some oatmeal cookies into the trap.”

Bedinger spent hours watching and waiting for the elusive dog.

“She was obviously terrified out there, but she had tags. She was emaciated and had lost about half of her body weight, but I knew someone didn’t just abandon this little girl — someone had to be missing her.”

The 2007 tags were from an Apple Valley hospital, but the telephone number had been disconnected. After several phone calls, Bedinger spoke with an employee from the animal control in Apple Valley.

“Animal control said there was another address in Ramona listed as a forwarding address, but they wouldn’t give me the address or phone number. They said they would try to call the person and get back to me.”

After a week and no word, Bedinger called again, this time able to convince the worker from animal control to keep making calls until she was able to get in touch with the person.

Cavender was at work when he got the call from animal control at Apple Valley.

“Do you have a dog with a strange name you’ve been missing?” said the voice on the phone.

“I said ‘Zeta,’ and they said ‘Yeah, somebody found her!’ I couldn’t believe they found my dog. I kept saying, ‘I can’t believe she’s still alive!’ My dad passed away in May and she has been missing since the first week in June!”

Less than a mile away the whole time, Zeta was brought back to Cavender after five months missing.

“It is amazing. They never gave up looking for me,” said Cavender.

“She probably got lost and didn’t know how to get back home, so set herself up in the bushes and tried to survive on her own,” said Bedinger. “Dogs that have to fend for themselves begin to turn feral (wild) in order to survive. When I first got her out of the trap, she tried to nip at me. She was really scared. Emaciated and full of burrs and worms, Bea Hoskins (volunteer) worked with her a lot, so she would trust people again.”

Gone since the first week in June, Zeta is a proven survivor. Though unclear how much longer she could have made it on her own, the little Australian shepherd beat the odds. The high-desert heat and cold fall nights took a toll on her, but coyotes did not claim this girl.

Bright-eyed and happy to be home, Zeta and Doofus are buddies once again. As the pair bounce around the patio together, “L.G.” rolls over for a belly-rub.

An overwhelming happiness courses through the air. Rescuers with misty eyes, dogs oblivious to anything but the moment, and owners know this is one of those times when things are as it should be.

“This just shows you shouldn’t give up,” said Bedinger. “You just never know.”

Source: http://www.ramonasentinel.com/article/News/News/Ramona_dog_reunited_with_owner_after_5_months_on_its_own/21213

Toby, hound mix

Happy story!!! Reunited with my Toby after 2 months!!!
Posted to Craigslist Raleigh by Mandy
Date: 2010-12-27, 7:02PM


Toby, long before he went missing

So for all of you who may have had a pet go missing recently, or at all, and you are worried and heartbroken, this is the story for you!

The past 2 months have been the worst months of my entire life! My 3-year-old, 75 lb baby, Toby, a hound mix whom I adopted from the shelter and have raised since he was born, and spoiled every second of his life, ran away Oct 30th from the back yard.

I have been frantically searching every day since without any hope, sightings that were never him and almost nothing to go on. Yet, still I posted signs, family members did everything they could to help me and at 2 months later I was about to go door-to-door again.

Well today, a normal day at work, turned into the day I got my Toby back.

I had just posted on Craigslist again and this morning at work I got multiple phone calls and emails about another posting that looked just like him. It WAS him!!!

This is the picture posted by the wonderful family that took Toby in and reunited him with  us

This wonderful family had taken him on on Christmas Eve and taken care of him and for that I am eternally grateful! They contacted me today and we went and got him and brought him HOME!

I have no clue what he was doing before Christmas Eve for the past 2 months and I'm afraid I'll never know, but there are just a few scratches on him, and besides the fact he's lost 20 lbs, he's perfectly healthy! He was 75 lbs when he ran away and 54 when I found hilm.  He has since been microchipped, and he is no longer allowed outside of the house without a leash! 

The moral to this story is "never give up" and keep posting on Craigslist even when you think it's not helping and no one's reading! They are reading and miracles do happen!!!

Thank you to all who contacted me today and who've kept up with the Toby search over the past 2 months! We are very happy to have him home!

Oh and after looking for Toby every could of days at the Wake County pound, we adopted another couple of puppies for Toby to come home to!  Check back for a picture of the whole family.


-Mandy

Original Source: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/laf/2131788665.html

Clint, schnauzer

Family reunites missing Schnauzer with owner
By John Alston
Updated at 01:54 PM on 12/26/2010


OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- An Oakland local dog owner got the best present of all for Christmas -- his missing dog was brought home to him.

"It feels like Christmas finally. We've been sitting here wondering where he's been," Oakland dog owner Brad Niess said.

Niess finally has his baby back, his 1-year-old Schnauzer, Clint, who had been missing for more than a week.

"Normally he has to sleep on his own doggy bed but he got to be up on the bed last night," he said.

And Clint is now reunited with 4-year-old Kevin, the other family Schnauzer who was not so lucky when both rescue dogs got loose after a contractor accidentally left the front door open.

Kevin turned up quickly, but he had been kicked, beaten and shot with a pellet gun. Little did anyone realize that Clint had been quickly discovered about a mile away by two brothers who were playing outside their grandmother's house on 77th Avenue near MacArthur Blvd.

"He came out of the bushes and we were feeding him chicken and he ran into my grandmother's house when my mom opened the door," 14-year-old Emoni Fountain

So their mother, Lakeysha Fountain, went to the computer and found the missing dog notice that Brad Niess had placed on Craigslist. She called him, but somehow the physical size didn't quite match and that was that, until she saw the story on the news last week and called back with the help of her sons.

"Mom, ask him what color collar he had on, I asked him what color collar he had on and he described the collar and the dog and that's when we realized it was Clint," she said.

She even e-mailed a photo of Clint through her cell phone.

"And I looked at it and I'm like that's Clint," Niess said.

So on Christmas Eve, the big reunion took place.

"It was touching, they were crying, thanking me, thanking the kids. The dog was licking them and there were hugs and the dog was crying. They were crying," Fountain said.

"It's the cheesy Christmas, the Christmas miracle. You hear about these sort of stories and you never think you know someone who's been through something like this but he literally showed up Christmas Eve," Niess.



Source: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7864988
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Another verion of the story at: http://www.ktvu.com/news/26272472/detail.html
Video at: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7864992

Shadow, husky

Alaska Dog News helps reunite owners with lost dog
Posted by dogblog
Posted: December 15, 2010 - 4:43 pm
 
Dogblog note: This came as a press release from Alaska Dog News, and since I love dog stories with happy endings, I'm sharing it in its entirety with owner Linda Henning's permission.

Shadow finds his way home via Facebook

On Monday, December 13th, the Willow Dog Mushers president Erin McLarnon forwarded one of her many lost/found dog notices. It came from Nancy Crowden who lives 6 miles off of the Parks Hwy near mile 73 north of Willow. The tall, white and black husky was friendly and wearing a choke collar that Nancy replaced with a buckle collar to put him on a tie out in her yard. He wiggled out of the collar and Crowden said she had a real chase to capture him again, putting the choke collar back on so he could not escape again.

The same morning, Alaska Dog News posted the notice and photo on its Facebook page, as it does for many found and lost dogs. Comment after comment on Facebook wished luck in finding the dog’s owner and some were struggling with an emotional tug to take him into their home. “My husband will kill me, chop me up and put me in the bear bait pile, but I’m going to call anyway,” said one poster. “He looks like a great skijor dog” said another post.

This morning, McLarnon forwarded another email from Crowden, “I haven't found the old guy's owner yet. He's on Craigslist, and I have made a report on finding him at the shelter. I will keep him until Sunday, then..............

I'm hoping he doesn't go to Animal Control. He is very well behaved, I have him chained to my chicken coop fence, and he is calm, he makes no noise. Maybe someone could give him a home? I cannot keep him. If anyone would like to meet him, please give me a call. Thanks a lot! Nancy” with a phone number.

Alaska Dog News posted the photo with the new announcement and among the dozen heartfelt comments was the one you wait for. “Chelsea Hulk- I know that dog, I’m calling his owner right now!”. At the same time Alaska Dog News received an e-mail from Crowden stating that the owner had called and was on the way to her home. A friend had called the owner from Skagway! The dog’s name is Shadow.

Shadow’s adventure comes together from the posts and emails leading to the happy ending. He had escaped from home with 3 other dogs on Tuesday December 7th. The other dogs had returned home without Shadow and his owner had given up all hope of his return. 5 days later, 10 miles north and 6 miles from the highway, Shadow had shown up at Crowden’s house. He stayed there for 4 days, Alaska Dog News received the e-mail Monday, a fan in Skagway saw it on Wednesday, recognized the dog and called his owner who lived at mile 88 of the Parks Hwy. As Crowden said “ If only dogs could talk the tails [sic] they’d tell…”

Publisher of Alaska Dog News, Linda Henning says, “This is the kind of story that gets me jazzed up to publish Alaska Dog News. Some people may think we are just crazy dog people but it seems like there are more of us than I thought. The key to getting dogs back home is to get the word out quickly to as many people you can. We have a good network between the 700 Facebook fans on Alaska Dog News, Willow Dog Mushers Association with nearly 1000 e-mail contacts, and the shelters you just hope that someone will see it and know the dog.”

Dogs can be found weeks, even months after they are lost. If they are wearing collars with ID and have micro ID chips they can easily be reunited though dogs who didn’t have any identification have been reunited after weeks of searching. “It’s important to get the word out to dog owners to contact those resources, groups and organizations that can help reunite them with their pets.”

Source: http://community.adn.com/node/154803

Bear, malti-poo

News Update: Puppy Missing from Local Vet Office Found and Reunited with Family
By Erika Conner
November 19, 2010

The Tuttle family had been waiting since Tuesday to hear the news they received Friday.

The Tuttle family received good news Friday when they learned their puppy, who went missing from a local vet hospital after surgery, had been found.

Their 6-month-old maltipoo puppy, who went missing after spending Monday night recovering from surgery at Parkway Veterinary Hospital, has been found.

Cindy Tuttle received a call Friday morning from Danville Veterinary Hospital that staff had found a dog who looked like the missing Bear.

"She said, 'We have a dog here that might be your missing puppy,' " said Tuttle.

The worker at the veterinary clinic had seen a post Tuttle put on Craigslist on Thursday. After hearing the hospital's employee describe the puppy they had found, Tuttle said she got in the car, hopeful she would be reunited with Bear.

"We knew it was him when we saw him and it was just wonderful," said Tuttle after arriving at the hospital and confirming the dog was in fact her beloved Bear.

The Pleasanton resident said the hospital believes someone tossed Bear, who was in a soft-shelled carrier, into the bushes outside its entrance. She was told the receptionist heard noise outside and saw a car speeding off. That's when Bear was discovered.

Tuttle said she believed whoever had the dog intended to keep him.

"They trimmed some fur from his face, put a blue collar on him and fed him, because he gained half a pound," she said.

After picking up Bear in Danville, Tuttle stopped by Parkway Veterinary Hospital to share the good news.

"Everyone came out and they were crying they were so happy that he had been found," she said. The staff immediately put a microchip in Bear at no cost.

Tuttle said Bear appears to be tired but is still the same "love bug" dog her family knew. She acknowledged this has been a very trying time but is thankful things turned out the way they did.

Grace, 8, snuggling with Bear on the sofa, added, "I feel really good that he's home."

Tuttle said she hadn't been sure her family would see Bear again.

"I'm just so thankful that whoever had him took good care of him. We will have a happy Thanksgiving," she said.

Source: http://pleasanton.patch.com/articles/update-missing-puppy-found-and-reunited-with-family

Maggie, jack russell terrier

Westside Watcher Reunited And It Feels So Good
Lost Journey of Maggie Has Happy Ending
Kathy Johnson
November 5, 2010

Last night I was reunited with my dog after 21 days of her being lost in the Temblor Mountain Range.

Maggie is a four year old Jack Russell Terrier who weighs less than 20 pounds. I've had her since she was 8 weeks old.

In the days preceding Oildorado (Taft's 100 year celebration) Maggie got out of my yard. She had been nervous because of the gunfire from the "Hoosegow" even though I had tried to keep her inside and calm. After weeks of searching I had just about given up hope of ever seeing her again. Yesterday though, a friend saw her picture on Craigslist and I drove to Simi Valley for a very joyful reunion. My dog was found, nearly starved, by a BLM consultant after 17 days of being lost. She was found near the Painted Rock site on the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Or rather, they say, she found them.

Maggie was first seen near Painted Rock on day twelve by a BLM employee who couldn't catch her. Five days later she scratched on the door of a mobile home at 9:30 pm. The wife of a BLM consultant, who was staying there for a few weeks, took her in and cared for her. Maggie was emaciated and her paws were sore. Her rescuers cleaned her up and took her to a vet to make sure she wasn't seriously injured. They contacted people in California Valley and the surrounding areas to see if anyone had lost her. Determined to find her family, they listed her on Petfinder and other lost dog lists.

In the meantime, I was putting flyers up around Taft and contacting local dog shelters and rescue organizations, sure that Maggie was somewhere in Taft. I couldn't imagine that she had gone far. I thought she had been found by someone who decided to keep her. When she got out, she must have run, terrified, into the fields. With every gunshot she probably ran further and further until she was lost.

The terrain between here and the Painted Rock is 20 miles as a crow flies. It contains the rugged Temblor Range which runs in northwest-southeasterly direction along the borders of Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties and is one of the California Coast Ranges. The peaks within the Temblor Range average about 3500 ft above sea level.

Taft has been designated as a gateway community to the Carrizo Plain National Monument which is a flat plain about 12 miles wide on the other side of the Temblor Range. A few years ago I took a tour of Painted Rock which included a 45 minute walk to access it. I saw a lot of wildlife and heard a rattlesnake in one of the caves of Painted Rock. It's the habitat of predatory animals such as coyotes, hawks, mountain lions, tarantulas and more. Maggie must have spent at least ten days crossing the mountain range before coming to the Carisso Plain, just trying to find home. It's terrifying to think of her out there, alone.

When my friend showed me the Craigslist ad, I couldn't believe I was seeing Maggie's picture! I emailed the couple who had cared for her. They had fallen in love with my courageous little dog. They were determined to find her true family so when they called me they insisted I email them a picture of her. I told them her name was Maggie. They had tried to find out her name and went through a list of dog names. When they came to the name, Mattie, she came alive so that's what they called her.

The family had already returned to their home in Simi Valley so off I went with my friend, who found her on Craigslist. I confessed that I was a little nervous that Maggie would prefer to stay with her "new" family after her dramatic rescue. I shouldn't have worried because as soon as I went in the house and called her name, she jumped in my arms and wouldn't quit licking my face. She would hardly leave my side until we left.

Joe and Terry Simon, the couple who rescued her, are wonderful people. He is a consultant for the Bureau of Land Management and was hired by the BLM to do the study on the Painted Rock. I will always be grateful that they were there. They took extraordinary measures to reunite Maggie with her family. It was a celebration in their home, which was filled with their extended family members. They refused to take any kind of reward or recompense for their expenses.

I'm very grateful to have my little dog home again after she went on her own incredible journey.

Source: http://www.taftindependent.com/News/ViewArticle/2359

Estrella

Lost dog reunited with owner after months of separation
November 9th, 2010 1:42 pm ET

Washington - When the DRAW Rescue volunteer received a phone call about a stray dog this past August, she was going to give her standard advice and advise the caller to contact Animal Control. But curiosity got the better of the volunteer and she started asking questions.

It turns out that the stray dog was very close to the volunteer's home. Apparently, the dog was injured and frightened and nobody could get close.

Not one to let an injured dog suffer, the volunteer set out with a leash, bag of treats and a blanket - hoping that she would be able to coax the injured dog to safety.

What ensued was a several hour game of cat and mouse - the volunteer would get close, and the dog would limp away. Thankfully, after several hours of tireless pursuit in the blazing sun, the dog collapsed, exhausted, and the determined volunteer was able to scoop her up and carry her to back to her waiting car.

A trip to the rescue's veterinarian revealed that the stray dog had a badly broken leg. Draw Rescue did not hesitate to agree to the surgery that would be necessary to put the broken dog back together.

The dog, now named Lexxie, had her surgery, and went home with the volunteer that caught her so that she could heal. One week post surgery, Lexxie attempted to bolt from her foster home, ripping her stitches from her leg. She had to revisit the vet clinic to be sewn up yet again. Thankfully, she did not attempt to escape after this incident.

Draw Rescue notified animal control of the found dog, and also posted notices on Craigslist - hoping to find Lexxie's owner. Nobody stepped forward to claim the stray, injured dog.

As the weeks passed, Lexxie healed and began to attend adoption events. According to DRAW, she was always the star of the show - stealing people's hearts with her sweet, well-behaved demeanor.

She was amazing with children and well, just amazing in general. Draw had no doubt that she would be an amazing find for a special adopter.

When the first adoption inquiry came in for Lexxie, it was someone asking about the dog's availability. The person was told that Lexxie was just now available in light of her prior injury. Another inquiry came in from the same person later in the day.

The person claimed to know who owned the dog and that the dog's real name was Estrella and that her owner had been searching frantically for her for nearly 3 months.

Within moments, the owner of Lexxie/Estrella phoned the Draw volunteer. He explained what had happened to spur Estrella's disappearance.

Back on August 17, three days before the dog was found, Lexxie/Estrella bolted from her yard after a sonic boom frightened her. Residents of Washington State will recall that day - fighter jets had been deployed from Portland, OR to Seattle when a float plane violated airspace restraints put in place while President Obama visited the area.

The owner had been searching for his dog ever since. After spending several minutes on the phone, talking about the dog, the volunteer invited the man to her home.

Lexxie/Estrella had lived with this volunteer for nearly 3 months. She was sweet, but shy and reserved. She had come around from the time she had been found, but still had a long way to go.

According to the volunteer, that all changed the minute that her true owner walked through the door. The dog heard his voice, launched herself from the couch, and ran to his waiting arms. A tearful reunion followed.

According to Estrella's foster mom, Estrella/Lexxie left that night to finally go HOME where she belonged.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/dogs-in-national/estrella-with-her-owner-picture#

Zorro, Cavalier King Charles

Local lost dog claimed by false owners
By Taryn Fitsik
Posted: Oct 13, 2010 6:35 PM EDT

Albany, NY--A local dog is reunited with its owners, after it was first lost and then claimed by strangers, in an alleged effort to make money.

But it was a happy reunion Wednesday for Binah Bindell and her dog Zorro, who has been missing since last Friday, and then allegedly claimed by a false owner.

"What they did by claiming a dog that was lost is stealing, and this dog is worth over $2,000," says April Orcutt.

Crcutt volunteers with a local animal rescue group, and when she found out her neighbor's cavalier king charles spaniel was missing, she jumped into action.

Orcutt located the man who had found the dog, and found out he had put an announcement on Craigslist, not knowing who it belonged to.

"Three hours later he got a call from two women, who said this was their dog, and who came and collected the dog," says Orcutt. "The dog acted like he knew them, and they also brought a little girl with them. The girl got on her hands and knees and said come here Charlie, and the dog ran to her."

Orcutt says through more research online, she found out the dog had been placed on Craigslist and e-Bay classified, and re-sold to a woman who lives in Ticonderoga for $400.

Orcutt contacted the woman, which ultimately led to today's reunion.

Both the dog's owner and Orcutt says the whole ordeal points to something bigger, how they believe the alleged "false owners" are called "flippers", falsely claiming a dog as their own, and then selling it.

Luckily for Bindell, her story has a happy ending.

"I thought I would never see him again, but I had this gut feeling, I was going to get him back," she says.

Bindell believes to know who the alleged false owner is, and has contacted the Bethlehem Police Department, wanting to press charges.

Police say the entire case is currently under investigation.

Source: http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=13319345
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Lula, bichon/papillion mix

Stolen Castro Valley dog reunited with owner
By Eric Kurhi, Oakland Tribune
09/09/2010

CASTRO VALLEY -- Looking considerably heavier and a bit nappy, Lula the dognapped bichon frise-
papillon mix was reunited with her owner Wednesday after being purchased at the San Jose Flea Market about a week after her Aug. 6 disappearance.

Owner Robert Cassidy couldn't be happier. He's lined up an appointment at a dog salon this morning to give Lula the spa treatment, and posted a YouTube video of the crazy-tailed reunion of Lula and his other little dog, Sailor.

"I don't care about the material stuff that got stolen," Cassidy said. "I didn't even ask about it; I'm not going to go look for it."

Lula was taken from his home along with electronics and other items. Cassidy later found out that 10 nearby residents also had been recently burglarized, but he was the only one who lost a companion.

Cassidy said he was contacted earlier this week by an Oakland woman who said she had purchased the year-old dog for her daughter at the flea market. Three men selling the dog told her a niece no longer could take care of Lula -- they removed her identifying tags but kept the name -- and she could be had for $300.

"She and her daughter fell in love with her," Cassidy said.

But on Tuesday, a missing dog flier came to their attention. Cassidy had printed thousands of them, and posted 300 in English and Spanish on International Boulevard alone, near where the family lives.

"The mother saw the flier and mentioned it to her daughter, who had gotten quite attached to Lula," Cassidy said. "But (the mother) said they have to give her back to the rightful owners, and it would be their last night with Lula."

Lula was returned, 3 pounds heavier than when she was taken. That's a big gain for a 5-pound dog.

"That's like another half a dog," Cassidy said.

He praised the family for returning the dog -- reaping a $1,100 reward in the process -- as well as the outpouring he received from the community, including hundreds of tips from people who saw the
fliers or website or Craigslist postings.

But he had his share of crank calls, too.

"One guy called and asked if I was (1970s pop star) Shawn Cassidy," he said. "Another guy called and said he's the one who stole my dog and he would only give her back if he could take a shower with me."

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16035951
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Milady, cocker spaniel

Owner, Lost Dog Reunited After 4 Years
After Battling Illnesses, Pet Headed Home
By Nichole MaggioContributing Writer
July 28, 2010


BOSTON -- After four long years, Milady, a small cocker spaniel, was reunited with her owner who has been desperately searching for the dog.

WATCH VIDEO

The owner, Sandra Castillo, was reunited with her dog after Milady spent weeks being groomed and nursed back to health by the veterinary team at the MSPCA.

MSPCA said when Milady arrived at their center in June, she was underweight and plagued with infections.

They described Milady as an upbeat dog, though her fur was matted and yellowed from laying in her own waste, her nails had grown back into her paws and her ears were infected and sealed shut.

The dog and her owner were separated in 2006 when Castillo was hospitalized for six months due to medical complications during her pregnancy. She was forced to find a new home for her pet, according to the MSPCA.

Though she tried to keep in touch with the new owners, Castillo lost touch with them in 2007, a year after relocating her pet, according to the MSPCA.

On July 20, people involved with MSPCA replied to Castillo's Craigslist post about her missing dog and said the MSPCA had sent out an e-mail informing its supporters about Milady.

Hours later, Castillo applied to readopt Milady.

Source: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/24424517/detail.html
Also see: http://wbztv.com/local/long.lost.dog.2.1830009.html

Kiwi, shih tzu

Man, 77, reunited with stolen dogBy ERIC CARPENTER
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Oct. 6, 2010 2:00 p.m.


ANAHEIM – After 12 agonizing days, a 77-year-old Anaheim man has been reunited with his beloved dog, stolen along with his truck.

His 2004 Toyota pickup is back in the driveway, too. But more importantly, 8-year-old Kiwi is again parked in the black shih tzu's favorite spot at the front doorstep.

My nightmare is finally over," said Don Peck, watching Kiwi scamper around his home.

"I'm so thankful to everybody who helped me," Peck said. "I never thought I would get him back."

Peck, a retired electronics worker, wants to thank a lot of people: His neighbor, Peggy, who printed dozens of flyers; his 12-year-old neighbor, Chelsea, who made him a bottle full of paper stars with the phrase: "Lucky Stars to Bring Kiwi Home."

He wants to thank the countless strangers who offered prayers and hugs and distributed the flyers.
But mostly he wants to thank his daughter-in-law Valada Smith, responsible for bringing Kiwi home – from 1,800 miles away.

Peck's nightmare began Sept. 22 when he came out of a 99 Cents Only store in Anaheim to find his truck gone along with his dog that had been resting in the back seat; the truck window's had been cracked open to keep him cool.

Three days later, Peck got a call from police that his truck had been found – towed after being parked illegally in a lot below a nearby Anaheim apartment complex. The truck was fine. But after paying $250 to get it back, still no sign of Kiwi.

"It was like a death in the family, like losing a child," said Shirley Sanders, Peck's fiancée.

Peck couldn't sleep. He spent his days distributing flyers and following leads. He spent nights tossing and turning. He lost 12 pounds.

Back in Indiana, his daughter-in-law couldn't sleep either.

"I know how much he loves his dog. And I love that man," Smith said. "So I did what I could."

Every night when Smith got off from her job waitressing at 9 p.m., she came home, took a shower, then immediately jumped on the Internet to look for Kiwi.

She checked every shelter in Orange County. She tried OCpetfinder.com.

No luck.

On Sunday, she decided to check lost-and-found ads on Craigslist.com. She looked at the Orange County and Los Angeles areas. After hours of searching, she followed a link to an animal shelter in Downey.

"About the 20th one down, I saw this small black dog listed as a Pekingese. And I thought, 'That's got to be Kiwi.'"

That was 3 a.m. Indiana time, midnight in California.

The phone rang at Peck's house. He feared it was too good to be true.

But when the sun came up, he knocked on his neighbor's door to look it up for himself on her computer.

"Kiwi has a cloud on his right eye," Peck said. "It was him. And his tail was down, so I knew he was sad."

A Los Angeles County animal-control officer had picked up Kiwi wandering near Beach Boulevard the day after the theft, miles from the store. And he was up for adoption.

Trouble was, the Downey shelter was closed Monday. Peck and his fiancée called anyway and said they were coming.

Once they arrived at the locked door, they showed a staff member a Register story about the dog being stolen. The door opened.

"When they first brought Kiwi out, he wouldn't even look at us," Peck said. "Then they got him on a leash, cleaned him up a little bit and brought him back out."

Once Kiwi saw Peck, his tail began to wag. And Kiwi wouldn't stop licking him.

Back home, Kiwi ran inside the house and straight up the stairs to his water bowl. Peck had been changing the water every day, anticipating Kiwi's return.

Back in Indiana, Smith was elated.

"When I told the people at work, everybody was in tears," she said. "We are so happy."

Happy doesn't begin to describe the emotion Peck is feeling, he said.

No suspect has been arrested in the theft. But Peck has everything he cares about.

And he’s getting a microchip with pet identification implanted in Kiwi, just in case.

"I'm not really religious," Peck said. "But I asked God, 'Why did you do this?' And I prayed. Everybody said prayers.

"Now I feel like they've been answered," he said.

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/peck-269674-kiwi-dog.html?nstrack=sid:584578%7Cmet:102300%7Ccat:0%7Corder:4
Related story: http://www.ocregister.com/news/dog-268066-peck-truck.html

Niko, husky

Dog makes 45-mile journey home after lost in state park
Michael Barrett
2010-07-14 09:28:19

When Candace Price’s 9-year-old Siberian Husky was lost in a state park more than 45 miles away, she figured she’d have to track her dog down near the scene of the disappearance.

Twenty-two excruciating days into the search, Price never dreamed the exhausted pooch would show up just a few miles from her home.

“If I had a million dollars, I would’ve given it to them,” she said of the couple who spotted Niko, recognized her from an online listing, and called her in the middle of the night last month. “That’s how important that dog is to me.”

Price, 47, has two grown sons. But Niko is one of three dogs she also considers to be her children.

A brilliant white female with one brown and one blue eye, the sled dog with the thick coat is accustomed to hanging out inside the house. She does much of her roaming between four walls at Price’s home north of Bessemer City, or at her fiance’s place in Gastonia.

At least twice a month, Price’s fiance takes Niko up to South Mountains State Park near Connellys Springs. After making the drive more than an hour away on Memorial Day weekend, the two hiked four miles up the mountain. But he made the mistake of not keeping Niko on a leash, and after having removed the ID tags from her collar earlier because they rattled so much, he had forgotten to put them back on.

When Niko suddenly bolted, possibly pursuing a deer or a squirrel, she quickly went out of sight. And four hours of immediate searching turned up no sign of her.

“He was afraid to come home and tell me,” said Price, who is disabled and homebound. “I was devastated. I could hardly sleep or eat.”

With her fiance’s help, Price began a painstaking quest to find her dog. She drove to South Mountains State Park every morning and spent four hours a day taping up flyers, tacking cardboard posters and distributing information about Niko with promises of a cash reward. She opened her windows in the stifling heat and shouted Niko’s name at the top of her lungs so much, she would come home each afternoon hoarse.

Park rangers helped her to put flyers up and get the word out. Price would get calls from residents miles apart who said they’d seen her dog, and would adjust her search.

Help from Craig and his list

In the meantime, her son decided to put a photo and description of the dog on the popular website Craigslist.

“He said he was sure it would help,” she said.

Three weeks passed. And Price was asleep at 3:30 a.m. June 21 when the phone call came. A couple visiting a convenience store in Lincolnton, some eight miles from Price’s home, had been chatting briefly with the clerk. He directed their attention to a hungry and tired-looking Husky that had been hanging out in the parking lot.

The woman recalled a ‘missing dog’ listing she’d seen on Craigslist earlier. She and her husband looked up the information on a computer and called Price.

Niko had been wearing a blue Snoopy collar when she ran away. When the couple confirmed the dog in front of them had such an accessory, Price rejoiced.

“My knees just buckled,” she said. “When I met them and saw her, I grabbed her and was hugging her and crying.”

Niko’s legs were swollen. The pads of her delicate feet were raw from walking. She had some hair missing on her back.

But while she was skittish and uncertain of her former owners and surroundings at first, she’s since returned to normal, Price said.

“I’ve been giving her kisses and loving on her,” she said.

The couple that called chose to remain anonymous and refused to take any money from Price. So she donated money to South Mountains State Park and one particular ranger who helped her the most.

Price said she’s eternally grateful to all who helped in her search. And to others who lose a pet, she urges them not to stop looking.

“The more information you get out there, the better chance you have,” she said. “I wasn’t going to give up.”

Source: http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/mile-49022-candace-park.html
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Whitney, muttley mix

Whitney's Story: Part 2
by Meghan Reed
Thursday, September 2, 2010

On June 12th, a lovely Saturday morning, we were heading out the door to go to the farmer's market. My mom was in town visiting and she loves to go our farmer's market. We decided that we would take Whitney along because it would be good for her social skills development.

Whitney

Matt had Whitney on her leash and was heading down to the car when her leash got tangled up and he tripped and dropped the leash. Little miss Whitney was startled and took off running. Matt chased her for a little while but she was just too fast. We wandered around the neighborhood all morning trying find her with no luck. Eventually we gave up and decided we would just have to wait for her to come home on her own. It seemed like the longest day ever.

Finally, around 9:30pm we were watching a movie and I heard a jingle on the front porch. It was Whitney, she came back but when we opened the front door to get her she took off running again. This was the last time we saw her.

I was determined to find poor little Whitney and bring her home. I put hundreds of fliers all over our neighborhood, on everyone's cars and all of the utility poles. I posted her on craigslist in the pets and the lost and found sections. I even paid to have a pet amber alert sent. This service sent a notice to all of the local vets, animal shelters, animal control, law enforcement, and Pet Stores within a 50 mile radius.

I continued to hang fliers an check craigslist for weeks with no luck. Eventually I stopped wandering all over the place looking for her, I just didn't have the time. I did however continue to post her on craigslist in both the pets and lost and found sections once a week. This went on for two months.

On August 8th, while I was making dinner, my phone rang, it was an unknown number and Matt answered. It was the daughter of a woman who had just moved into a new townhouse. She said her mom had been telling her about this little dog that comes out of the woods every evening around 6pm and scrounges around the nearby construction site. So the daughter went on craigslist to see if she could find anything about a lost dog. She found our ad and showed the picture to her mom who said it did look like the dog she sees every night; it just looked a little smaller in real life.

She gave us the address, it was only about 2 miles from our house, so we dropped everything to go check it out. We wandered into the construction site and looked around a bit, and then I saw something in the dirt. It was Whitney's collar, I called her name and sure enough she popped up out of some bushes and took off running. We weren't able to catch her that night, but I kept going back every night, still unable to catch her. At least I was able to see that she was okay and leave her some food. I also found out that some of the construction workers had been feeding her for weeks, so she had been living there for a while.

I tried everything I could think of to catch her. I set her crate up with a Wendy's cheeseburger in it; we tried a Havaheart trap, and even brought Arnie over to see if he could get her to come to us. After a week of spending my evenings at a dirty construction site, I was running out of ideas, so I turned to craigslist for help. I posted on there that we had found her but were unable to catch her and I got several responses recommending a pet trapper.

On August 12th, exactly 2 months after she ran away, I contacted Pure Gold Pet Trackers. They have this really snazzy trap that doesn't look like a trap. You can see how it works below.

We set the trap up that night around 9:30pm with a rotisserie chicken in it then we sat in the car and waited. We had night vision goggles so we could see what Whitney was up to in the dark. She wandered around for a while, kept sniffing around the corner where the chicken was. She wasn't too sure about the fence and the entrance to the trap, but she really wanted that chicken. At about 11:30pm she went for it and the door shut behind her. We caught her! I got her in the car and let her finish the chicken while we packed up the trap.

I took her home and cleaned her up bit, gave her some treats and put her to bed in her crate. The next day she got a real bath and went to the vet. She was given a clean bill of health except for a few ticks.

Today, she is fully recovered and starting to act more and more like a normal dog every day.

We would like to thank Sam, Nancy, and Nadene for all of their help with bringing Whitney home.

Source (& many more pics): http://www.thekraftywife.com/2010/09/whitneys-story-part-2.html
Whitney's background story is at http://www.thekraftywife.com/2010/08/whitneys-story-part-1.html