SammyLover
01-12-2006, 10:22 PM
My four year old German Shepherd, Sarge, decided he wanted to go travelling on Sunday January 8th around 6pm. Unfortunately he neglected to inform us where he was going or when he intended to come home. We were simply devastated to say the least. We scoured the neighborhoods Sunday night calling and whistling for him and rattling food bowls until we lost our voices. I can't lie and say I was able to keep my composure because I cried my eyes out for hours and hours. You see, we have no human children. So our furkids ARE our children. Period. We are their Mommy and Daddy in every way that matters.
One of the smartest things I mananged to hold it together enough to do was to email the director (and my friend) of the rescue I belong to. She has been in rescue much longer than I have and posted an email about Sarge's disappearance to people all across the country asking for help spreading the word and if by chance someone lived in the area to help look for him. The president of National Samoyed Rescue, Jim, made certain that all of the affiliate rescues knew that "one of our own" was in trouble and in need of help. The response was overwhelming. People were emailing and calling in their prayers and concern and forwarding the picture to anyone they knew. Sarah, the director of WSSH drove over an hour to help comb the streets, pass out flyers, and spread the word. Two people from another rescue organization saw one of our flyers and scoured the area for two days straight right along with us so that there were even more eyes looking for him and so that we could all spread out. Eyes that weren't so blinded by desperate emotion as ours were.
Sarge was found Tuesday evening around 9pm after being gone approximately 52 hours. We had asked one of the school bus drivers if she would keep an eye out for him during her route and she generously posted his flyer in each bus and at the bus yard. He was, in fact, found by one of the school bus drivers who had spent the day looking at Sarge's picture and had said to himself "when I get home, I'm going to find that dog". By divine intervention Sarge was in his backyard when he pulled in the driveway! We were so incredibly relieved to have him back. When we went to pick him up I refused to even let my eyes off of him long enough to put him in the back of my SUV. I pulled the big goof up into my lap in the front seat and cried tears of joy into his fur all the way home. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I couldn't have felt better if someone had handed me a million dollars.
This joyful reunion would never have been possible without the pulling together and spreading the word that was done by all the fellow rescues (not just Samoyed rescues either) across the country. One of the local Greyhound rescues was preparing to send out volunteers that lived near us when they got word of his safe return. All of these people helped comfort us with the realization that we were not alone in our desperate search for our baby boy. Due to all this publicity, Sarge has become so famous that when we go to happily take down the flyers there are people stopping us to ask "Was he found? Is he ok?". My email inbox has been steadily filled by people saying how glad they are to hear he's home safe. The outpouring of care and concern has been truly awe inspiring.
We owe the rescue network so much for the part they played in his safe return. I want everyone to know that there is so much more to purebred rescue than surrenders and adoptions. There was never once a question about the fact that Sarge is not a Samoyed and I pray that no one ever thinks that breed rescuers only care about their specific breed. I hope our story has shown that Rescue plays an important role in the community as a whole in ways that people sometimes don't even think of.
Thank you to everyone who helped bring Sarge home!
One of the smartest things I mananged to hold it together enough to do was to email the director (and my friend) of the rescue I belong to. She has been in rescue much longer than I have and posted an email about Sarge's disappearance to people all across the country asking for help spreading the word and if by chance someone lived in the area to help look for him. The president of National Samoyed Rescue, Jim, made certain that all of the affiliate rescues knew that "one of our own" was in trouble and in need of help. The response was overwhelming. People were emailing and calling in their prayers and concern and forwarding the picture to anyone they knew. Sarah, the director of WSSH drove over an hour to help comb the streets, pass out flyers, and spread the word. Two people from another rescue organization saw one of our flyers and scoured the area for two days straight right along with us so that there were even more eyes looking for him and so that we could all spread out. Eyes that weren't so blinded by desperate emotion as ours were.
Sarge was found Tuesday evening around 9pm after being gone approximately 52 hours. We had asked one of the school bus drivers if she would keep an eye out for him during her route and she generously posted his flyer in each bus and at the bus yard. He was, in fact, found by one of the school bus drivers who had spent the day looking at Sarge's picture and had said to himself "when I get home, I'm going to find that dog". By divine intervention Sarge was in his backyard when he pulled in the driveway! We were so incredibly relieved to have him back. When we went to pick him up I refused to even let my eyes off of him long enough to put him in the back of my SUV. I pulled the big goof up into my lap in the front seat and cried tears of joy into his fur all the way home. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I couldn't have felt better if someone had handed me a million dollars.
This joyful reunion would never have been possible without the pulling together and spreading the word that was done by all the fellow rescues (not just Samoyed rescues either) across the country. One of the local Greyhound rescues was preparing to send out volunteers that lived near us when they got word of his safe return. All of these people helped comfort us with the realization that we were not alone in our desperate search for our baby boy. Due to all this publicity, Sarge has become so famous that when we go to happily take down the flyers there are people stopping us to ask "Was he found? Is he ok?". My email inbox has been steadily filled by people saying how glad they are to hear he's home safe. The outpouring of care and concern has been truly awe inspiring.
We owe the rescue network so much for the part they played in his safe return. I want everyone to know that there is so much more to purebred rescue than surrenders and adoptions. There was never once a question about the fact that Sarge is not a Samoyed and I pray that no one ever thinks that breed rescuers only care about their specific breed. I hope our story has shown that Rescue plays an important role in the community as a whole in ways that people sometimes don't even think of.
Thank you to everyone who helped bring Sarge home!