We're heating up the search for Gus and need your help! Please join us!
We need help flyering the area where Gus was last seen, and expanding that area in a two mile radius. We need to get flyers to area businesses and hand out business cards. Can you help flyer?
We also need to start electronic research--this is a great way to make a HUGE difference even if you can't be on site! We want to develop email lists of schools, places of worship, and businesses, so that we can send them the flyer and have them post for us. We also need to develop lists of area listserves and civic groups, along with lists of vets and other pet-related businesses.
Please leave a comment if you can join the search and help us bring Gus home!
Thanks!
Daphne
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
SIGHTING!!!!!
At last a sighting! I know it's only been 5 days, but it feels like so much longer. The tracker, Sam and her wonderful dog, Salsa, were out on the course today with Gus' mom. For about 3 hours they went around the course and Salsa did end up picking up Gus' scent near the back of the course in the corner. They also found some more poop (kinda runny- poor guy). Then a golfer had mentioned seeing a small, brown foxy looking dog not too far from where Sam wanted to set up a feeding station! So he's stayed pretty much where we all thought he would. A trap is being set up and food has been put out. Some of his mom's stinky clothes (exercise) have been left out as well. I have a good feeling about this! :)
I had to laugh when I called the golf course to ask for permission to have the tracker on site. They said to dress appropriately.... But in all honesty, they have been very gracious and really do feel for our situation.
I will check the trap tomorrow after work. So more to come.......
I had to laugh when I called the golf course to ask for permission to have the tracker on site. They said to dress appropriately.... But in all honesty, they have been very gracious and really do feel for our situation.
I will check the trap tomorrow after work. So more to come.......
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
No sightings yet, but thanks to all who are helping!
*sigh* Nothing yet, but hope is still there. A wonderful volunteer called today telling me of her search outing. She graciously allowed herself to step out of her busy life for about two hours and post flyers and check the grounds as well as talk to some folks about our missing little guy. It sounds like her two hours were very productive. She managed to re post some signs that had gotten icky from the bad weather and she hit up some further locations in the surrounding neighborhoods. My favorite part was when she talked to all the kids getting off the school buses. They seemed excited to help look for a dog! Hopefully moms and dads will be excited to help out as well. She also went door to door talking to folks and leaving the cards behind if no one was home. Thanks so much, K! And a big thank you to everyone else who is out there doing all this stuff as well. The more folks who are aware of the situation, the more help we can get. My hat is off to each and every one of you who go out and search or spread the word.
On another note, it seems the golf course may be hitting a point of stress with us. They are very sensitive to our situation and understand the urgency of finding Gus. However, it is a private club with a very expensive membership. Random folks strolling about the course can be very distracting, especially when they are talking to golfers about a missing dog. We need to restrain ourselves with respect to the club and members. Please call before you head over there to find out if there is a less busy time to go for less distractions. The club has our flyers and our numbers though, so if they happen to come across anything we will know. The groundscrew is fabulous and have been keeping an eye out as well. In fact there is an employee who works by the guard shack house and he cruises the course with an adopted border collie. So Gus may have an in with the ground crew.
So please, please, respect the golf course. With the tracker coming, I know we will be an even bigger distraction. So if a lot of us could keep hitting the neighborhoods and keep the radius growing we should be good. Hopefully if Gus has not just hunkered down somewhere he may be enjoying one of those spacious backyards with a deck. :)
One last note. Our dear volunteer, K, just got word that her beloved pooch is sick with cancer. Please keep her and her critter in your thoughts. Thank you and have a good night.
On another note, it seems the golf course may be hitting a point of stress with us. They are very sensitive to our situation and understand the urgency of finding Gus. However, it is a private club with a very expensive membership. Random folks strolling about the course can be very distracting, especially when they are talking to golfers about a missing dog. We need to restrain ourselves with respect to the club and members. Please call before you head over there to find out if there is a less busy time to go for less distractions. The club has our flyers and our numbers though, so if they happen to come across anything we will know. The groundscrew is fabulous and have been keeping an eye out as well. In fact there is an employee who works by the guard shack house and he cruises the course with an adopted border collie. So Gus may have an in with the ground crew.
So please, please, respect the golf course. With the tracker coming, I know we will be an even bigger distraction. So if a lot of us could keep hitting the neighborhoods and keep the radius growing we should be good. Hopefully if Gus has not just hunkered down somewhere he may be enjoying one of those spacious backyards with a deck. :)
One last note. Our dear volunteer, K, just got word that her beloved pooch is sick with cancer. Please keep her and her critter in your thoughts. Thank you and have a good night.
Monday, September 28, 2009
POOP!
Poop has been spotted by the left of the front door of the club house. It looks like little dog poop. :)
The Country Club gave up permission to set up a trap on the perimeter of the grounds and our tracker will be back in town on Wednesday. We've asked Gus' owners to put some of his stuff in a bag to capture the scent and some of their stinkier clothes in another bag as well.
The Country Club gave up permission to set up a trap on the perimeter of the grounds and our tracker will be back in town on Wednesday. We've asked Gus' owners to put some of his stuff in a bag to capture the scent and some of their stinkier clothes in another bag as well.
LOST DOXIE!!!!
Poor little Gus, a 2 year old puppy mill doxie, slipped his harness and ran away from the adoption event he was at on Saturday, September 26. In front of my very own eyes he miraculously managed to get across a busy highway and run into a private country club. We are now searching high and low to find him.
Gus came to us from a West Virginia puppy mill about a year ago. The Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART) helped raid a mill and took about 46 dachshunds. He was one of the more skittish ones and still is to this day. A lovely family ended up adopting him from us and tried extensively to work with him to help calm him down and stop being afraid. They tried everything this past year with some progress, but not enough for him to be truly happy. His fear of men is just too strong. Gus attached himself to his mom, but would never allow for his dad to get close to him. He would bark nonstop and go to the bathroom and just not relax when he was in the same room with him. After much deliberation and anxiety the family decided it would be best for Gus to be with someone he could feel safe and happy around.
I picked him up from the family and brought him to the adoption event at the Chantilly Petco. A lot of folks were interested in the cute little guy, but we really had to weed through the applications to find the perfect home for him. We had a potentially good applicant apply for Gus and they were walking him through the store and I was 5 feet behind them. We were headed outside for an interview and all of sudden, pretty much unprovoked he wriggled out of his harness and bolted out the door.
Generally chasing a dog is a bad idea because they will only keep running because they think you are playing with them. However with Gus and his skittishness it only seemed like a good idea to go after him and try to keep an eye on his location. A few of the HART volunteers ran after him through the parking lot of the shopping center and finally he stopped in the grass right before the highway. I was 2 feet from him and he stopped and looked at me. I was trying to coax him back over to me or at least away from the road and then all of a sudden he darted and I screamed as loud as I could. I think the folks driving knew something was up when a crazy lady in a red hoodie was standing by the road screaming and flailing her arms - so traffic did slow. It was enough for Gus to safely cross and get to the median, where he looked back and then ran again to the other side of the highway and into the golf course.
A few more volunteers followed him in and had a dog with them and did actually see him at one point. I believe they said he stopped to look at the other dog, but when they tried to close in on him he ran again. We spent all day looking for him in the rain and gave up when it was dark. The next morning flyers and cards were being posted and handed out to let the whole area know what was going on. It really is like looking for a needle in a haysyack, but we will find him!
Gus came to us from a West Virginia puppy mill about a year ago. The Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART) helped raid a mill and took about 46 dachshunds. He was one of the more skittish ones and still is to this day. A lovely family ended up adopting him from us and tried extensively to work with him to help calm him down and stop being afraid. They tried everything this past year with some progress, but not enough for him to be truly happy. His fear of men is just too strong. Gus attached himself to his mom, but would never allow for his dad to get close to him. He would bark nonstop and go to the bathroom and just not relax when he was in the same room with him. After much deliberation and anxiety the family decided it would be best for Gus to be with someone he could feel safe and happy around.
I picked him up from the family and brought him to the adoption event at the Chantilly Petco. A lot of folks were interested in the cute little guy, but we really had to weed through the applications to find the perfect home for him. We had a potentially good applicant apply for Gus and they were walking him through the store and I was 5 feet behind them. We were headed outside for an interview and all of sudden, pretty much unprovoked he wriggled out of his harness and bolted out the door.
Generally chasing a dog is a bad idea because they will only keep running because they think you are playing with them. However with Gus and his skittishness it only seemed like a good idea to go after him and try to keep an eye on his location. A few of the HART volunteers ran after him through the parking lot of the shopping center and finally he stopped in the grass right before the highway. I was 2 feet from him and he stopped and looked at me. I was trying to coax him back over to me or at least away from the road and then all of a sudden he darted and I screamed as loud as I could. I think the folks driving knew something was up when a crazy lady in a red hoodie was standing by the road screaming and flailing her arms - so traffic did slow. It was enough for Gus to safely cross and get to the median, where he looked back and then ran again to the other side of the highway and into the golf course.
A few more volunteers followed him in and had a dog with them and did actually see him at one point. I believe they said he stopped to look at the other dog, but when they tried to close in on him he ran again. We spent all day looking for him in the rain and gave up when it was dark. The next morning flyers and cards were being posted and handed out to let the whole area know what was going on. It really is like looking for a needle in a haysyack, but we will find him!
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