Category Archives: Reunions

-Good Ol’ Mugsy

-From the day he was born, Mugsy, a Golden Retriever mix, was a special dog. Nine years ago Elizabeth and Kevin Gerrard adopted his mom only to find out the next day that she was pregnant. Several weeks later Sandy gave birth to seven puppies and all but one were given to good homes. Little Mugsy suffered grand mal seizures and required special care, so Elizabeth and Kevin kept him. Now that Mugsy is a senior, he is taking medications for epilepsy and hypothyroidism and requires frequent visits to his vet.

Mugsy, taking it easy

This is one of the reasons that the Gerrards were so scared when, in April, Mugsy escaped through their storm door. Besides being on medications, they live in an area of Bloomington, IL near several busy roads and his inability to move quickly would put him in added danger. They immediately searched their neighborhood’s streets and alleys on foot and by car. To their surprise, they realized he must have gotten further than they thought possible. There’s a chance he was hiding really well, as dogs who are frightened often do.

Next, they called Animal Control to give a description of Mugsy; should anyone have found him and turned him in, they would have the Gerrard’s phone number. They listed his photo and information online, using sites like Craigslist, WJBC’s Pet Hotline , neighborhood association Facebook pages and Lost Dogs Illinois. On our site, they found our Lost Dog Search Action Plan and found the fan interaction very helpful. Our fans are so supportive!

Per a thorough search plan, the Gerrards contacted the Humane Society of Central Illinois as well as all of the vets and animal hospitals in their area. They made posters and hung them everywhere they could think of: stores, gas stations, golf clubhouses, restaurants, apartment complexes, and office buildings. Elizabeth and Kevin drove around for five-to-seven hours every single day searching for their beloved Mugsy.

It wasn’t until a very long 22 days later that they received the call they’d been waiting for. It could have been very good or very bad news. (Sometimes senior dogs and those with health problems can’t make it on the streets for such a long period. Finding food is difficult, being off of medications is dangerous, and a lack of agility navigating busy intersections and highways can unfortunately be fatal.) The caller was an animal control officer who told them he received a report of a dog wandering around near Laesch Dairy, located in a rural area about 20 miles from their home. The officer drove to pick up the dog and he matched Mugsy’s description!

When Elizabeth picked Mugsy up from the animal control facility, they say he was “very happy to see her,” but, he didn’t look very good; it was clear he’d had a rough time in the wild. He had burrs in his hair, one of his eyes was red and swollen, and he was visibly skinnier. Elizabeth immediately took Mugsy to the vet- which they say he didn’t mind at all as he was accustomed to going there- where they removed his burrs, gave him prescription eye drops, and weighed him. He lost 10 pounds total, which wasn’t actually the worst thing in the world; he had been slightly overweight.

Once home, the Gerrards describe his behavior as “very clingy.” He obviously missed his family while gone and was afraid to leave their side. He couldn’t seem to get enough water, but they kept him on his medication regimen and they say he’s “starting to be his old self again.” Now Mugsy is well on his way to rehabilitation and the Gerrards have put safeguards in place such as installing a gate at the end of their front porch as an extra layer of security in case he makes his way out again. Also, they’ve ordered a GPS device which will allow the couple to track him on their computer and phone if he somehow gets lost again. It seems the Gerrards are doing everything in their power to ensure Mugsy spends the rest of his years by their side, right where he belongs.

Brinkles, and the Power of Facebook Fans

Stephanie was at work when her husband called. “I lost our daughter,” he said in a panic. Mark was referring to their lab mix, Brinkles, who’d been in their family seven years- since she was a puppy. “I had to calm him down and reassure him that Brinkles was okay and that we would find her,” said Stephanie.

The beautiful Brinkles

Mark was calling from Montrose Dog Beach on Chicago’s North Side. Brinkles and their other dog, Charlie loved playing at the beach. Chicago Park District’s first legal off-leash beach, it is very popular and quite busy- especially in the mornings. Stephanie and Mark took them there weekly in the summer and at least monthly in the colder months.

That particular day, Charlie had escaped to the neighboring beach, restricted to people only (The dog beach is gated and fenced on two sides- the lake being the third. But there are ways for sneaky dogs to get out.) Mark chased after Charlie, assuming Brinkles was at his side.

Meanwhile, a woman named Eileen saw Brinkles hanging out near the gate, looking for a way out. She asked around to see if she belonged to anybody. The dog beach has a rule about dog owners remaining with and watching their dogs at all times, so she thought Brinkles may have been abandoned. Out of concern for her well-being, Eileen took her home to keep safe while she made efforts online to find an owner.

After wrangling Charlie, Mark came back to the beach area, getting ready to take the dogs home, when he noticed Brinkles was missing. He too talked to people nearby and they told him about a woman who left with the dog but they didn’t know her name or how to reach her. That’s when Mark called Stephanie and set a plan in motion to get her back as quickly as possible.

Mark raced to Stephanie’s work and they immediately went to the city pound- Chicago Animal Care and Control. On the way there, Stephanie used her phone to post an ad on Craigslist– a common place for lost and found dog ads. When they had no luck at the pound, they turned back home to brainstorm more methods of finding Brinkles. Stephanie got on the computer and had a message waiting from someone who saw her Craigslist ad. They didn’t have any information about their dog, but told her about Lost Dogs Illinois.

It had been three hours since Brinkles went missing when Stephanie filled out the Lost Dog Report on LDI and we posted it on our wall. Our fan network responded with a quickness; one of them referred her to the Montrose Dog Beach’s Facebook page. Sure enough, there was a picture of Brinkles that had been posted by Eileen. Stephanie and Mark were ecstatic.

The day after she went missing, Brinkles was home safe and sound with her parents and brother Charlie. Stephanie remembers, “She was thrilled to be home and went straight to her food bowl to chow down.” After that, the family cuddled on the couch all day.

If it weren’t for the network of kind strangers who went out of their way- Eileen, an unknown Good Samaritan on Craigslist, and a very clever LDI fan- who knows where Brinkles would be now. “Thank God for nice people,” says Stephanie. And to the LDI Facebook community, she has a special message: “Thank you all for your help in getting our girl home…you all are amazing!”

Rocky’s Story – His Family Never Gave Up!

–March 26, 2012 is a date Jill Grover and her family will never forget. What started as a typical Thursday morning turned into a nightmare when Jill let her dogs Rocky- a bright white German Shepherd mix- and Zuess- a Husky- into the fenced yard of their Springfield home. About 5 minutes later she had a bad feeling when they didn’t come clawing at the door like they usually do. “I knew something was not right,” remembers Jill.
Jill looked around the yard and, to her horror, both dogs were missing. Careful to always keep the gates shut, their escape was a mystery. (Jill’s husband, Fred later figured out that when their neighbors put up a new fence, they neglected to tell the Grovers that theirs had been broken in the process. The dogs must have escaped through the hole.)

Immediately, Jill, Fred, and their daughter, Alexis frantically searched the neighborhood. One-year-old Rocky was shy and skittish, they didn’t imagine him getting very far. Zuess, the more outgoing of the two, would be more likely to approach people. Sure enough, about two hours into the neighborhood search, Jill and Alexis saw Zuess running happily alongside a garbage truck trying to get the garbage collectors’ attention. Relieved and optimistic, they ran to the spot where the driver said he spotted both dogs before Zuess began chasing them. Unfortunately, Rocky wasn’t still there.

The family continued the search for Rocky, giving out their phone numbers and a description of the dog to neighbors. “We talked to everyone that would listen,” said Jill. That night she posted ads on Lost Dogs Illinois and Craigslist. The family printed flyers and hung them miles away: at golf courses, at parks, and walls of buildings. They went to the local pound and checked back every single day after that.

Right away, they started getting phone calls, and so began a wild goose chase. Someone called from 4 miles away, but when Jill raced there she couldn’t find Rocky. The Grovers followed up on every tip, each time ending in defeat. Jill said if they weren’t at work, they were searching for their missing family member.

One week turned into three and the family was exhausted. One particularly devastating night, Jill received a phone call at 10:30 pm from someone who said they saw Rocky on the interstate. Terrified and dreading the worst, they raced to the location and drove up and down the surrounding roads, still, no sign of Rocky. Yet somehow the Grovers still didn’t give up hope.

After so many unsuccessful tips, Jill thought to reach out to the local media. She wrote an email to Springfield’s State Journal-Register telling her harrowing tale of the search for Rocky. Like most newspapers, the SJ-R told Jill they couldn’t publish her story as an article. The sad truth is that there are so many missing dogs, the task of running such stories would be overwhelming (which is why Lost Dogs Illinois is here!). They did, however, post a notice in their Pet Zone section, notifying readers that they could use the Pet Zone Facebook page as a place to advertise lost and found dogs.

Things started to gain momentum one Friday when Fred received a call from a woman named Meg who said she had seen Rocky in the woods on her property, five miles from the Grovers’ home. She said that every morning a big white dog came out to play with her dog. Meg saw Rocky’s picture on Lost Dogs Illinois and then on Pet Zone, and called the phone number listed. She texted them pictures she took of Rocky on his morning visits. Finally seeing a picture of Rocky alive and well, the Grovers were elated.

As soon as Jill got off work, she raced to Meg’s home. She searched the three-and-a-half acres to no avail. Fred came out later with Zuess to use him as a lure, but that didn’t work. Fred decided they weren’t going to capture Rocky without a cage. They went home and rigged one with boards and wire that would trigger and trap Rocky if he walked in. At dusk, they went back to the woods to set it up, baiting the trap with toys and a blanket from home as well as food. It started to rain, and before they turned to leave, Jill saw Rocky in the distance. She knew this method was going to work.

Saturday morning Jill and Fred drove back to the woods to check the trap, and sadly, Rocky wasn’t in it. It had been almost four weeks since losing him and this was the closest they’d been, so there was no way they would stop trying. They checked in on the trap periodically all weekend. Finally, at 8am Sunday morning Meg called to deliver the news they had been so desperately waiting for. They caught Rocky in the cage. “Like a crazy person, I drive out there and sure enough, there was my Rocky!” remembers Jill. “[He] was soaked to the bone, dirty, and a mess, but very happy to see his mommy.”

The Grovers immediately took the much skinnier dog to the family vet. He had lost 20 lbs, had sores on his paws and was covered in ticks; all expected from a month in the wild. He is now on medications and his progress will continue to be followed by the vet. With time and much-needed attention from his family, they expect a full recovery. Rocky is finally reunited with his brother Zuess and bathed back to his bright white coat.

All throughout the month-long emotional rollercoaster, the Grovers never ever stopped trying to find Rocky. The long days and nights were worth it and their hard work paid off. Jill is very happy to report, “We are a happy family again!”

If you don’t know much about resiliency, you need to hear Blackie’s story…

Blackie was adopted by a loving family only days before he escaped from his new home in Gurnee, WI on October 1st, 2011. A while later, a family saw Blackie visiting their neighbor’s yard. And, then, the family members saw Blackie stop by their own backyard! Blackie obviously preferred the yard that belonged to the family that spotted him because he began to return to the yard night after night.

Realizing Blackie was a lost pet, the family started to leave food for Blackie to enjoy each night during his visits. And, each night, the family moved the food they left for Blackie a bit deeper into their yard, a bit closer to a storage shed at the edge of their property line. Finally, the family left Blackie’s dinner at the entrance to the shed. Blackie was too happy to take the “bait” and soon found himself secured in the family’s shed…and then, in their house!

Blackie was missing from his adopted family’s home for 147 days before being reunited with his owners on February 25, 2012. His adopted owners told us, “We are so happy to have him home!” And all of us are happy he’s home with you, too!

Welcome home Blackie! And, thank you to Blackie’s second family, his rescuers!

Bossy is home!

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to everyone involved with getting our dog, Bossy, back home. Rose, Jeremy, Joey, and I remain grateful for everything everyone did to reunite Bossy with us after he was on the loose for two days in not-so-good weather. Thank you to the woman who picked Bossy up and brought him to the MG Animal Hospital! We’re still waiting to hear from you, by the way, so we can express our sincere appreciation to you personally.

It’s because of the efforts put forth by the kind-hearted stranger mentioned above, Jilzee, the staff at MG Animal Hospital, and the volunteers at Lost Dogs Illinois that Bossy is sitting here beside me as I’m typing this. The flyers that were dispersed enabled the people at the MG Animal Hospital to recognize Bossy the instant he was dropped off at their facility. Because of information included in the flyers, they also knew to scan him for a microchip and…

BINGO! Moments later, my wife received the best phone call we could have hoped for! Bossy was found alive, well…and waiting for us to pick him up! I cannot express how glad I am that we had Bossy micro-chipped. And, after this experience, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for every pet owner to have their pets micro-chipped.

Thank you all, again! We love and appreciate each of you! Bossy does, too!

Another Happy Home at Last!

This was a dog found by a Good Sam… “I made flyers of this lost dog who is called ‘Wrinkles’ and my husband started posting them in Pet Supply Stores within a 2 miles radius and saw that there was a post for a lost dog Identical to our picture post so my husband called me and told me about it and I asked him to bring me the flyer that the family posted. I then called and talked to Wrinkles dad and asked him to identify specific markings the no one else would know and he did then I asked him his address and said I would bring the dog to him to meet me outside so I could see Wrinkles reaction and as soon as Wrinkles saw the little girl I knew. He offered me a reward and I refused it but asked him to please use that reward to get Wrinkles Microchipped and neutered also he said he would. I told him next time he may not be the blessed to get him back should he get out. Wrinkles dug under the fence and got out… by the time I spotted him it he was about three miles away from home maybe more and had crossed a multitude of busy intersections. Thank you Jackie for everything you do!!”