October 21st 2009 11:05 pm
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Another happy tail goes down in the annals of Tater Tot history! This is the happy tail of Tess, a 14 year old American Dingo who lives in our fair city, Eugene, Oregon.
It was Sunday afternoon and Momma was gathering our leashes and collars to get us ready for our walk. Penny Ann took a peek out into our back yard through the big glass door in our dining room. She started barking so, of course, the rest of us came running to see and join in the barking. We have a very important job keeping our home and family safe from intruders and, by golly, we do a mighty fine job! bol
With the four of us barking our little heads off, Momma came to see what all the excitement was about. She expected that, as usual, she would see either one of the many neighborhood cats roaming around or a squirrel sitting on the fence or the deck teasing us.
Well, what a surprise she got! It wasn't a cat or a squirrel at all, but an older looking, golden colored dog!
Daddy went out to investigate and the stray dog took off running out of our driveway and into the street, across the park and onto another street.
Momma ran outside with the car keys and yelled to Daddy, "Come on! She's old and she's limping! She's headed for River Road!" River Road is a great, big 40 mph (but most do 50), 5 lane, busy road. It is definitely not where a doggie should be out running off leash.
So Mom and Dad drove and caught up with the dog. Mom jumped out of the car, dog biscuits in hand, and tried to coax the dog to let her get close enough to give her a cookie. No way! That ol' girl wanted nothing to do with letting a stranger get near her and she took off running again, with Momma huffing and puffing along behind her.
Finally the dog crawled under a motor home in someone's yard and she collapsed from exhaustion. When Momma started to crawl under and reach her hand out, the dog growled, so Momma decided not to push it with her. A neighbor lady brought out a big bowl of cold water and a little dish of cooked chicken breast pieces and placed them under the edge of the motor home. The dog wouldn't budge to go over and get a drink or eat. She was very, very tired and very, very scared. So, after a few minutes, Momma tossed a piece of the chicken over near the dog. And what a perfect aim Momma has! The chicken landed right under the dog's nose and she gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow. So, Momma threw a bunch more pieces and the old girl ate 'em all right up. She was hungry!
So, now there's the dog under the motor home in a yard of someone who wasn't home, Momma and Daddy and some other neighbors- a lady named Amy and her husband. The dog had no collar on and the people were thinking that maybe someone had dumped her off in our neighborhood. That was a sad thought. So now it was time for the people to decide what to do.
The ol' girl would have to have someplace safe and warm to stay while the people tried to find out if there was a family looking for her. When the lady who owned the motor home got home it was decided that she would let the dog stay at her house until this coming Friday at the longest. If nobody had claimed the dog by then, she would have to go..... somewhere. None of the people could bear the thought of taking the old girl to Animal Regulation Authority (The Pound ) so everyone was ready to do whatever they could to find the owner or to find a good home for the dog.
Today when Momma got home from work and checked Craigslist again, she saw a very familiar face! Yup! There was an ad saying that "Josh" was looking for "Tess" who had wandered out of their yard on Saturday. The ad said that Tess was a beloved family pet and that she was greatly missed.
Well, Momma just about jumped for joy! She was about 98% sure that the dog in the picture was the old, stray girl who was under the motor home! So, Momma called Josh and he came right away to see if it was indeed his Tess. And it was! And she was one happy, little girl when Josh drove up in his pickup truck! Josh was happy and Momma was happy. Amy wasn't home and neither was Motor Home Lady, so Momma wrote notes and left them on their doors letting them know that "Tess" was safe and happy back home with her daddy, and thanking them for helping to look after Tess and not being too quick to take her to The Pound.
The amazing part of this whole story is how far Tess was from her home. She was clear across town. Not only was it a long way, but she had to have crossed several very, very busy, multi-lane roads and even a bridge. She was out running for over 24 hours before she ended up under the motor home. She is deaf, also, and somehow managed to avoid getting hit by a car. That was quite the adventure for any dog, let alone a 14 year-old, deaf, limping dog who was very scared.
So, we missed our walk this past Sunday, but we'd give up our walk every day if we could trade it for helping a lost or hurt furiend.
Tonight we all sleep happily and soundly in our own home, with our own people, in our own beds! And so does Tess! :D
Tonight we'll remember, as we do each night, to include all the lost and homeless furs in our prayers.
Woofs, wuf 'n Taterwags, Penny, Zeldy, Teddi Sue, Link & Rosie ♥
October 10th 2009 12:44 am
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I just went to the thread that was posted in Plus forums when I was stolen.
I think about that whole nightmare very often, but it was not only a nightmare. In a way, it was a beautiful dream come true! It was so heartwarming they way everyone banded together and helped me back home. Mommy still tells me every single day that she loves me and she's so glad I came back home. We both think about the wonderful friends we have here on Dogster and Catster.
So, I started reading all the posts and I decided I'm going to send every single pup who posted in there a hug. I'll be sendin' hugs like crazy for a couple days! It's going to be sooo much fun!
Dog, I love my furiends!:D I'm a very lucky, blessed and happy girl!
Wuf 'n kissies, Teddi ♥
September 22nd 2009 2:36 am
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When Mommy and I took a trip up to Auburn, Washington in April 2007, someone decided to steal our car - and me, along with it.
I was scared and didn't know who those strangers were. I wanted to be home with the family I love. I went to live with a nice lady, Jessica, who took good care of me and fed me and trained me and gave me a warm place to live. Still, I missed Link and Zelda and Penny. I missed my mommy and daddy and I wondered when they would come fur me and bring me home. I waited every day... fur a very long time, but still I couldn't find my family.
Finally, one day, I went out fur a walk with Jessica and there she was!!!! My mommy! That was the happiest day of my life! I knew Mommy would come back fur me! I knew she would! Then Mommy told me the story of how she came to find me.
When Mommy told our Dogster furiend, Sassy, and her mommy Sally, that our car had been stolen, along with me and Mommy's purse and all of her money, 300 miles away from home, Sally Fed-Ex'ed money to Mommy so she could have a good, hot dinner, get a safe, warm hotel to sleep in, and replace the medication that was in the car when it was stolen. Then Sassy woofed to all our pals in the Plus Forums and everypup decided that I needed to be found and brought back home to my family! Thank you Mommy Sassy and Sally! (((HUG)))
Furry soon after, my super pawtastic and loving furiends, Tater, Wilson and Cletis created a Dogster group called Tater's Let's Help Find Teddi Sue Group, renamed "Tater's Let's Help Find Missing Pets Group" after I was found and back home with my family. That way Our Catster furiends and non Plus members could be involved. Mommy was sooo touched by that, that it made her cry. (Mommy did lots of crying while I was missing) Thank you, Tater, Wilson and Cletis, fur that beautiful gesture of love and support.
Many wunnerful pups and kitties got right down to business and worked day and night, fur weeks on end, in that group, doing everything imageinable to help spread the woof and try to bring me back home. It's just about impawssible fur me to list each and every pup and kitty who helped, but here are a few, in no pawticular order:
Of course, Tater, Wilson and Cletis! And then there was ** Webster, ** Ringo, ** Dusty, The N'Walins Gang, Matthew-Helping LOSTs, Jessie, Bear, Abby, SnowStorms Artic Angel, Patches, Chatchi, Lucas Xenakis, Shaela, Navidad, Trixie Mea, Starwhitestorm, Arthur, Weeman, Fritz, Samantha, Butters, Jackpot, Sammy, Bruce the Boss, Mickie(In Loving-Memory), Rowdy(Joan's Rowdy Shadow), Lola Mechitza, Cashew, Rocky, Mocha, Tucker - My Forever Smiley Boy, Diggy, Meiko, Daisy, Simba, Baby & Harley.
** If I haven't listed you and you'd like to be included, pleeease woof me a pawmail and let me know and I'll be more than happy to add you! I love you all and I soooo appreciate each and every prayer, woof and gesture made to help me find my way home!
So many wunnerful pups, and their mommies and daddies, started sending emails to shelters and veterinarians and rescues and lost and found sites on the internet asking everyone to watch fur me and help distribute fliers! Some friends posted notices about me on MySpace and other websites. Many, many of our furiends put my picture on their Dogster pages and sent pal requests to all of the Washington state Dogsters to help spread the woof about me being stolen.
If anyone knows who made the original "Teddi Sue Missing" picture, that so many pups used as their main pic while I was ...ummm, 'lost', I'd be super happy if you would pawmail and tell me who that was. *BLUSH* I'd like to send them a puppy hug and a pressie fur their page! Fur some reason, I'm thinkin' it was Rox?
My wunnerful pal, Rocky, and his mom Dee, called upon a friend of theirs, Daina, who lives near Auburn (the city I was stolen from). The furst thing Daina did was to give my mommy $100 of her own money, so Mommy could buy meals, make phone calls and pay fur an additional night in a motel. Then Daina emptied out her PayPal account so she could use it to take donations from our wunnerful Dogster furiends to help Mommy afford gas to make trips back and forth to Washington to look fur me, check the pounds, check out leads, print and post over 1500 fliers, and perhaps even start a reward fund. This was such a thoughtful and generous act and it really was the only way that Mommy was able to afford to get out and physically look fur me. So many of our Dogster and Catster furiends donated to the fund, it made Mommy's eyes leak! Thank you so much Dee, Daina, *** Baxter & Mom Kristi, Rowdy & Mom Joan, Miss Frankie , Obi & Mom Kristen, Cheech , Chong , Harley , Aphrodite , Francois & Mom Deborah, Joey(girl) , Poni-R.I.P baby girl , Kipopo-CGC & Mom Dixie, Ravan NPC , Sunny Sunshine NPC , & Mom Sam, Gracie Jane , Tucker-My Forever Smiley Boy & Mom and Dad- Sharon & Bill, Daisy & Mom Cami, Murphy , Ragtime & Mom Esther, Braxton & Mom Stacey, Jackson , Georgie & Mom Sheree, Daisy & Mom Debbie, Spanky , Amber , Lexie In Our Hearts Forever , Skye & Mom Joanne, Shiloh , Satchmo & Mom Jennifer, Rox & Mom Kyla, Logan , Daisy , Peaches , The Wee Beasties & Mom Charlotte, Jena , Miles , Pita & Mom Wren, Roxy & Mom Sharon, Coco Chanel & Mom and Dad- Kim and Ed, Annie, Mindy, Phoebe and Nikki & Mom Irene, Dayzee, Faith & Mom Nancy, Oscar, Cooper & Mom Nicky, Peyton & Mom, Charlie, Reggie, Bridget, Billy, Nina & Mom Connie, Gibbon, Mia & Mommy Jazzmine, Bertie, Paddy & Mom Susan, Sammy & Mom Linda.
I have a couple of Mommies' names who donated to the Paypal account, but haven't yet learned who their pets are. These Mommies are... Kristi, & Kimberly. If you recognize your mommy's name here, pawlease pawmail me and let me know so I can edit this and bring a li'l pressie to you on your page!
Thank you so much fur your kindness, support and generosity! (((HUG))). Mommy could not have managed it all without your help, We are furever grateful to you all.
*** There are two furry special pups, and their mommy, who I will be furever grateful to fur driving fur over two hours, on their mommy's day off from work, to go to Auburn and walk around fur 5 hours, in the pouring rain, in a mobile home park looking fur me and calling my name, squeaking a squeaky toy, knocking on doors and talking to residents and handing out fliers. A man working at a nearby convenience store where Mommy had posted a flier, called and said that he was 99% sure that he saw me, earlier that same afternoon, just wandering around, looking lost, in the mobile home park where he lives. Thank you soooo much Lola, Yuki and Mommy Cecelia. I sure hope you didn't end up catching colds from being out in the cold, rain all day! You will always be heroines to me and Mommy!
Robert Whale, a reporter from a small Auburn community newspaper, the Auburn Reporter, wrote a story to help spread the woof locally, that I had been stolen. He hoped that the story would open up alot of eyes and ears in the search fur me.
The following article was written by Robert Whale of the Auburn Reporter way back in April 2007, several days after Momma's car got stolen with Teddi Sue inside of it.
QUOTE
Thieves took the car, and the little dog, too
by By ROBERT WHALE
D’Ann Lally nearly has worn herself out looking.
Not so much for the car stolen from her April 16 as she grabbed a bite to eat at the Muckleshoot Casino restaurant before heading home to Eugene, Ore.
Auburn police found the Toyota Camry abandoned on M Street Northeast on April 20, its interior trashed in an apparent joyride.
What police didn’t find was Teddi Sue, the 4-month-old miniature Chihuahua-pinscher Lally had left in a crate in the back seat when she was inside the restaurant.
Lally’s heart is broken.
“My whole life is on hold,” Lally said. “She is my baby. She means more to me than the car.”
Lally has devoted nearly every waking hour since to looking for the little black and tan dog.
Stranded, Lally spent her first night in a local hotel room, using up all of her cash on hand. A friend of her brother’s then allowed her to stay at her home in Federal Way and use her computer and phones to get the word out about her dog.
Lally’s host, Lori Batinik, doesn’t own any dogs, but sympathized with the Oregon woman’s plight.
“It’s horrible,” Batinik said. “I can’t believe somebody would steal her car with her dog in there. I mean, it’s great she got her car back, but she cares more about the dog,”
Along the way, Lally has found a lot of friends. One of her best friends since the theft has been the Web site Dogster.com, whose “Dogster Pals” have made her cause their cause, her pain their pain.
“All these Dogster people have been working day and night, all day long sending out e-mails. There’s this big thread going about Teddi-Sue that’s probably about 15 pages long. People have been making phone calls and e-mails, anything they can do to get the word out about her. It’s unbelievable. People I have never met all over the country are helping me,” Lally said.
“… One of my closest Dogster Pals is Fed-Exing some money up to me so I can stay here and keep looking for her so I don’t have to go back home right away. I am just overwhelmed,” Lally said.
Dogster.com also opened up Pay Pal account, affording her money she needs to continue her search.
(D'Ann here: Dogster.com did not open a PayPal account to help with the search. Dogster Dee Tobin and her friend Daina, used Daina's PayPal account to accept donations from Dogster and Catster pals. The funds were used for trip expenses, gas, lodging, printing fliers and registering on lost & found websites, etc... and for the reward fund. Dogster.com did help spread the woof by posting Teddi Sue and her plight as Dogster's Dog of the Day, and by keeping a running commentary on the search through blogs on their website.)
Lally and Batinik visited the Animal Shelter in Kent on Friday, hoping to find Teddi Sue among the tail-wagging denizens. No luck.
“She is an angel, the sweetest little thing,” Lally said of Teddi Sue.. “She has her hyper moments, but she is usually calm and normal. In the early evening she’ll tear around the house for a half-hour, then scrunch down. I call her my guinea pig. I have four dogs, and every night all four of them sleep with me. It drives my husband crazy. Home won’t be home without her.”
Even now she can hardly believe the dog is gone.
“I was gone maybe 15 minutes, came back out to the car to check on Teddi-Sue to make sure it wasn’t too hot I went back in, came out again maybe 10 minutes later, and the third time I came out the car was gone. My heart just dropped into my stomach. I said, ‘Oh my god, Teddi Sue!’ I had covered up the crate with bags at each end. I ran back in and said, ‘My car is gone.’ I spent two hours searching the parking lot. I searched everywhere. I called 911 and reported it.”
Lally wants to believe that Teddi Sue is still safe, and that somebody knows something. She was last seen in a plastic blue pet carrier with a wire door.
“If people learn about this, maybe they’ll say, ‘Oh, so and so just got a puppy like that right about that same time that looks just like that dog.’ Enough good people are out there that somebody is going to see her, somebody is going to say something. It might take some time. I just pray someone out there is feeding her and keeping her warm.”
“There is a reward. No questions asked. I just want the dog back,” Lally said.
Momma says the story is fairly accurate. One part bothers her. The part where it says "she searched the parking lot for two hours." Momma didn't search for two hours! She knew where she had parked her car! The parking lot security guards *yeah, right...* searched for two hours, and wouldn't even call the police until they finished searching! *Grrrr* Momma called 911 while the, eh-hem...uh, "security guards" looked for her car.
Anyways, none of that really matters anymore. All that matters is that Teddi Sue is back home with us now, and we have alot of wonderful Dogster & Catster furiends who love us and who we love... furever!
Then he wrote a follow up story after I had been found. Pawts of that story were a little bit off, but fur the most pawt, he got it right and I know he meant nothing but the best fur me and Mommy. I'm having trouble finding the stories to post here, but if and when I do, I will edit them in at that time.
Thank you, Mr. Whale, fur your help and your genuine concern fur my well-being.
A very caring and kind-hearted friend, Ginger, from Ginger's Pet Rescue, posted a $500 reward fur infurmation leading to my safe return - no questions asked. She also spread the word wide and far through contacts of her Rescue Service all through the state of Washington.
Thank you, Ginger! You're pawesome and I love you!
I'm not certain who started it, but a candle page was created fur me so my furiends and loved ones could light candles and send prayers fur me. Mommy still goes there sometimes, on special occasions, or when she's feeling especially happy - or sad - or grateful, etc... and lights a candle fur me.
Sweet, sweet Jezzie, Bruti and their Mommy Deanna, kept everypup up to date on my plight through their blog site For The Love of Dog. Thank you so much, Deanna, Jezzie and Bruti!
Miss Afwe did a psychic reading and it is amazing how many things she saw that were right on or so close that it was eerie! Woohooo! GO MISS AFWE!!! Mommy was completely amazed! Thank you, Miss Afwe!
A furry special and beautiful Chi furiend, Shorty wrote a furry touching poem fur me:
I'm just a yittle baby
And I don't know what to do
Someone saw our friend today
Let's hope they turn her lose
She is just so teeny tiny
and I hope dat you will see
just what dis little baby
really means to me
It makes me cry these yittle tears
to think of her out there
so far away from her mommy
who so much does care
So if you will please Lord of dogs
bring her back to me
so we can hug and play all day
and be a family
We love you Teddi Sue, Please come home!
How furry sweet and thoughtful! It made my mommy cry. Thank you, Shorty. What a wunnerful, beautiful furiend you are!
Another kind and caring furiend also wrote a poem fur me. My furiend, Whiskers, gave me hope and inspiration with these sweet words:
Teddi Sue Please Don’t Give Up Hope!
By Mandy
Teddi Sue, we are so blue,
Because you see, we all miss you!
Teddi Sue, do please come home,
Be there to stay, no more to roam.
Let us all say now this prayer,
That this baby, will soon be there.
Pupnapped that is such a shame,
And we don’t know, who is to blame.
All the pets on the bridges rainbow,
Are keeping watch, on you below.
People here on earth are kind,
To keep looking, till you we find.
Teddi Sue, please don’t give up hope,
We all will help, your Mommy to cope.
Taking you was such a sin,
We won’t give up, we won’t give in!
May 7 2007
Thank you, Whiskers! (((HUG))) Every pup should be so blessed to have a furiend as wunnerful as you!
On the day that Mommy drove to Seattle and brought me back home from Jessica's apartment, our fur friends stayed in contact with Mommy by cell phone the whole way up and back. Thank you, Sassy & Sally, Rocky, Mabelline & Dee, and Daina!
Also, on our trip back HOME (there just isn't a sweeter word!), Daina and Dee invited us to stop at Daina's house, where we enjoyed a furry delicious lunch and coffee. Daina gave me one of her furry own doggie crates, cuz I never did get mine back. It disappeared with all the other stuff from our car. Then Daina gave us a huuuge bag of snacks and goodies fur the 5 hour drive home, so Mommy wouldn't have to stop anywhere and leave me alone in the car. Thank you Daina! I love you sooo much!
Dee took pictures of me and Mommy and her furbaby, Mabelline. You can see those pics on my page. We sure had a grrreat time running and tumbling! That li'l Mabelline! She's a tough li'l cookie!
Mommy, Dee and Daina all had fun, everyone was soooo happy! It was pawesome!!!
When I got back home to Eugene and sniffed my Dogster page and pawmail, I found that several of my furiends had made 'Welcome Home' pics fur me! You can sniff those on my page. Thanks fur the pics, everyone! (((HUG)))
** One of our furst pup pals, and a furry close furiend of our furmily, Beatrix, started a Welcome Home Photo Stroll fur me! That was such a thoughtful and sweet thing to do, and it made me feel pretty special...*BLUSH* Thank you, Beatrix! Me LOVE you!
I'm sure there are pups and kitties that worked hard and prayed and did things that I don't even know about. I know that some of those lost and found sites cost money to register - and I didn't spend one penny on any of those. Sooo many sent rosettes, pawmails, stars and emails with kind woofs and good wishes - and I'm sure there are some that I pawbably didn't get a chance to woof thanks or answer because our pages and pawmail boxes were so flooded we couldn't keep up! Mommy's email got so full the new emails started bouncing and Dogster had to ask us fur a different email address! *BLUSH*
I just hope that everypup and everykitty and every Mommy and Daddy all know how furry, furry much My family and I love them - and how furry much we appreciate the love and kindness and support that was shown to us during that terrible, horrible nightmare that we went through. I am a furry blessed little grrrl to have so many wunnerful, pawtastic, and loving furiends who refused to give up on me. Who went through that nightmare right along with me. Thank sooo much!
Love & hugs, your furever furiend, Teddi Sue ♥
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