Bring Dottie Home

My blind baby went missing when she was 11 years old. I get the newsletters from the microchip company time to time that touts a miracle reunion with dog and owner across the country. I’d be happy if the person who had my dog was just next door. Some dogs are reunited after 5-6 years missing. I don’t know if Dottie has that long or even if she would have lived to be 13. I had a blue heeler, Spots, for nearly 16 years, but I think she was a mix – probably part lab. Mixed breeds tend to have less genetic issues (like the trend toward blindness inherent with pure heelers) and more longevity.

My terrier, Digit, really pined for Dottie for weeks – but I think he just assumed she died and has moved on. I think if Dottie returned now, it would about give my little old man a heart attack. I cannot believe my hyper-spazz terrier is 14 and will be 15 in March. A dear friend recently had to put down her 12-year-old black lab. He was such a darling dog… I remember him as a puppy like it was yesterday. No matter how long we have them, it’s never long enough.

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I cannot believe that it was a year ago – almost to the hour, that my husband called me at work to tell me that he could not find Dottie. He had been looking for her for 3 hours before he called. He had the day off and had let the dogs out for 20 minutes. My terrier scratched on the door (his usual routine) and my husband let him in – but there was no sign of Dottie… and to this date, no sign. No bones, no collar, no Dottie.

While you may never find my precious DotCOM – you may find another dog. Even if you are CERTAIN that the dog has just been dumped – please get the dog scanned for a microchip. I had Dottie microchipped in 2000, when she was 5 months old and was being spayed. At the time, I lived in suburbia – now I live in the country. City folks drive all the way out ‘to the country’ to dump their dogs. It’s disgusting. We cannot take them in – once you live out in the country, you know that it’s just not possible to take in dozens of dogs. Yes – dozens. You can tell when a dog has been ‘just’ dumped by their owner. The poor dog is so confused – if you drive by them, they look up at you, making eye contact, wondering, “Are YOU my mommy? Where did my daddy go? Why was I left here? When are they coming back?” It is so heart-wrenching. Within days, the abandoned dogs that are not picked up by animal control or other organization are bloated carcasses out on the county road, being picked off by vultures.

People out in the country know this – so I keep thinking someone saw Dottie and figured, “some evil person dumped this poor, blind dog out in the middle of nowhere!” and never thought scanning for a microchip would be worth their time. Dottie is a red heeler – a common country dog. While some people love their pets like family, others use up a dog as a tool with some smarts. As soon as the dog can no longer guard, hunt, see or do whatever duty the owner felt was their purpose for existing, there are some that will drive a dog out to the middle of nowhere, thinking that somehow, it is better for them there than in a shelter.

I could have easily been the person to pick up a dog like Dottie, thinking she was dumped, and never having a microchip cross my mind. Please remind your friends, coworkers, and relatives – thousands of dogs & cats are chipped every year. The amazing reunion stories you hear about on TV and radio where a dog or cat is found on the other side of the country – they are reunited because someone remembered (finally!) to check for the chip.

Please check for chips. It may be too late for me to be reunited with Dottie. She may have died for all I know – but by checking for chips, you may help to reunite a dog or cat with the person that would walk through fire for them.

PLEASE CHECK FOR CHIPS!

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Just a few days shy of 11 months since Dottie vanished from our fenced yard. Her adopted brother, Digit, has adjusted well since her absence. He is now over 14.5 years old – ancient for a hyper terrier. He’s definitely showing his age – but still has the heart of a tornado. His leaps into the air are legendary.

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As heartbroken as I was when my first dog, Spots, a blue heeler, passed away in my arms in 1996, I was able to ‘move on’ afterwards. I still miss her and will never stop missing her while I still draw breath, but I knew she was going to Heaven (sorry – I don’t buy the ‘rainbow bridge’ idea – there’s one Heaven – not a separate ‘heaven’ for dogs – and I plan on seeing her again one day) and would no longer be in pain. She was 16, deaf, and full of cancer when we decided it was time. It hurt, but I knew where she was and I knew she was young and healthy again.

With Dottie, there is no “moving on,” – she’s been missing for 6 months as of today. It’s absolutely the most maddening thing in the world. A coworker of mine relayed a story to me – she and her family had lived in West Texas for years out in the middle of nowhere on several hundred acres of land. One day, when they came home from town, both of their dogs were missing. The entire family when looking for them and eventually, they found their large Labrador – who had clearly been attacked by a mountain lion (later confirmed by the vet), but survived. They never found their cocker spaniel. They could only assume that the mountain lion had taken the smaller dog, and their Lab likely sustained injuries trying to protect and retrieve him. Despite what they knew had to be true, and knowing that her spaniel would have likely died of old age 30 years ago, she says she still feels like she has no closure, because she doesn’t know for sure what happened. I can so relate to that. The not knowing is so hard… I just can’t wrap my brain around it.

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My little girl, Dottie, turned 12 today. I got her at the pound when she was approx. 5 months old in May, 2000. After she was spayed, the vet gave her estimated birthday as Jan. 10. I never pictured that this would happen to me – that a dog I was responsible for would go missing like this, from our fenced yard.

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Today marks 4 weeks since my girl went missing. I know she is not wandering the woods in Kaufman County – someone has her and may think they rescued a dumped dog. Even though she’s blind, she can still get out of a fenced yard (don’t ask me how!) – so she may yet escape again. I just need eyes looking for her and people reminding other people – get any found stray scanned for a microchip! This has been especially hard on my mother, who can scarcely think of anything else, other than what has befallen my sweet girl. I make it through the day by trying not to think about it. When I get closer to home – within about 10 miles, I’m looking at the road and the shoulder and looking at any carcasses. I’m looking in people’s yards as I drive by, in their cars and in the back of their trucks – just to see if I see her anywhere. I had a dream about her last night that was kinda random and weird – and I was in someone’s living room – someone I’ve never seen before, and Dottie was on her back and this woman was petting her. I hope this was more than a dream – and that she is being loved and cared for by some kind person who took her in. Thank you for remembering Dottie in your prayers. We miss her.

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We got a call last night from the microchip company – someone called us from Post Oak Bend – about 2 miles from us – they spotted a dog that they thought resembled the photo on the flyer. They saw the dog, went home to look at the flyer again, and decided it was probably her. They said she was just standing in the middle of the road, and didn’t move until they honked. It was well after dark. They went back out there to look for her and we headed out to meet them to see if it was really her. No signs of any dogs at all. No barking, nothing. A few homeowners came out w/ flashlights to see what we were doing in front of their property – nothing else. First encouragement, then disappointment. I called for her several times. I’m not sure how a blind dog could have gotten that far away that quickly. The fellow that called the microchip people said that if he saw her again and it was her (she will respond when called by her name), he’d pick her up, take her home and call us. I just don’t think it was her… but I still hold out hope that Dottie will return.

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I’ve had a lot of encouragement from friends and coworkers, not to give up on Dottie – and I’m not. I’m so grateful for those of you who have been sharing this web address on your facebook wall, tweeting, e-mailing and visiting. Please spread the word to everyone you know – if they find a stray – they can get the animal scanned for a microchip for FREE at any shelter. Most reputable vets will also do this for free – but call first – some will last minute charge you – which is despicable, in my opinion. I just know someone who loves dogs saw her out on the road and felt compassion for her and let her in the car and took her home. I just need enough people to get the word out so I can reach that person who has her – to let them know she wasn’t dumped – that little Houdini of mine, managed to get out of a fenced yard. We will be investing in a GPS collar when she comes back to us!

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Yesterday, I was searching online for rescue groups, hoping someone had picked up Dottie and taken her to an Australian Cattle Dog rescue. I e-mailed the proprietor of one of the sites, sending a poster of Dottie. She replied about an hour later, saying that she had gotten an e-mail about someone trying to place a blind red heeler and would have to find the e-mail and get back with me. She replied a couple of hours later w/ a link to a posting in PetFinder. The photo looked exactly like Dottie – down to the perfectly shaped paws of hers. The description stated that she was spotted running down the highway at night and was totally blind. What was very peculiar, however, was that the woman posting this stated that the dog she named “z_Shake” was living in Lubbock, TX. That’s about 375 miles from our house. Seriously? I could picture Dottie walking hundreds of miles, but not in 7 days. Seven months, maybe. Surely, someone must have picked her up! I contacted the woman who posted the photo and told her I thought this was my dog. I told her that Dottie had been missing since last Friday – and she stated she had had this dog for over a month. I was stunned. How could there be more than one red heeler, blind, older, running loose in Texas? My husband rightfully suggested that red heelers might have a propensity toward blindness. Sure enough – they do. I’m glad I don’t have to drive to Lubbock, but I’d gratefully drive to Maine if it’s what I had to do to get my baby back.

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The sighting of Dottie a couple of days ago surprised me – I never envisioned her making it that far or in that direction – but it also renewed my hope of seeing her again. I printed off more flyers and started getting them to homes in the area within a reasonable distance. I only have about 45 minutes of light by the time I get home from work, depending on traffic. I will hand out more flyers tomorrow, on my day off.

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