One week ago Puppercini went missing. Every time the phone rings. Every time I hear a noise by the front door. Every time there’s a knock. Every plastic bag or white rock in a field. Every lump of road kill. Every circling vulture. Every rustle in the tall grass that’s growing towards the balers. Every time… my heart races, thinking it might be him coming home.
We’ve had several phone calls and even one very excited teenage girl show up on our doorstep with a lost Jack Russel Terrier. We’ve had neighbours stop by. But it’s always the wrong dog. Or redirecting us back to the people who lost him the same night they took him. I have put out hundreds of flyers, called all rescues, vets and animal control. Mailmen carriers, farmers in fields, radio and television ads. Nobody has seen him since he was lost.
I know dogs have found their way home to Ontario, after being dropped out of airplanes into the middle of south east Asia, hitching rides exclusively in taxis and other exceptional circumstances. But those were DOG-DOGS. Puppers has the survival skills of a two day old baby bird. He’s white, he’s remarkably small and he usually doesn’t make it more than half way down our driveway without laying down. He would have to cross the following to make it home (and the lines indicate concessions and sideroads, much further apart than city blocks):
Puppers freaks out if he gets locked into the bathroom. I cannot imagine how terrified he must have been to be lost. At this point, it’s a pretty safe bet that he is not coming home given the circumstances.
Puppercini was so small when I got him as a puppy that he fit easily into my hoody pockets. I am not kidding you, this dog was attachment parented. He was on me in pockets or carriers, or just under my arm almost all the time. As my friend Steve would say “that dogs feet haven’t touched the ground in years!” He slept in a soft carrier directly beside my pillow. Pups was so small that he was hypoglycemic and had to be fed baby food and sugar water with a syringe every couple of hours for weeks. He came with me to every tattoo appointment. He flew with me in the cabin on every plane trip. He starred with me in numerous photoshoots and always stole the show. Our little ratball was in all of our wedding pictures. While he was kicked out of the glorious position of being “the first baby” and lived with the neglect that comes when new children come, we loved him immensely. And he loved us.
I am so sorry Puppers is missing! My fingers are crossed that you two are reunited. I don’t know what I would do if Chicken ever wandered off, I’d be completely beside myself.
im so sorry he is lost. i am thinking about him everyday and hope he comes home.
at the very least, its good that it isnt winter when he is lost.
love annie
I am also thinking about you guys and hoping he comes home. I can’t believe the people who took him! WTF?
so just out of curiosity, not that it will help, but what the hell are the people who took him saying? why would they take someone else’s dog in the first place?
Ashley, I just wanted to say how sorry I am about Puppers. I have 3 dogs (and 3 cats) myself and can only imagine how heartbroken you and your family must be. I get anxiety while reading your recent blogs and can’t stop thinking about you all (I know, creepy right?). Here’s wishing the little bugger makes his way home, happy and healthy. I’ll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.
I’m so terribly sorry for your loss. Ugh… I’m sorry.
I’m curious about how you found out they took your dog? It seems really strange that they would take your dog and then let you know that they took him.
I’m so sorry to hear about this. I know what it feels like not knowing what has happened to your much loved pet, and I cross my fingers (it’s the best I can do since I’m not a religious person and therefore doubt he’ll listen up there) that Puppers comes home to you.
Falicia — We found out from at least four people that SO&SO took Puppers. Those people thought the SO&SOs still HAD Puppers, they didn’t realize the SO&SOs had lost him immediately. It’s the boondocks, everyone knows everyone else’s business!
Rebecca — Three words: Drunk country bumpkin. The conversation made me wish I had SKYPE or something so I could have recorded it, it was ridiculous. The few intelligible words spoken formed little rational sentence structure. LONG story short, they could tell the dog belonged to someone, so they took it home, but it was night time, so they didn’t think they would look for him after he ran away from them. Though they have a small breed of their own, and clearly know a night out here for a small dog is a death sentence.
We went back to their house yesterday to ask if they had seen them again and got the wife. She said she was sorry, but offered no other explanation other than “it was night time….so…”
I am so sorry to hear that. I hope everyone is staying strong. I would want to rip the so&so’s faces off. I hope you find him, but if not, at least you know you loved him as well as anyone could have.
Gah, stupid people frustrate me to no end. I’m keeping my fingers crossed as anything can happen
I am so so sorry about your lost family member. I can only imagine how terrible it is, and I am sending you all the love over the miles that I can. peace mama.
So sorry
argh, that would make me furious! i hope you get your puppers back. i can tell you miss him so much.
If Puppers lays down when he gets halfway down the driveway how on earth did he get away from the folks who took him?
It’s my bet they still have him..or know where he is..
Just the conspiracy theorist in me..
SOMEONE knows where he is…
I thought it might have been that they took him too, Diane. Which is partly why we knocked on their door the other day, to see if he would bark. But he didn’t and he would have.
He wasn’t very far at all from our house. A bit farther than usual, but not (by country standards) far at all. Completely that much more stupid that they didn’t drive him down OUR driveway to see if he was ours!
It’s such a small town, and everyone knows he’s missing. It’s not very likely out of towners would drive down the road the SO&SOs live on (or our road) and if anyone from here picked up a lost little white dog, we’d be getting phone calls for sure.
my heart breaks for you, twwly. i hope that by some miracle he comes home to you.
I hope so too. He was just about to get his summer haircut, a task we try hard to make increasingly absurd every year.
Thanks dude.
How heartbreaking. I have two little dogs of my own and they’re like my kids. I’m so sorry.
Ugh! I can feel your heartbreak and extreme frustration. You have done so much and still nothing….ugh….I am so sad for you!
What kind of dog is he?
Keep your chin up. You have a lot of people hoping and praying for his safe return!
~M~
P.S. I like the new background….and the way the whole thing is layed out. Looks good.
~M~
He’s a poodle mix.
It’s been suggested now by a few people that he may have been sold. The options out here are puppy mill (one of hundreds) or testing facility.
Trying not to throw up.
Turns out the SO&SOs have lied about a couple key points of their story…. so I’ll keep you posted as this develops.
Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezus, this is all starting to sound very shady. But the more you know, Ashley, the closer may get to him so just keep digging. I’m glad you’re so persistent and determined. So much love. I sent you a trillium from an email that only has my hubby’s name, so in case you were confused, it was me. P.S. Threaten the SO&SOs. Threaten ‘em gooooooooooooood.
After my conversation with Scott last night, I got to thinking about how we can get to the bottom of this.
Bring the cops for a visit and threaten to charge them with dognapping.
I am sure that this good ole boy has more than a few skeletons in his closet…
How are you controlling your temper?
I hope you get to the bottom of this quickly, and that it has a good outcome.
Country boys hate cops and government with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. Unfortch if we involved police I am quite certain he’d just tell us all to f-off. And threatening wouldnt work – farmers are unflappable.
There’d be no dognapping as he did go to a neighbour to try to return him. He did find him, but it took us two days to get to him and as he said to me “wife dont want another dog”.
I have no idea. We’re hoping to get a little more information that would point to Pups being sold, so until then, we are just waiting. Well, I have re-alerted the vets… Going to make a new revised poster and mailbox that in some surrounding towns.
What a nightmare. Hope you wake up soon.
Oh geeze, Ash
Cannot imagine the worry and torment you must be feeling. I know Id lose my mind. I hope puppers finds his little way home.
All our bestest wishes are going straight your way.
xo.
I’m really sorry about Puppers. I do hope by some miracle he makes it home. I know you must be grieving deeply.