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sylviatexas1

It's Important to Keep Trying!

sylviatexas1
14 years ago

If your pet becomes separated from you, keep posting, keep calling, keep emailing!

My greyhound-rescuing friend sent me this story about one of her beauties (she sent photos but they wouldn't transfer):

I posted a lost Greyhound on the national Greyhound Amber Alert in July of 08.

Sabrina, a dog I picked up from Gulf Greyhound in July of '07 for adoption through Partnership for Pets, had slipped her collar when startled on a walk with her new owner.

We and some east Texas volunteers searched, but only had one verified sighting, a week after she bolted.

I installed a security camera outside the ownerÂs apartment, and he bought a hunterÂs camera for an abandoned house where he thought she might be hiding, but never saw her, dead or alive.

We continued searching and following up on leads, but none proved fruitful.

Since then weÂve had an occasional call about her, usually when I had updated a Craigslist posting or taken out another ad in the paper.

Last September the ACO (animal control officer) in Longview contacted my adoption group, Partnership for Pets (PFP), as they had a sighting of a Greyhound in Longview and knew we had lost one.

The folks actually reported her as a "Great Dane or Greyhound," and couldn't say what color the dog they saw was.

There were no repeat sightings, and Angie Patton with PFP was driving the area every day and even had friends who live in that area looking.

No dice.

Fast forward to this past Wednesday  Angie with PFP received a call from a former all-breed rescuer who said that she saw a brindle Greyhound in Longview, near where she was supposedly sighted last September.

This sighting was very credible since the woman was assumed to be somewhat breed-savvy.

The neighbor there had been feeding the dog, so it looked like we had a spot to set a trap (something weÂve not had before).

So I made arrangements to borrow a trap from Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (you need a VERY large trap for a Greyhound!), and started asking folks on the rescue lists for volunteers to help check it  but I guess I asked for help too soon.

After arranging to get the live trap, I did not get permission to set it up.

The rescuer gave me the contact info for Bobbie, the woman at whose house the dog was spotted.

Thursday night I talked with Bobbie, and found out she'd been feeding Sabrina for eight months!!!

Bobbie told me she had been calling the Greyhound "Pretty Girl".

Well, that just sent shivers down my spine.

There's a book that's well-known in Greyhound circles called "Here, Pretty Girl" that is the true story of a Greyhound named Sabrina who ran away from her adoptive home and was on the run for 167 days before she was captured.

Bobbie didnÂt want us to trap Sabrina  she thought Sabrina would be scared by the trap - she wanted to try to put a leash on her.

She had been able to pet her (and even took a tick off of her), and felt that she could put her scarf around her neck and bring her in.

I thought it would be best to let Bobbie try, since sheÂd worked at gaining SabrinaÂs trust (thereÂd always be time for trapping if a finesse capture didnÂt work). I told Bobbie SabrinaÂs story, and how weÂve been tracking down every lead for the last year and a half.

Bobbie promised to call me when she got her, or let me know if she needed help capturing her.

I again spoke with Bobbie Friday morning, and she said that she saw Sabrina waiting to be fed  and Sabrina was soaked as it was raining.

Her plan was to try to bring her in the house Friday night when she fed her again.

Well, she succeeded!

She hid the leash in her sleeve and slipped it over SabinaÂs head.

Bobbie sent me some phone pictures, and I was pretty sure it was Sabrina (by the swirl in her brindling).

Sabrina spent the night resting comfortably in her bathroom, scared but at least now safe.

Bobbie pulled a bunch of ticks off of her, fed her, and kept her comfortable.

I left home Saturday morning at 4am for the long drive to Longview, to get the dog I knew was a Greyhound and still hoped was Sabrina and bring her back here before my meet-and-greet (Saturdays are busy for me).

She seemed to respond to her name, and gave me kisses on the way home.

When I got home I checked her tattoos to be sure, and it really is Sabrina!

SheÂll go to the vet early this week, as with all the ticks sheÂll need blood work to see what tick-borne diseases she has, as well as a heartworm test.

After all the time on her own, if she doesnÂt need treatment for both of these, it will be another miracle.

Her right rear leg muscle appears atrophied, but I donÂt think itÂs an injury  if it is, it has at least externally healed.

So anyway, from July of 2008 till February of 2010 - no one knows where this girl was, but I do now.

SheÂs asleep on a dog bed upstairs with me.

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