No Such Luck....

I'm really, really sorry to say that Bean, the dog at the Harford Humane Society, was not Olivia. I always like to go in person if I can, but this one was an hour and a half away. I was not able to borrow a car to get up there, so I talked to the staff person responsible for her there. As hopeful as I wanted to be, I actually didn't think it was her from the picture. First, Bean did look a lot like Olivia, but her brindle coat seemed more brown than black (whereas Olivia's is more black than brown), and - it's kind of hard to articulate, but - her face didn't quite have the same hang-dog look as Livvy's. Also, the shelter staff had estimated Bean's age to be about 5 and, if the vet's estimate of Olivia's age was right, she should only be about 3. Still, that wasn't a big enough difference to make me sure that Bean isn't Olivia.

Since none of that was dispositive, I talked to the caretaker there about some other details. The criterion I usually use to screen possible matches ruled Bean out. She has white markings but Olivia doesn't. I actually had him double-check and he said she actually has several white spots. There was one other factor that only confirmed it. Bean was becoming eligible for adoption, and the shelter staff brought her up front to the office. When I heard this, I asked about her demeanor. Apparently, Bean is friendly and well-socialized - he said he would not even describe her as shy, much less unsocialized to people.

So this potential lead ended up being a disappointment, but I'd always rather find out about all possibilities, no matter how remote. Unfortunately, we still haven't gotten any recent sightings, so please keep your eyes open, fingers/paws crossed, etc., and maybe our luck will turn around soon.