Another (very, very) near miss!

I just found an email in my spam folder from someone who sent along some pictures of a brindle dog found a couple of months ago. The sender thought it wasn't Olivia because of markings on the paws, and was right - it's not Olivia. Even though I was prepared by the comment, though, my reaction when I saw the first picture was, "Oh my God - it's Olivia!!!!" None of our other near-misses has looked so incredibly much like her as to elicit this reaction! I'm really glad the person noticed the paws because otherwise I would have been so sure we'd found her then be really, really disappointed to go get the dog only to discover she's not Olivia. (Still, my hope made me want to send back the ridiculous question, "Any chance her paws were bleached or that's white paint?" I know better, but I just really, really hoped it was Livvie.)

Here are the picture that I thought was Olivia and the one that shows it's not.

I'm posting this not because it is an actual lead, but just because this near miss was so exciting for me! Meanwhile, even though the fliers we put up on our huge search party in December didn't elicit any sightings, I'm going to try to put more up in case Livvie has been laying low but shows her sweet face again soon. Anyone want to help?

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.

Could it be Olivia?!

Yesterday I got a call from a shelter in Harford County, Maryland - about an hour and a half (by car) away from DC - about a dog they call Bean who looks incredibly like Olivia! It may or may not actually be Olivia, but this is the first exciting lead since our big search party in December. I am going to try to drive up there and meet this dog today, and I really hope it's Livvie! Fingers crossed...

All I Want for Christmas is My Foster-Dog!

Now that it's December, Christmas is drawing near and, unfortunately for poor Olivia, the weather is getting cold. I hate the thought of her underweight self out there shivering or even just having her ears cold. I have been asking for help putting up flyers and handing out business cards and I am delighted to report that I am getting it! A Forever Home, Olivia's rescue, is organizing a search party on Saturday, December 17.

By the way, A Forever Home has spent thousands of dollars funding the search for Olivia when she wasn't even their ward in the first place - this wonderful group took her on after she was already lost! Please donate to them (/the search) if you can.

Here is an excerpt about the search party from an email from an AFH volunteer:

We really want Olivia back in a foster home by Christmas so we are organizing a large-scale search on Saturday, December 17th in Washington DC. I am asking all of you to please come and help us search. We will search in teams - with each team having a specific area (several blocks) to cover. Each team will be given posters to attach to telephone poles and place in store windows (with permission from store owners). They will also be given business cards to hand out to citizens in the neighborhood. This will be a well planned and well coordinated search, with AFH personnel directing the search. Your responsibilities will be putting up posters, handing out business cards, and talking, talking, talking. We really need to connect with local citizens. They live there and they are the key to finding Olivia.

We want to start early in the morning for several reasons, so are asking that people meet at a designated spot at 9:00 am. We expect the search to take no longer than 2-3 hours. I will be coordinating volunteer sign-up, so please email me ... if you can help us. For those of you who are unable to walk/stand for long periods of time, we can use your help too. Each team is accompanied by someone in a car who shadows the walking teams. A team can be anywhere from 2-5 people. You don't have to come with a team. If you sign up alone to help, we will assign you to one.

I rarely ask for help, but I am asking all of you, as a personal favor to me and AFH, to please come out and help us search. Bring a friend - or friends. Bring husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, and older children. Bring your well behaved, dog and people friend dogs (on a leash).

Please don't let Olivia spend any more time on her own. It's just a matter of time before her luck runs out. We want to find her before that happens. Please contact me no later than Thursday, December 15th to sign up to search.

Thank you.

PS: All searchers will be provided with a contact list of the search leaders, a map of their assigned area, and a "how to" list (which will include search tips).

We welcome help from anyone who can help with the search. (Also, please spread the word, whether or not you can help, in case someone you know might be able to help.) Please email me at lauracolleton@gmail.com if you want to participate. I know the email gives a deadline of December 15, but I'd be happy to accommodate late-comers as well. Thank you in advance for your help with the search. If we can find Olivia and keep her from spending her Christmas hungry, cold, and alone, this will definitely be my best Christmas ever!

Our Latest Olivia Flier

Hi folks. We're gearing up to do more fliering over the next couple of weeks and will be out working to bring Livvy home next Saturday (Dec 17th). If you'd like to help, get in touch using the contact info at right.

If you're already signed up to help, thanks!!!!! I'm including a link below to our latest flier. If you live anywhere near Eastern Market, the SE Waterfront, Anacostia, or Capitol Hill, tracks put her in your area and it would be great if you could help us get some fliers up.

+ Download a copy of our latest Olivia flier (doc)

Belated Thanksgiving for Olivia - An Anniversary Sighting!

Good news, bad news. The bad news: it's been a year since Olivia ran away. Good news - actually, great news: we got a report of a new sighting indicating that Olivia is alive and well!

The sighting is quite credible: the location of the sighting was one of Livvie's favorite spots, Marion Park in SE DC. This is where the very first sighting took place and where the last track ended. The sight-er reported that she was playing with another dog but, when the other dog's human tried to approach, she ran away. Still, not only is she alive and ok, she was playing with another dog! This made my day/week/month and I counted it among my most joyful blessings at Thanksgiving. (This post is a belated report of the sighting because I was out of town for several weeks due to a sudden death in the family.)

We decided not to track from it because it is already central in the area we know she wanders. What we did instead was canvass all of the houses that border the park, handing out flyers and business cards and asking them to watch out for her in and around the park. The neighbors were very receptive, so we are hoping this will generate another sighting.

Livvie's Lying Low...

Hello, everyone. I'm sorry to report that no one has seen Olivia for a while or, more accurately, no one has seen Olivia and reported it to us for a while. Despite this frustrating lull, I am putting up a new post for two reasons.

1. Flyers, flyers, and more flyers. And then some business cards. The best way to generate reports of a sighting is to get and keep flyers up all over her area and to hand out business cards and talk to people around there. I printed up a couple hundred more and assembled them by putting them into plastic sheet covers, stapling them in, and backing them with little wooden skewers so they'll stay flat. Unfortunately, the magnitude of the task is so great that I am not even close to being able to keep up. Her area is so large and I am so car-less (to say nothing of the 50-60 hour work-week) that I have fallen way behind. Consider this a desperate plea for help! Please let me know if there is anything you can do to help, whether by putting flyers up yourself, driving me around to do it, or (best of all) by handing out business cards and talking to people.

2. Even though Olivia has made herself scarce lately, there is cause for hope on several other fronts. Olivia's (as-yet-unmet) friend and fellow lost dog Sassafras has shown herself several times lately, definitely this month and maybe as recently as last week. (More on that at her blog: findlostbeaglesassafras.blogspot.com) Also, just yesterday, I got word of a dog who was lost in a serious car accident. When I called to offer to help, however, her daddy gave me the excellent news that she had gone into a crate they put out for her near the accident site and now she is home safe and sound. One more thing: a not-so-near miss, but it's still better than nothing. Montgomery county shelter got a female brindle mastiff in, but it's not Olivia because it listed her as "unaltered" and it's not Bogey because the tail is not cropped. These don't actually help Olivia, but they do let me know that at least some good things are happening.

This is enough activity to keep me from total despondency and, more importantly, my desire and hope to get Olivia home is still plenty strong enough to keep me going. As ever, I appreciate all the help you have already given and any more you can offer!