Last week, a dozen Baypath Humane Society staff and volunteers spread out across Grafton, a nearby town to look for a lost dog that has been missing since Thanksgiving. While some folks set out on foot, another volunteer and I decided to buddy up and drive around the area where he was last spotted. Despite the sideways rain pouring outside, we pulled down our windows and intermittently yelled for Fritzy, the sweet four-year-old black Labrador Retriever, out each side of the vehicle. I had also brought along one of the things that brings my dogs running, the cats’ plastic container of Pounce. I shook that out the window and yelled “treat” as we criss-crossed town along back roads.
Someone had already plastered full-color fliers with a picture of Fritzy and all his details on what seemed to be almost every telephone and light pole. In addition, our shelter had put out the call via Facebook for locals to keep an eye out for Fritzy. In fact, as we drove around and talked to neighbors, they said they had heard of the lost dog and would contact the shelter if they spotted him. Yet still no sign of him.
A Medford couple recently landed in the Boston Globe with their high-tech search for their Sato, Marisol. A stunning fox-looking dog, Marisol got away from her dog walker when another dog lunged at their pack. Marisol’s owners have been looking for the dog for quite some time using GPS mapping tools, social media, surveillance cameras and more. They also are trying to coax her from hiding by leaving food for her. As of today, there has been no word of Marisol’s return.
Between reading of Marisol’s plight and searching for Fritzy, I could imagine the anguish their owners must be feeling. Lily, my Border Collie, shot out the door shortly after I adopted her and lapped around the neighborhood, barreling down busy streets, through backyards, beside train tracks and into a cul de sac a good distance away. Had I not been able to keep chase, I would have had no idea where to look for her. (Note: I know you’re not supposed to chase dogs when they get away from you, but she was well in front of me and did not stop when I called or follow me when I turned back). I luckily got her back that day. But like Marisol and Fritzy, it could have turned out differently.
It never escapes my mind that Lily was found as a stray on the side of the road in Indiana by a woman who then had to give her up to a local shelter. I often wonder if her former owners still hold out hope of finding her. I’m sure every time I’m in Grafton, I’ll be on the lookout for a handsome boy named Fritzy.
If you spot Fritzy, who is black with a little white on his chest and weighs about 60 pounds, please call Faith at 508-944-1743.
Posted by Tracey Challa on September 15, 2011 at 4:15 am
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