Dog people know how to party!

Hello everyone!

The party was wonderful and we had a terrific turnout.  Thank you all for coming and bringing so many fun and delicious treats for Spot and Rainer - it was like Christmas came to our house twice this year!

For all those that could not make it, you were missed but no worries because I do believe this shindig is going to become an annual event in the Rosato household.

I really want to give everyone more details on the party but when I try to reach back to recall the specifics of Saturday night it's a blur.  In retrospect I realize I underestimated the effects of my sleep deficit and was on overload with happiness.  All I remember was having a blast and the feeling of  joy while celebrating Spot's homecoming with new friends and old. 

Oh yes, there is one detail that stood out; Spot's feet did not touch the ground for a good hour and a half as he was held, cuddled, petted and lovingly passed around to his many rescuers and friends.

It's particularly funny when I think back to the defensive, frightened little dog that barked and ran miles from everyone that attempted to help him.  The Spot you all saved melted like butter into the arms of all of the huge-hearted heros and heroines at Saturday's party.

One final administrative note; I have been taking down "Lost Dog Spot" flyers like crazy but if anyone sees one would you please rip it down, if you are able to do so?  Thank you!

If I don't see you before, see you January 21, 2011 for the annual "Welcome Home Spot" gathering and be ready to party like a big dog! :)

Marianne

Photos from the Party

The celebratory party rocked! I'm dying to tell about all the amazing people that were there, but I'm guessing that Marianne wants to do it. So I'll just share some photos taken by Nadene:

Marianne & Spot

Spot & Marianne

One Happy Family

Spot Loves His Monkey

Spot & Rainer, Buds Forever

Spot & Rainer, Exhausted

Sam, whose tracking dog Salsa found Spot's final location

Nicole and her husband Jeff, who at risk to their own lives, saved Spot's life by stopping him from going on to the 395 ramp

Shelly, one of two sighters that saw Spot in Del Ray

Kelly, a stranger until she spent all of Recovery Day helping out

Addison (Diana's oldest daughter) and Spot, sharing a moment.

Christine with new friend Rainer.  Spot is only the latest in a long line of lost dogs who Christine has helped recover.  You rock, Christine!

Reunited and it feels so good!

If I live to be one thousand years old it would not be enough time to properly thank everyone and to show the depth of my appreciation and the extent of my gratitude.  To all the kind-hearted, compassionate and caring people out there who helped bring Spot home, thank you from the bottom of my heart, without all of you there would've been a very different end to this story. 

My "million-dollar dog" is ecstatically happy to be home and just as happy to be back in the paws of his big brother Rainer.  I'm not sure who got more kisses from Spot, me or Rainer.

Was at the vet this morning and am pleased to report that Spot was given a clean bill of health.  I had to go to work but left Spot at home with a full belly and cuddled up under the covers with Rainer.

So many people called and helped and exhibited random acts of kindness to me and Spot.  I have many, many thank you's to extend but on this initial posting I have to thank Nancy, Nadene and Donna as the architects and foundation of this rescue. Their effort and dedication was so strong you would've thought Spot was their dog. 

Jennifer was unflagging on the crucial rescue day (yesterday, Thurs) and Christine was out fliering her butt off when I needed that help the most. 

My long-time and very dear friend Tracey was amazing and came from an hour away to put her time and energy into the search all day and into the evening on Monday, 1/15. 

My new friend Diana and her three truly incredible little girls; Addison, Maeve & Reece - they were key to what transpired on rescue day.  Diana's kids are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside and believe me, that is saying something!  Let me tell you, Addison, Maeve and Reece won the Mom Lotto having Diana as their mom.  It's easy to see where these kids got their huge hearts and loving spirit. 

Speaking of new friends, Ron and Kelly are both angels that flew into my life on rescue day.  Driving me and Rainer around as we were desperately seeking Spot, Ron walking for hours in the cold with his stunningly beautiful (and well-dressed) Italian greyhound, Kelly bringing me a most delicious sandwich, water, bowls, dog-food and even napkins and the offer of using her place for bathroom breaks, a cup of hot coffee and somewhere to get warm. 

My neighbor Sue, running errands, helping in every way she could. 

And of course, Rob, another old friend, who worked so hard and smart to get our furry boy back home. 

Last but by no mean least, Trackers Laura Totis and Chewie (http://www.ljttraining.com/); so diligent, so hard working, so very good (they came out to track Spot twice) and the incredibly impressive Sam and Salsa (http://www.puregoldpettrackers.com/) who made January 21st rescue day instead of Thursday.

I have much more to write and tell everyone but they keeping asking me to do work at my work - weird. Gotta keep the kibble coming in.  I'll leave you for the moment with a reiteration of the invite to come to my "Welcome Home Spot" party on Saturday night.  I'm throwing this soiree together very last minute and it will be uber casual but we need to celebrate!  Come one, come all and meet the fruit of your labor, Spot.  Please do come, even if you were just following the blog, I want to meet and thank everyone!!!

See you all tomorrow night!

Marianne

Follow-Up - The Final Track Map

Just heard from Sam and Salsa, who sent the map of the track, and a "doctored" version of an older picture of Spot and his buddy, Rainer.  (Thanks to Marianne's sister for the great photos of Spot with Rainer, and Marianne promises to always have more photos of Spot on hand in the future!)

Well, I'm so happy that last night's track was so fruitful and had such a happy ending. Attached is a PDF of the track.

I also found this picture on the blog page that seemed so appropriate for the reunion that took place last night. Rainer did his part in the find by confirming Salsa's indication that Spot was in the community garden. I was really impressed how calm Spot was once he was caught. His mom handed him to me to hold him for a few minutes and I was covered with very sweet kisses all over my face.

Congratulations to the entire team who came together to track, poster, take calls (and charge Marianne's dead phone), and driving around the area looking for the ellusive Spot. (sometimes with all of their kids helping too : ) Fantastic teamwork!

Thank you all,

Sam and Salsa

 

Click here for a larger version

Spot is in Marianne's Arms!!!!

6:15pm:  No details yet, and trust me I'm dying to get them too!! Will post the story asap!!!!

9pm:  OK I'm settling in to write it up . . . .  give me a few minutes . . .

So you've seen the updates I've been able to post throughout the day, whenever Nadene could speak to Marianne or anyone on site, and then email me. Apparently all day long, they were only a short time behind him, wandering around the area there. They would walk up to someone and hand them a biz card, and the person would say, "I just saw that dog" -- and this happened over and over again. Some people basically joined the search and spent the rest of today, unexpectedly and for total strangers, searching and putting up posters and handing out cards.

Then there was a lull in the day that was difficult for Marianne and the volunteers because the minutes stretched on and on with no one else saying they'd just seen Spot. So we broke down and called Sam, with Pure Gold Pet Trackers. We knew she was working another job, and hated to think about the lost cat that she was trying to trap . . .  but we were desperate. The weather was going to get bad, and we were concerned about him getting away from the area altogether. So I just called Sam, took a deep breath, and begged her to come. And she immediately said yes! (I hope the cat's owner isn't reading this blog!!!!)

She & Salsa had to come from a distance away, like SE DC I think, so by the time they arrived, our estimate is that we were about four hours behind as they were starting the track. Since I wasn't there and I don't have the lay of the land, I'm not going to try to give the details of just where they went. But I understand they basically did about a five mile track up almost to Crystal City and back (to S Glebe), and remember that Spot is a 15 lb dog with little legs, and he was stopping along the way to sniff and pee and poop and maybe pick up a snack if he found one. Salsa on the other hand is a golden retriever hot on his trail, and she was moving. With such a hot scent, she was on a mission.

There came a point at which Salsa started acting "funny" enough that Marianne had to stop and ask why she was acting that way. Sam calmly explained that it was because she had never -- never -- been on such a hot track! Her actions basically indicated that Spot was pretty much right there somewhere, and Salsa thought he might jump right out at her! Sam actually had to take Salsa to the car, and remove her from the scene so she didn't do something that caused Spot to flee.

It sounds like it all went down while Sam was taking Salsa to the car, and when she came back, Spot was in Marianne's arms, if I got that right! It was something about that he was seemingly -- and he was! -- right on the other side of a fence, not that she could see him. But on Sam's instructions she started saying something like "OK Spot, time to go home now." I guess after a minute of that, Spot honed in on the source of that sound, and he started making some kind of squeaking noise that showed her his precise location (I think there was some vegetation that he was hiding in, maybe). And I think the fence was a low fence that she was able to reach over and pick him up since he was, by now, propped up against it with his front legs.

It sounds wonderful, and I'm anxious to get all the details of the story from Marianne! But I know he is home now, safe and sound, and he's got some decent food and water by now. And there are plans for a visit to the vet in the morning. Of course you'll get the vet's report here, and pictures!

And a celebration has already been scheduled for this coming Saturday, at 7pm -- all you have to do is wear polka dots!  Send an email RSVP and we'll send you the address and directions by email!

Nancy Despeaux

Live Sighting Being Investigated Now!

No details yet but Spot (or hopefully Spot) was seen minutes ago off Ridge Road Drive Arlington Ridge Road, in the area of Douglas & Army Navy Drive. Marianne is already out there investigating it now. I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear about it! Check back later to get what we know about it.

More information to come also about last night's track, but suffice it to say it wasn't one for the books. It didn't produce anything to work with. It did rule out completely the Lloyd's Lane sighting, and that was already removed from the map. We also are not currently looking at the Craigslist posting from yesterday, about the Boston Terrier seen running in the Mt Vernon area, as being Spot. And we've determined that the sighting that has been reported as occurring on Sunday actually occurred on Saturday. So, the map and recap will be updated to correct the day of that sighting and to add the sighting that occurred in Del Ray, also on Saturday. That should be up by early afternoon so check back here, and the map, for the latest on that, and the results of this morning's sighting.

And keep spreading the word!

10am Update:  ANOTHER sighting around the Giant and Pizza Hut  Dominos -- I haven't even looked any of these up on the map but a volunteer is there now checking it out!

11am message from Marianne:  "Nancy, we are at S Glebe and Arlington Ridge Road. Spot was seen 10 mins ago in the shopping center w/ Golds Gym, Spot was seen behind the Giant."  Follow-up:  This was sent when she went home to get more fliers & biz cards. Volunteers Donna and Jennifer are at the site now.

11:35am from a volunteer that was just on the phone with Marianne:  "She just saw him... Hung up the phone and went to find him!" I need to be Tweeting this!!!!!

12:00 noon from Nadene, the volunteer in phone contact with Marianne: "We missed him again. He is minutes away. Right now Marianne is going to sit in one location for a few minutes to see if he is looking for her! It is near the area he was seen twice. They have put a feeding station nearby with chicken. "

12:15pm from Nadene: "Donna and Jennifer will continue to hand out fliers and cards. The cards and fliers are working the calls are coming in and we have our fingers crossed that he will be home soon!"

Just before 1pm:  I just received an email with information that indicates that the sighting of the dog that may have been Spot in Del Ray on Saturday was another dog. Meanwhile, Nadene is about to check in with Marianne.

2pm: I have a 90 minute meeting and won't be able to update the blog! Grrrr... but I just called Sam with Pure Gold Pet Trackers and yanked her off another job. She said she will come, with Salsa, and track for Spot.

3pm:  Gotta find out if Sam got to the site, but got this from Nadene: "He was seen on 28th & 26th Street in the creek area. He started heading towards Army Navy Drive"

4:45pm from Nadene:  "Sam from Puregold Pet Tracker's is there to help Marianne. They are right this minute doing a track! Sam's dog Salsa has found Spot's scent and hopefully they will know where he has been hiding all day! Marianne's phone is still dead but someone is trying to get her one of those emergency charges. Sam did tell me that she has talked with the Arlington Police officer that was in the area about Spot and he passed it along to the officers in the area! I will update soon when Marianne's phone is working again. "

5:45 from Nadene:  "Just talked with a volunteer that is charging Marianne's phone. They have a hot trail and just crossed the parking lot at Caring Hands Vets! "

A Flurry of Furry Activity

So much to tell, but it needs to be sorted through and that will take until tonight. So check back late for details, but here's a brief sketch of what's been happening:

1)  we are all but certain that the Monday sighting, called in on Tuesday, was a neighbor's dog rather than Spot. This refers to the sighting on Lloyd's Lane, off Braddock Rd
2)  a new track will be run this evening, and the track run on Monday has been removed from the map; it may be restored if we get sufficient clarification of our questions about it
3) a possible hot sighting was found today in the way of a Craigslist posting that we are still investigating
4) another sighting from Saturday was emailed in today that seems to put Spot in the Del Ray area that afternoon; that is still being investigated
5) more pictures of Spot have been added, and they are currently being stored here; scroll down to see them

The fliering that has been done still needs to be mapped, and that will be done later this evening

Fliering Recap (thru 1/19)

Tuesday fliering
- Braddock Rd from Quaker Ln to Russell Rd
- Russell Rd from Braddock Rd to Monroe St
- Scroggins Rd from Braddock Rd to King St

Fliering accomplished on or by Monday
- Army Navy Dr & S Glebe Rd (where it deadends)
- S Glebe Rd & Four Mile Run Dr
- W Glebe Rd & Valley Dr
- W Braddock & Kenwood
- King St & Quaker Ln (at TC Williams HS)
- Angel Park, S View Ter & Moncure Dr
- Army Navy Dr down to Adams Street
- Ridge Road Dr from the 395 ramp to 24th St (near Gunston Park)
- Valley Dr from Martha Custis to Braddock Rd
- E & W Timberbranch Pkwy from Braddock Rd to the back end at Ivy Hill Cemetery

If you can help flier, it will be so appreciated! You can download the flier and also business cards from the menu at right. If at all possible, please use page protectors with the open side down to weatherproof them. If you leave a comment describing where you fliered, we will add it to the map and the fliering recap.

Recap of Sightings (thru 1/18)

A brief summary of sightings to date of dogs seen in the area which match Spot's general description:

Monday 1/18, 3pm - in the backyard of a woman who just got a puppy; the dog matching Spot's descripiton was smelling where they are trying to train their new puppy to relieve himsellf. This was on Lloyds Lane in Alexandria, not far from where Braddock & Russell Roads meet - this is about 2 miles from my house on Hilton Street. *** We now believe this to have been another dog, not Spot.
Sunday 1/17, 2:30pm - 22nd St & Army Navy Drive in Arlington (at the Ridge Road entrance?) The sighters shooed him away from going on the highway, and he ran away into this residential neighborhood. This is where Laura Totis and her tracker dog, Chewie started the track on Monday. Chewie picked up a scent that indicated he was heading back toward Alexandria via Glebe Rd and Rte.1, which is very close to the Park Fairfax neighborhood he was lost from.  *** Oooops, this sighting occurred on Saturday.
Saturday 1/16, 2:15pm - trying to get onto the 395 on-ramp in Crystal City. A couple stopped and diverted him from the on-ramp and he ran toward Arlington Ridge Road.
Friday 1/15,11:30pm - Valley Dr & Braddock Rd in Alexandria; he was cornered at Timber Branch Parkway by a couple who followed him as far as Ivy Hill Cemetary where he disappeared
Friday 1/15, 9:30pm - Mount Eagle and Valley Drive ( the people shooed him away because their dog is not friendly towards other dogs)

Status as of Monday Night, 1/19

Too exhausted to write up everything we did yet, after three straight days of searching -- Saturday, Sunday and Monday -- but there have been several sightings, and we ran a track with Laura Totis, and started fliering, posting to internet sites, and have filed reports with the shelters in both Arlington County and the City of Alexandria. So much more to do. Come back later to see what we did and how you can help -- please! And thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that has already begun circulating the word!

Do's & Don'ts for Sighters & Searchers

Spot is trying to find his way home, but like many lost dogs, he doesn't get that people can help him if he'll stop and ask for help. So he's retreating from people. For those seeing him, it's important to behave in ways that won't scare him off. Here are some Do's and Don'ts to keep in mind in case you are the next person to encounter Spot:

Do not
- Make eye contact
- Call his name or speak directly to him
- Make any quick movements, especially in his direction
- Don't pat the ground for him to come, or make smooching sounds

Do
+ Take a picture of him to help us verify that it’s Spot that you see
+ Crouch or sit low to the ground, or even lay down
+ Turn around and put your back to him and toss treats over your shoulder to him
+ Call Marianne immediately

Thank you in advance for your help in searching for Spot and spreading the word about him and his predicament! Please leave a comment if you have other tips for sighters and searchers.

Spot update

Hello, I hope someone out there can help my dog Spot and me.  Spot was lost on January 15th, 2010 - Friday night from the Park Fairfax neighborhood in Alexandria.  He was next seen at 11:30 PM on Friday night at Valley Dr and Braddock and ended up running into Ivy Hill cemetery on 2823 King Street.  I got a call this afternoon from another good samaritan who saw Spot in Crystal City trying to get onto the 395 on ramp.  She managed to divert Spot away from the on-ramp but he ran away from her.

Please, my heart is breaking for Spot.  He is very attached to me and scared of most people; if you try to catch him he will run away from you.  I don't know what to do or where to turn to try and find my sweet boy.  He is only 15 lbs and the last time he ate was Friday night.  It's been cold and rainy and he has been running for days now.

When I heard he was in Crystal City my heart sank, he is so far away from home.  I live in Old Town Alexandria, right behind the Masonic Temple between Duke and King Street.

Please, help us, please pass along this blog to anyone you know.  I am offering a reward and am desperate to bring this poor dog home.  He is a rescue I adopted and had a hard life until he came to be part of my family.  Spot must be out of his mind with terror, confusion and exhaustion. 

Spot is 18 months old and has black and white fur with a smooth, medium length coat.  He has black floppy ears, no tail, a long nose and looks like a miniature Austrailian Cattle Dog (his mix is Boston Terrier & Blue Heeler((Australian Cattle Dog)).

I can be reached at 703-725-8645, please call or text anytime day or night.  My email is marianne22314@gmail.com. 

Thank you for any help you can give help.

Marianne

Spot Pictures

These pictures all show Spot with Rainer, his boxer buddy that he and Marianne live with.