The Search for Griffy

For a week after he went missing, Griffy's owner, Gail, put her life on hold to search for him and to spread the word that he is missing, and that anyone seeing a small, scruffy looking reddish brown dog running around in Annandale should please call her. She checked with all of the shelters, hung fliers in the area and at pet-related places in other areas (such as PetSmart), and notified all the vets in the area.

Today, Saturday, January 30th, Laura Totis with LJT Pet Tracking came out with her dog Chewie, who is trained to trail the scent of missing pets. Gail provided a scent article, and she, Laura and Chewie set out to see where the scent took them. Click here to see the map of the track, which wound around out from the accident site. It seems that he went straight into Ossian Hall Park, and came out the other side, then went up and down and around the streets there. He passed through a small shopping area, and not long after that, the track ended when it was snowing like crazy. The track shows Griffy making his way somewhat close to home . . .  but not quite.

Griffy's collar, and tags with current contact information, were secure when he disappeared, so we believe that it is more likely that he still has his identification than now. We know that it is easily possible that he is still out on his own, trying to figure out his way. But we are also aware that, since it wass getting close to his next grooming appointment when he disappeared, he is scruffy looking enough that some people may look at him and think he's been neglected. Also, because he is confused about his surroundings (he's never been lost and without Gail before), he may well act fearful if people have approached him, and this may contribute to it looking like he was probably dumped rather than lost. So we are considering the possibility that he has been taken in by someone who has not yet decided to return him to his owner.

Because there were no sightings for a week, the plan now is to concentrate on pushing the word out as much as possible, in every way that we can think of, that Griffy is missing. This is needed whether he is at large and wandering around, being seen by people that don't yet know who to call, or if he is already being taken care of in someone's home.

In some areas where Gail has already fliered, she has seen that her fliers are coming down. This presents a challenge, but that are many other ways to spread the word. Can you help? The flier and biz cards are available for download from the blog; Can you email the flier or at least this blog address around to everyone you know in the general area? Are you able to come out to the area to give out biz cards in high traffic areas nearby? If you are on Facebook or Twitter, can you help spread the word that way? Can you search on internet sites to see if Griffy is being put up for adoption some where? If you can check any of the shelters in person, that would be huge! (The story here illustrates how important it is to check shelters, and not just the one closest to you.)

If you can help in the search in any way, please email me by clicking on my name, below. Or if you have tips, suggestions, or questions, please email me (or you can always just leave a comment). You can certainly email me sightings, but Griffy's owner, Gail at 571-278-9426, is the best person to contact for sightings.

Nancy Despeaux

Griffy is Lost!

For anyone that might be seeing Griffy if he is still out on his own, 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 encounter Griffy:

DO
+ Take a picture of him to help us verify that it’s Griffy 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 or text Gail immediately at 571-278-9426

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

Remember that if you see Griffy, he is less likely to come to you than to Gail. So please give Gail a chance to see if he will come to her by calling or texting her immediately rather than attempting to get him to come to you.

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