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12/03/02 (Tue) - No new sightings. We wanted to mention
that in the process of looking for Rumble, we've come across some
"found" Shepherds. We've posted them as a link to Rumble's
"Just in Case" page.
To go directly to the "found Shepherds" page, click here.
If you're aware of a "found" dog that you think might possibly be
Rumble but turns out not to be, we'll be glad to add his or her
picture and information too. If we can help reunite another lost
dog with its owner, that would be wonderful!
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12/04/02 (Wed) - No new sightings. We've got more good
news on several of Rumble's "Just in Case"
Shepherds! We've learned that
"Max" from San Diego has been adopted into "a wonderful new home
and things are going really well." We've also learned that
"Jerry Lee" (originally know
as "Marietta Shepherd") has been adopted by a rescue organization.
We believe that "Harley" may
also have been adopted or rescued, but we're still trying to find out
the details. We'll let you know what we learn. What you
may not know is that a good friend of Rumble's who has been very
active in the search for Rumble tried to adopt Max. Apparently
there were some miscommunications and she never was given the chance.
However as another wonderful friend of Rumble's commented, "What
matters most is that Max has found a forever home." Now let's
see if together we can find a forever home for
"Kobe." In case you haven't
had an opportunity to read his update yet, he comes from championship
lines and his father won "Best of Breed" at Westminster in 1997!
Kobe's living outside right now and would dearly love a new forever
home.
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12/05/02 (Thu) - No new sightings. We've heard from many
of you that you've "tied a green ribbon" for Rumble. (See
"Green Ribbons for Rumble.") Thank you! We've
even received a few photos of your furry family members sporting green
ribbons for Rumble, which we love! We just received a very
handsome green-ribbon photo of a German Shepherd in Virginia named
"Remington" (see "Green
Ribbon for Rumble Photos" page). Remington's human mom is a
veterinary student, and we sincerely thank her for the efforts she's
made in posting Rumble's flyer and sharing the link to his site with
other veterinary students and rescue organizations.
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12/06/02 (Fri) - No new sightings. Rumble was born on
September 5, 2000, so yesterday he turned 27 months old. The
photo in Rumble's Scrapbook
was taken almost exactly two years ago when he was discovering snow
for the first time. Rumble has always loved the snow!
Yesterday it snowed here in Virginia, and it brought back wonderful
memories of our boy. It gives us comfort to know Rumble likes
snow and can tolerate the cold better than many dogs. (He
actually loves the cold!) We're also not too worried about him
finding food right now since
we believe our lost boy's eating high off the hunters who field-dress
their game and the wild turkeys.
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12/07/02 (Sat) - No new sightings. Several friends of
Rumble have written to us asking if we think someone might have taken
Rumble in and is keeping him for themselves. The answer is that
we don't know. It is of course a possibility.
If that's the case, we hope they're taking good care of our boy and
will find it in their hearts to let us know that they have him.
According to our lost dog experts, it's not uncommon for people who
find a lost dog to think that the dog has been abused, because the dog
is normally hyper-wary of everything as a result of being on the run
and needing to be in a total self-preservation mode to be able to
survive. This hyper-wariness is mistakenly interpreted as abuse,
making the people who found the dog not want to return the dog to what
they believe could be an abusive situation.
Their concern is understandable but, in the case of long lost dogs, is
usually misplaced. If you believe you've seen Rumble anywhere,
please let us know.
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12/08/02 (Sun) - No new sightings. Today we have a special
inspirational treat to share. Wonderful friends of
Rumble from Reston, Virginia, Nancy and Tester, shared with us a list
Nancy has compiled of news articles with heartwarming stories of lost
dogs being reunited with their loving humans. ("Tester" is
Nancy's dog and is her inspiration!) The stories are so
encouraging! Some of the dogs were lost for many years (e.g.,
click here). Some stories showed the amazing abilities our
pets have, much like the special blind cat
"Shadow" described on
Rumble's "Your Inspirational Stories"
page (e.g.,
click here). Some stories included eerie coincidences that
almost give you goose-bumps (e.g.,
click here). Some stories show how incredibly strong and
resilient our pets can be against overwhelming odds (e.g.,
click here). Some stories show the role luck can play (e.g.,
click here). Many stories describe the determination of the
owners not to give up (e.g.,
click here). And all the stories are heartwarming! To
read the stories so generously shared with us by Nancy and Tester,
click here. (We will make this
a permanent link on Rumble's "Your
Inspirational Stories" page. If you see other links, please
share them with us and we'll add them too. Thanks!
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12/09/02 (Mon) - No new sightings. You may recall that we
ordered a special, extra-large humane trap several weeks ago (see
update of 11/16/02).
It seems that so many long-lost dogs are caught using humane traps.
In fact, we've heard from several lost dog experts that it's extremely
difficult to catch a long-lost dog any other way because they've
generally become so wary. The trap we ordered can be seen by
clicking here.
Our challenge for the longest time was finding a trap large enough for
our boy, but fortunately a friend of Rumble's wrote us with the
answer. Well, the trap has finally arrived! We're going to
Lynchburg to pick it up (and we'll be watching for Rumble during the
whole drive). We're excited to get it and are anxious to learn
how to set it up since we feel it offers one of our best hopes for
catching Rumble. Now all we need is a good sighting, so we'll
know where to place it!
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12/10/02 (Tue) - No new sightings. On Saturday, some of
Rumble's family members attended an introduction to sheepherding
sponsored by our local Shiloh Shepherd group. We were so touched at
the outpouring of support shown toward our boy! There was a
container full of green ribbons made by
Linda, a truly wonderful lady! There were enough so that each
participant could wear a Green Ribbon for
Rumble! Our hearts were touched by
Linda's gesture. Another truly wonderful lady, Cher, drove all
the way from Canada to attend the event and made an ornament for every
dog in attendance - - and one extra for Rumble. Needless to say
Rumble's ornament already has a very special place on our tree, and Linda
and Cher have very special places in our hearts. Thank you both,
and thanks to all our CASSA friends! (See photos in
Rumble's Scrapbook.)
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12/11/02 (Wed) - No new sightings. We couldn't make it to Lynchburg on Monday, so
we picked up the humane trap yesterday. We'll post photos once we have
some, so you can see what it looks like. We just hope one of us
doesn't get trapped in it when we're setting it up. We
understand that with these huge traps, it's easy for the human setting
it up to get trapped! In other news today, a friend of Rumble's
wrote us about a lovely short story about Rumble in the
Annapolis Hometown Gazette. It's actually a section of Peggy
Johnson's column, but it even includes Rumble's photo, for which we're
very grateful. Thank you Peggy! And extra thanks to the
very special friend of Rumble's who wrote and requested that Peggy
cover Rumble in her column. We've added the link to Peggy's
column on Rumble's Media page too.
We've also added some new, very deserving dogs to Rumble's
"Just in Case" page. Feel free
to drop by that page and have a look! We're thrilled that the
adoption and rescue rate for the "Just in Case" dogs has been so good.
The real credit goes to the angels who work in rescue, but we're glad
for whatever small part we can contribute.
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12/12/02 (Thu) - No new sightings. We have another Green
Ribbon for Rumble photo to share. Below and on the
"Green Ribbons for Rumble Photos"
page is a picture of "Shadow," one of Rumble's best friends.
Shadow, a Sheltie, is a member of our family too. Like our other
dogs, Shadow misses Rumble. We know Rumble will be home in time
- - we just wish it were now! The wonderful
"Inspirational Links" news stories
that Nancy and Tester sent us are great for keeping the spirits up!
(In fact, she's sent us a few more links which we've just added.)
We recommend one story a day - - two if you need extra inspiration!
One of Rumble's human aunts (the human mom of
Noah and London) declared that the
news story on Rumble being found should be the very next news story
written on a lost dog that's been found! We couldn't agree more.
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12/13/02 (Fri) - No new sightings. We want to let you know
that when we say "No new sightings," it means nothing reported that we
have a high degree of confidence is likely to be Rumble. Some
reports are clearly not our boy. A while ago a delightful lady
called to say she thought she had Rumble. She estimated the dog
weighed 125 lbs. We asked about his height since most people
overestimate that. She said she thought he was probably 30" at
the shoulder, but she wasn't sure. She measured. The dog
she had was actually 15" at the shoulder (and probably not 125 lbs!).
However, other reports leave us puzzled. For example, we've
received several reports from someone who knows dogs well. She
feels the dog she has seen looks just like Rumble. But she saw
him in a town north of Richmond - - approximately 100 miles to the
east of our last sighting. We can't rule it out, but yet it
seems unlikely. We're keeping tabs on that one... Other
sightings have just been glimpses so even the person reporting it
isn't sure. For example, we're tracking one like that in the Arvonia area right now. (Arvonia is approximately 30 miles east
of Yogaville.) If you travel in or around Arvonia, please keep
an especially close watch for any dog that looks like Rumble, even in
residential areas. By the way, in many places in Europe, Friday
the 13th is considered a lucky day - - maybe it will be our lucky day
to find Rumble!
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12/14/02 (Sat) - No new sightings. We received some
questions from friends of Rumble's on yesterday's posting about
possible but unlikely sightings. One wonderful friend wanted to
know specifically where the "north of Richmond" location was we
mentioned so she could perhaps post flyers. Thank you! It
was Mechanicsville. Not to get anyone's hopes up (especially not
ours!), but we ourselves have even had recent "questionable sightings"
on our own property. We'd like to preface this by saying we
really believe it's highly unlikely that the dog we saw was Rumble - -
but there's an outside possibility it could have been. It looked
like Rumble, but we saw it at quite a distance. And we've been
fooled before (remember "Black Dog"?). While Debbie Hall was
visiting (during our Oct-Nov camping-for-Rumble expedition), one day
she looked out our window and saw two very large dogs up the Tye
River. She said, "You better do a head-count, I think I just saw
two of your guys." However, all our guys (except of course
Rumble), were present and accounted for. Then last week, we got
a brief glimpse of two very large dogs, possibly the same two Debbie
had seen. One was following or chasing the other - - we couldn't
tell which - - in our meadow near the Tye River. They were gone
in an instant. Visibility wasn't the greatest and we know hope
is mixed in, but still, either dog could have been Rumble. The
fact that both these "possible sightings" involved two similar-looking
dogs increases the likelihood that it was not our boy. However,
there's always that outside chance...
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12/15/02 (Sun) - No new sightings. Yesterday we spent the
entire day trying to pursue one of the "questionable sightings"
mentioned during our report of 12/13/02.
We consider a "questionable sighting" to be one where we and/or the
person who reported the sighting have a fair amount of doubt as to
whether the dog that was seen was actually Rumble. Oftentimes
the person who reported the dog only got a glimpse, or the sighting
was at a great distance, or visibility was poor. Occasionally
it's because the sighting was somewhere we wouldn't expect Rumble
could be (unless transported by a human). We never ignore
questionable sightings - - in fact, we keep an extra focus on that
area - - however, we don't report them as "new sightings" here.
"New sightings" are only those sightings we're fairly positive are
indeed our boy. Yesterday we spent the entire day in the Arvonia/
Bremo Bluff/ Dilwyn/ Sprouses Corner/ Buckingham Courthouse area.
The map below and in Rumble's Scrapbook
shows Arvonia (red star) and the area of the last sighting in
Yogaville (red paw). No one that we talked to had seen Rumble,
but that area is certainly aware of him now! We went armed with
our usual load of flyers, handouts, etc. (Thanks to Rumble's
human aunt in Pennsylvania for making them!) Even though we
found nothing, we ask anyone in that area to please keep a particular
watch for Rumble (especially around houses near Rt 15). We would
appreciate the same of anyone in the Mechanicsville, VA area.
Thank you!
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12/16/02 (Mon) - No new sightings. Yesterday we set up the
humane trap that arrived the other day. It's the super-jumbo
largest size and opens on both ends for easy access. The
official description of the trap we ordered can be viewed by
clicking here.
We wanted to see how our other dogs reacted to it. Rumble's
family members were lining up like they were waiting their turn for a
ride at the county fair! The guys had a great time
going in one end and coming out the other. Three photos of
Rumble's sister Chili going through the trap yesterday evening are
below and in Rumble's Scrapbook.
Since Chili is smaller than Rumble, it's a good thing we got the
largest size! We used kibble for these photos, but the guys
seemed to like going through it even without the kibble.
Now we just need a good Rumble sighting so we can try it out!
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12/17/02 (Tue) - No new sightings. Another photo of our
boy is below and on Rumble's Photos
page. Today we're adding a new feature to Rumble's site - - a
search engine. The search engine will do a word or phrase search
on all the pages in Rumble's site. Friends of Rumble have said
they feel the site contains a lot of information that could be useful
to others. Because Rumble has been gone so long, the site has
grown much larger than we ever anticipated. We've learned a lot
in the last 5-1/2 months and would be happy if others could benefit
from what we've learned. To try out Rumble's search engine,
click here. (Now if only we
could train it to search for Rumble!)
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12/18/02 (Wed) - No new sightings. Today we need to ask the help
of anyone in the Ashland City, TN area (just north of Nashville).
Colleen, a friend of Rumble's for many months who has been displaying
Rumble's picture on her website, just lost one of her own beloved
dogs. "Kimba," a black and red German Shepherd girl, has been
missing since noon on Saturday, December 14th. She's wearing a
red collar with bone tags. Kimba's pictures are on
Rumble's new "Lost Friends" page.
If you are near Ashland City or Nashville, TN and could print and post
Kimba's flyer, her family would be eternally grateful! (Click
here for Kimba's flyer.) Kimba is a sweet, even-tempered
girl, but Colleen is sure she is very scared and may act skittish.
Colleen really misses her girl! If you think you've seen Kimba,
please call Colleen right away at
615-792-8766. Thank you!
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12/19/02 (Thu) - No new sightings. To update our report of
yesterday, we'd like to let you know that although Kimba has not yet
been found, Colleen has had 5 reports of sightings, 3 of which appear
likely to be Kimba. (Details are on Rumble's
"Lost Friends" page.) In
addition, our wonderful friend and a true lost dog expert, Debbie
Hall, called Colleen tonight. Thanks Debbie! If you know
anyone in the Ashland City or Nashville, TN area, please share Kimba's
link (www.globalspan.net/rumblelostfriends.htm).
Kimba's flyer is linked from that page (or just
click here). We are so
glad that we're able to help a friend of Rumble's! Colleen has
been publicizing Rumble's loss for months, and we so appreciate her
efforts.
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12/20/02 (Fri) - No new sightings (although there has been another
sighting of Rumble's lost friend Kimba
in TN). We've been busy getting the trap and all of its
"trappings" ready. We wanted our guys to hang around the trap
for a few days before we put it out to get their scent on it. We'll be
covering the trap with a waterproof tarp and covering the tarp with a
blanket on which our guys sleep and play. The blanket will do two
things: help hold down the tarp and fill the air with scent.
Inside the trap, we will be hanging various kinds of raw meat. We'll
include liver, Rumble's favorite, "just in case." We're hoping
to be able to catch the two huge "somethings" (see
12/14/02 update, above) roaming around that cause us to do a
Shiloh head count every time we catch a glimpse of the animals. Our
guys let us know when the "somethings" are around. The most we've ever
seen are two, very large dark animals with big, bushy tails and
tremendous strides running at a distance. We're told they are much too
big to be coyotes.
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12/21/02 (Sat) - No new sightings. The
best Christmas present we could imagine would be to have Rumble home.
We never imagined that anything else could come even close. But
last night at about 7:30PM a UPS truck drove up our driveway
delivering a package. The return address said Redd Elementary
School. When we opened the package we found holiday greeting
cards to Rumble from the students of Redd Elementary. Needless
to say, these cards with their messages of hope and caring warmed our
hearts more than words can describe. Over the next few days we
will be showing photos of these wonderful cards for all to enjoy.
We will maintain these very special cards permanently on Rumble's new
"Redd Holiday Wishes" page.
As we near the holidays we want to say a special "Thank You" to the
Redd students for the joy their cards have brought us.
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12/22/02 (Sun) - No new sightings. Although we've had no new
sightings of Rumble, we do have some great news. Kimba is safely
home! In our 12/18/02 update above, we asked help from folks in
the Ashland City, TN area in finding
Kimba who was lost on 12/14/02. On 12/21/02 at about 2:00pm,
Kimba was found and is now safely back with Colleen, her human mom. At
about 2:00pm yesterday, Colleen received a call from a wonderful man
who said he had just seen Kimba. Colleen went immediately to the
area where the man was waiting. He pointed across the road and
there was Kimba! After getting down on ground-level (as Debbie
Hall advises) and using some artful and patient coaxing aided by
hotdogs, Colleen managed to get her hands on Kimba. Kimba was
taken straight to the vet who said that while she had sores on her
foot pads, she was in good shape and had experienced only minimal
weight loss. The vet treated Kimba's sore feet, gave her some
antibiotics and sent her home to recuperate. The wonderful man who
called Colleen to say that he had found Kimba wanted to remain
anonymous. We're going to call him Santa Claus! Since Santa
Claus refused the reward, Colleen will be donating it to the Cheatham
County Animal Awareness Foundation.
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12/23/02 (Mon) - No new sightings. Yesterday afternoon we set up
our humane trap (see update of 12/16/02).
In the late morning, we caught a glimpse of the two large "somethings"
moving through the forest. We were alerted to their presence by
the howling of our guys. We have left both ends of the trap open
and set it up so that the door does not "trigger." We want
whatever is out there to get comfortable with going into the trap for
food. Photos of the trap are in
Rumble's Scrapbook. We placed it in our meadow at the base
of a ridge that runs behind our house.
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12/24/02 (Tue, Christmas Eve) - No new sightings. In addition to the
wonderful Christmas gift of well wishes and thoughts from the students
of Redd Elementary (see our 12/21/02 update,
above), we have received so many other kind and caring well wishes for
Rumble. We'll describe two today. One was our first-ever greeting from
horses!
Deb, a veterinary student, sent us this message: "I am sending you
our Christmas greeting - the picture we put in all our cards this
year. My hope is to put a smile on your face and a chuckle in
your heart." The photo of Deb's horses Sam and Tripper (and
husband, Dave) can be seen in Rumble's Scrapbook. The photo did,
indeed, accomplish its purpose. Thank you, Deb! The second
greeting is from the other side of the world. It is from
Australia
where it was Christmas Eve yesterday, the day we received the message.
The message reads as follows: "Over here in Australia it is our
Xmas Eve and my whole family holds Rumble in their hearts at this time
of hope and joy. I just want to tell you and yours that people
all around the world will be wishing for Rumble's safe return and with
that much hope all coming your way you never know what it may bring."
This beautiful message from Australia prompted us to publish here our
own hopes and wishes. We wish that:
-
Every child have a loving home
-
All lost pets find a warm hearth and caring heart
-
Every person have his or her heart touched by an animal's love and
devotion
-
Every dog have a cat to chase, and every cat have a dog to tease
-
Every person experiencing loss or sadness find comfort
-
Every person who has sent messages of hope and encouragement know
how much we cherish their thoughts and how much they touch our
hearts
-
Rumble be safe
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12/25/02 (Wed, Christmas Day) - No new sightings. Yesterday we
received an email requesting rescue help for a fellow at the Memphis
(TN) Animal Shelter. His photo is on Rumble's
"Just in Case" page. He looks so
much like Rumble's uncle, Casca (Bita's brother). He is described as a
German Shepherd or mix. He is about one year old and very sweet.
We don't know his name so we're calling him Mistletoe. His
situation is extremely urgent and he really must be rescued by the end
of the day tomorrow (12/26/02). It would be wonderful if someone
who is reading this update could give this fellow a hand, or if you
know someone who is in a position to help him, please contact the
Memphis Animal Shelter as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence
if he is to be saved. The Memphis Animal Shelter is closed today but
will reopen tomorrow morning. The Shelter's telephone number is
901-362-5310. It is located at 3456 Tchulahoma Rd., Memphis, TN.
To go to Mistletoe's page on the shelter website
click
here or type in the following web address:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/27590352/58082094OigwDo. He is
in holding cage 521-90092. If
you decide to visit the shelter's link, have a box of tissues handy
because there are many, many more wonderful companions (each with a
photo and due out date) just looking for a forever home.
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12/26/02 (Thu) - No new sightings. Because today is the due out
day for the sweet fellow we're calling Mistletoe in the 12/25/02
update above, we're keeping his photo and urgent need for rescue on
today's update. Mistletoe's photo and information on how
to save him can be viewed on Rumble's
"Just in Case" page.
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12/27/02 (Fri) - No new sightings. ADOPTED!!
We just spoke with the Memphis Animal Shelter. They have confirmed
that Mistletoe (our name), featured in the 12/25/02 and 12/26/02
updates above, was adopted yesterday. Needless to say, we are
overjoyed! We don't have any details, but what's important is
that there was an angel for Mistletoe. Who ever you are, you've
earned your wings. Thank you!
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12/28/02 (Sat) - No new sightings. As noted yesterday, Mistletoe
was rescued from the Memphis Animal Shelter on 12/26, his "due out
date." Since we don't know the angel who rescued Mistletoe, we
will recognize another angel, Karen, who rescued "Kelsey," a beautiful
Border Collie. Karen sent us a photo of Kelsey sporting her
green bandana for Rumble. Kelsey's photo can be seen on our
"Green Ribbon Photos for Rumble"
page.
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12/29/02 (Sun) - No new sightings. While our attention was
focused on "Mistletoe" (see update of 12/27/02),
we received a photo of Kimba, the German Shepherd girl who ran away on
12/14/02 from her home in Tennessee and was found a week later.
Except for some sore foot pads, she was in remarkably good shape.
Colleen, Kimba's very relieved human mom, sent us the photo below of
Kimba, wearing a green and white ribbon. The white is for being safely
back home and the green is for Rumble. We know having Kimba
safely home was the best gift Colleen ever received!
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12/30/02
(Mon) - No new sightings. There is a serious situation in
Shelby, Montana (Toole County) that deserves the attention of anyone
who cares for animals. It's been reported in the press that on 10/31/02, U.S. Customs agents stopped
a 40-foot semi-trailer at the Canada-Montana border and discovered
that it was crammed with 171 dogs and 11 cats barely existing in waste
up to 4 inches deep. Most of the dogs are Collies with a few
Shelties and one Terrier. The wonderful people of Shelby and
many generous volunteers from rescue groups rallied
to the rescue of the animals and, since that Halloween night, have
been doing everything humanly possible to assist these animals.
The story of how the people of Shelby and rescue groups from across
the continent are helping to care for these animals is one of total love. Their efforts have included
setting up
"Camp Collie" to house all of the animals in sanitary and
safe surroundings. Proper care, nutrition, and medical treatment
for the animals is expensive and has been projected to run to $40,000
or more. To see heartwarming pictures of the loving care being
given, click here. To learn more about Camp Collie's current needs
and how to become a part of this heroic effort, contact the
American Working Collie Association (AWCA).
Donations may be sent to the Toole County Community Collie Rescue
Fund, c/o First State Bank, 260 Main Street, Shelby, MT 59474.
Additional information about the overall situation may be found online
by visiting the
Shelby,
Montana website.
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12/31/02 (Tue) - No new sightings. We've just heard from a
friend of Rumble's in the Chesterfield, Virginia area. Even
though we don't think Rumble's been in that area for months, she's
been keeping an eye out for him, as have so many of you. We
believe we can't assume anything about Rumble's whereabouts, so we're
grateful to all who watch for our boy, regardless of where you are.
Even though Joann hasn't found Rumble, goodness has come of her
efforts. Saturday she found two black dogs lying on a grassy
median and returned them to their overjoyed owner! Sunday, Joann
wasn't as lucky. She sent the following report which we hope
will find its way to the lost dog's owner:
"We were going to Aunt Sarah's on Hull Street Rd. for breakfast
when we spotted a German Shepherd looking for food in the dumpster.
He was very scared and started to run off - I tried to offer him a
treat - he was wearing a maroon collar with flowers and about 6-8"
of a broken leash. A lady at Aunt Sarah's said she had seen a
sign and thought his name was Bart. I called him Bart and he stopped
2 times and looked back but then kept running. I went through the
woods while my husband drove the car in the South Shore Subdivision
(numerous cars stopped and told us his direction) but we were unable
to keep up with him. I was hoping you could put a description of him
and maybe his owners will call. Probably about 6-8 years old? so
hard to tell, more brown than black, 40-50 lbs."
If you are the dog's owner, or if you have an update on this dog,
please
click here to contact Joann or call her at
804-739-8401.
Thank you!
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LATEST SIGHTING: October 16th
(report of 10/19/02)
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