Missing Dog

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone,

This is outside of Davis Square, but in case anyone walks their dogs in the Fells or goes biking/hiking there, I thought I'd reach out. My dog, Marisol, was in the woods this afternoon with her dog walker and puppy play group near Hutchins Rd. in Medford (behind Lawrence Memorial). The group of dogs was attacked by another dog, who happened to go for Marisol. One of the dogs in her group got between her and the attacker, and she ran.

By the time the owner of the aggressive dog got his dog under control and our dog walker had her group together, Marisol hadn't returned. Our dog walker called and searched for her for 15-20 minutes, and then called me at about 2:20 pm. My husband and I joined her, and we searched the woods and neighboring streets until it was dark. We've spoken with neighbors, called animal control in Medford and Winchester, and contacted local shelters.

We're certain she's hungry and frightened, and she may be injured. We know she was bitten, but we don't know how badly. She's a spayed, 20-25 lb, copper colored mutt (a Puerto Rican street dog we rescued when she was 7 months old). She's 3 years old now, and she's friendly and will respond to, "Marisol, come."

My husband and I are frantic about her and would appreciate it if anyone who sees her could give us a call at 617.383.9228. Here's a photo:



Thank you.

Anindita

11/3 update: Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. We really appreciate your support. Marisol still hasn't been found, and there haven't been any sightings yet today. We've postered around the Fells, most heavily south of South Border Road where she went missing and was seen wandering last night. The few people who saw her said she appeared uninjured but was skittish and ran away from them. We think she's scared and has reverted to street dog mode -- super submissive and hiding until she's so hungry she has to scavenge. I've made a Google map of where she got lost + sightings, and here's a PDF of the flyer we've been posting. Any help spreading the word would be greatly appreciated. We're so worried about her and devastated by what happened.

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Oh, my heart goes out to you. I so hope you get her back very soon.

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

What a sweet-looking girl! I hope she comes home soon.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

I hope you find her soon!

[belladonna.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen her, but the story made me a little teary. I hope you find her soon. :( Please keep us updated.

[ron_newman]

You should post this to the medfordmass Yahoo group if you haven't already done so.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I didn't know about this group and requested to be added so that I can post to the list.

[swingchickie.livejournal.com]

i'm so sorry! your little one is so beautiful, i hope you find her soon.

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

Hang in there! She's gorgeous. I hope she gets home soon.

[kimmercake.livejournal.com]

Oh what a lovely little expressive face! I feel for you. *HUG*

[kellyrfineman.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Sending prayers and wishes your way!

[kelcrocker.livejournal.com]

She is beautiful! I really hope you find her soon, and that she's okay! Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!

[veronique4.livejournal.com]

Do you have the name of the person who owns the aggressive dog? Having a description of the dog and owner would help to prevent this happening again.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

The contact information (name and phone number) that the man gave our dog walker turned out to be false. The neighbors are keeping an eye out for his blue pick up truck so they can get his license plate number -- they've seen him and his dog around and said it's a pit bull that usually doesn't have either a collar or a leash. The dog has been aggressive toward other dogs before, and usually the owner punches the dog in its head to get it under control.

Unfortunately, that's all the information we have, but I'll post if we hear anything else. The owner of the dog who jumped in to protect our dog is trying to track him down (her dog was badly bitten and was in the hospital overnight).

[veronique4.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that information. It sounds like a horrible incident--I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this. I have a neighbor who goes to the Fells everyday and I'll give her your poster. Good luck. Would a print ad in a local newspaper be helpful?

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts. We've been postering, but if anyone goes to the area or wouldn't mind sharing the poster with any dog groups or hiking groups, we'd really appreciate it. Our flyer can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/99A4LO

We haven't heard of any sightings today so we're really worried.

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

Try posting on boston craigslist's pet board too:
http://boston.craigslist.org/pet/

[arialas.livejournal.com]

We posted there this morning. Thanks so much for the suggestion!

[wheeiminvisible.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hope you find your dog soon! Another place you could post is kittyconnection.net. They have a Lost Animals section, and they're also based in Medford so workers there can keep a lookout.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the suggestion. I just emailed our flyer to them.

[somervilledog.livejournal.com]

I just got this from FellsDOG (the Fells Dog Owner Group on Google Groups), and have posted it to my facebook page. You might want to post to the somdog-discussion group on google groups. Good luck! I hope you bring Marisol home soon.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thanks for letting me know how you heard and for the pointer. I'll contact them, too.

[somervilledog.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking of you and Marisol a lot this week. I hope you are together again soon. I sent the flyer to Tom Walsh, District Manager for the Middlesex Fells. I've also shared it on the Somerville Dog Owners Group page on FaceBook and with the Middlesex Fells Sheepfold Group on Facebook, and I've blogged it on the somervilledog weblog. Good luck!

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thank you! My husband just forwarded the email you sent about who to contact -- we've gotten everyone in surrounding towns but had never heard of SABER alerts. I've been talking to animal control offices in 8 different towns plus about 20 shelters and vets. It's nice to know there is some system for coordination between them...

lost dog

[crome29.livejournal.com]

Hopefully your dog is fine. I'll keep an eye out for a blue pick up with a guy sporting a pitbull around the Fresh Pond area since I frequent it. Wish I was around tomorrow so I could search the Fells for your dog. Hope it turns out well!

So Sorry!

[luckypupp.livejournal.com]

Hello we just heard of this through an email that was sent by Arlington Dog Owners Group (A-Dog). This story brought me to tears. I'm so sorry for everyone involved. We will continue to keep our eyes open and be alert for Marisol. You and her are in our prayers!

Have you gone to the police? You should definitely notify the authorities of this. It is a serious crime and they should be made aware that it occurred. Let the police know he was driving a blue pick up truck, have your dog walker and neighbors give a description of him. That way patrol units can be on the lookout for a man in a blue truck who may fit the description. At the very least this guy should pay have HEFTY fines, and his dog be quarantined and require to wear a muzzle in public. Not because the dog is a pitbull, but because he is not safe to be roaming dog parks or streets. He clearly doesn't listen to verbal cues from his owner, and is a serious threat to all other dogs, owners, and dog walkers in the community.


My heart aches for you, I hope you have a happy ending soon, please keep us all updated!!!

Re: So Sorry!

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thanks for letting me know how you heard about Marisol. The neighbors and our dog walker and the owner of the dog who was bitten are all working on tracking down the owner of the aggressive dog. Honestly, we're so heartbroken about our missing dog that we can't really think about anything else right now. Police know about the attack, but I'm passing along details secondhand right now as I wasn't there when it happened.

[sungold123.livejournal.com]

This was just posted to this group - wanted to make sure you saw it in case it's your pup!

http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/2426088.html

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thanks for checking! I talked to Officer Terrio, and the dog that was found isn't Marisol, but she's keeping an eye out for our dog, too.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[catmother.livejournal.com]

Have you considered bringing in the media on this one?

I definitely avoid the low roads in the Fells due to the number of dogs off leashes that run up and jump, or bark at me. Folks will say "oh, he/she won't hurt you, just makes noise". HaHa, I don't know that. I'm at the point of carrying pepper spray.

Also if someone has managed to give her safety, they may not be in the hiker loop, and she may have lost her collar so contact info is not available.

My thoughts are with you and Marisol.

[ron_newman]

I posted your notice to a Meetup group that hikes in the Fells, as well as to the Facebook walls of two friends who live on a Medford street next to the Fells.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much.

[catmother.livejournal.com]

In this rain and cold, she has probably found a place of shelter momentarily. At least you know she was seen very recently. Hold your focus and connect with her so she knows you are looking and that you will find her soon. Best of luck.

[catmother.livejournal.com]

To the dog who jumped in to protect your little one: You are very brave and I hope you recover soon.

Still looking for Marisol

[tim gorton (from livejournal.com)]

Marisol is still out there, yesterday a pet tracker tracked her on a wide loop and back to Medford -- updates at www.findmarisol.com (www.findmarisol.com).