In the midst of sadness, Lori Friedlander has discovered a whole new circle of friends.

This story begins a few weeks ago –

Lori Friedlander of Taunton Lake Road had been working with Pet Protectors, Inc., in Fairfield by fostering homeless animals. Once she began working outside the home, she couldn’t offer a foster home any more.

But she wanted to find a companion for her sheltie, Madison, and began searching the Internet for a rescue dog. That’s when she found a group of dogs that had been rescued from a puppy mill in Pennsylvania (the owner of the mill had simply left, leaving the animals to die in their cages).

There was a sheltie in that group.

“Bleu was one of the dogs who was able to be rehabilitated,” said Lori, “but she was the most traumatized of all the dogs.”

Lori made the six-and-a-half hour trip to Pennsylvania, knowing full well that if the sheltie wasn’t quite right – not the right color or maybe too traumatized – then she would simply turn around and come home.

“But she was perfect,” said Lori. “The dog of my dreams!”

Back home in Newtown, the new sheltie sat quietly in her cage and after only two days started to respond the Lori. The dog – so terrified of humans – began to sense the kindness in her new owner.

But it all changed.

After a short road trip into Sandy Hook (down on Dayton Street) about a week ago, Bleu saw an opportunity and bolted from the car. She has been living in the woods around Dayton Street ever since, foraging for food and doing her best to stay hidden.

But in the midst of this sadness, Lori has discovered a whole new circle of friends.

“I can’t believe the response I got,” said Lori, once the word was out about her missing dog. “We got so many calls and so many offers for help. Rescue groups, advocate groups – it has become this big thing. The phone has been ringing off the hook.”

Lori canvassed the neighborhood, found out there had been some sightings, and then starting knocking on doors of all the storefronts in an effort to put up all of her LOST DOG posters.

“Every single shopkeeper agreed to have the poster in their window,” said Lori, who has since taken in another foster dog (but not because she has lost hope – only because there are so many homeless animals that need help). “A lot offered to walk into the woods and have a look. It was like, anything they could do they would do!”

What was more amazing, all these offers came before she even made mention of a reward.

“I got all this response without offering a reward,” Lori said. “Of course, if someone had found Bleu I would have offered something. But people were doing this out of the kindness of their hearts.”

One call even came from Massachusetts, from a place called Lost Dog, which sent Lori all sorts of information on what to do to try and find a lost dog.

“It was amazing how far news travels,” said Lori, “and how quickly people responded.”

The more time passes, the more difficult it will become to recapture Bleu. She will become a little more feral, and thus will become more elusive and harder to spot. The humane traps may work, but the trick will be not to trap any of the other denizens of the woods.

“What is really sad,” said Lori, “is Bleu has lived her whole life in crate having babies. She is so afraid of humans, she could not have been treated well.”

But Bleu has friends in Newtown – not just Lori Friedlander of her son, Derek, but a community that is willing to beat the bushes to find a poor lost dog that no one had cared about before.

NOTE: As of Wednesday, June 25, Bleu was still at large – presumably still in the woods around Dayton Street. If you spot her, please DO NOT chase her, as she is terrified of humans. Simply call Lori Friedlander at 426-8477 any time day or night.