By Adria L. Henderson

and Lisa Peterson

On October 19, drivers could see pink posters popping up all over Newtown announcing that Woody, a 10-year-old Shetland sheepdog, was lost. Woody had last been seen running into the woods behind a small strip mall on Route 25 South. For the next week there was absolutely no sign of the little black, brown and white dog.

October 28 was a typical Saturday afternoon in Newtown. The downtown Queen Street area was filled with shoppers. Cars were traveling slowly, stopping to check out the scarecrow contest on the lawn of the Middle School. Groups of people were gathered admiring the student’s handiwork.

No one seemed to notice the beautiful, Shetland sheepdog walking along, unleashed, in front of the school.

At 12:00 noon that day, I was driving down Queen Street just as Woody trotted out from the Middle School driveway. Pulling my car to the side of the street, I started walking toward him calling his name. He turned and looked directly at me. Slowly, I made my way toward him. Suddenly, Woody started to run in the other direction, toward Church Hill Road. I tried calling to the people at the School, but no one could hear me over the traffic noise.

Woody was now running headlong around the corner in front of Union Savings Bank, faster than I could travel on foot. Driving was going to be the best option if there was any chance of catching him.  But by the time I got into my car and drove around the corner, Woody was gone. Pulling my car into Union Savings Parking lot, I searched the area behind Grand Union and Lexington Gardens calling Woody’s name.

There was no response.

Grabbing one of the pink posters from a telephone pole, I called Woody’s owner from my car phone and learned that Woody had been spotted earlier that morning running through Fairfield Hills. I was the third call of the day. By the time I called he had already covered some five miles through the borough.

With the help of my partner, Lisa Peterson, and some other friends, we searched the downtown area. After several hours we gave up the search. That afternoon Woody’s owner, Nancy Kitson,  received three more sightings from residents on The Boulevard and Hanover Road.

Late Saturday afternoon, Lorraine and Bob Fuchs arrived at their Old Farm Hill Road home to find a beautiful Sheltie asleep on their front porch with their dog, Valentine. (Old Farm Hill is about three miles from downtown). The Fuchs’s had not seen the posters, nor had they heard about Woody’s disappearance.

They tried to coax the little dog into their garage, but Woody kept them at a distance. He played happily in their yard with their dog and happily ate Valentine’s dinner.

The temperature was dropping and the Fuchs’s didn’t want to leave the little dog outside in the cold. On Saturday night Robert Fuchs made up a bed in a box on their front porch, hoping that Woody would crawl in and stay warm through the night. Woody finally crawled in the box, out of the cold and slept through the night.

The next morning was even colder and snow was predicted. Fuchs knew he had to get Woody inside.  He tried to move closer to the sleeping Woody without “spooking” him. Finally able to get near him, he picked Woody up and brought him inside.

Woody proceeded to steal Bob and Lorraine Fuchs’s heart. They were prepared to keep him. But they knew such a beautiful, well-behaved dog must belong to someone. On Monday morning they called their vet at Newtown Animal Hospital. Woody’s poster was on the bulletin board at the Vet’s office.

Nancy and Ted Kitson and their 8-year-old son Cody, had last seen their dog on October 19, twelve days before, on Woody’s tenth birthday.

A grand reunion took place on Old Farm Hill that Monday afternoon. Everyone cried, including Woody. Nancy Kitson said that Woody was a little slimmer, but appeared healthy and in good spirits.  She drove Woody directly from the Fuchs’s house to their son Cody’s school for another great reunion.

Maybe we’ll never know what Woody did or where he was for the other 10 days of his “Great Adventure.” But, he was certainly one lucky, little dog – with a lot of help from his Newtown neighbors.

Here are some steps you can take if your dog (or cat) gets lost

First and foremost, don’t give up! Call friends and neighbors. Networking is the best method for finding your pet. The more people who know the better chance of getting your pet back. If you know where your pet was last seen travel the neighborhood on foot and by car. Give everyone you meet your pet’s description. Remember to give them a poster with your telephone number on it.

Prepare posters.  They should be at least 11” x 14” and have a large, color photo of your dog or cat.     Small posters are difficult for drivers to see. Hang posters on trees and telephone poles (where allowed), on Vet’s office bulletin boards, in pet shops, grooming parlors, supermarket pet department bulletin boards and Post Office notice boards.

Post on Internet Pet sites. Call and visit your local and surrounding area pounds and shelters often. Place a lost and found ad with a photo in local and surrounding area newspapers.

Check the local playgrounds and schools. School age children notice dogs and dogs gravitate to children.

Call your local police department to see if they will hang your poster in their squad room.

Notify your mail carrier, the UPS driver, the local florist and anyone else else who travels around town.

Call your vet.  If your dog had his rabies tag on his collar your vet may receive phone calls.

Call the Animal Recovery Centers if your dog has either a microchip or tattoo.

Check your local papers for dogs for adoption. Someone may have picked up your dog without knowing it was being advertised as lost.

Some preventative measures:

Your dog’s collar should fit snuggly and both his license and current rabies tag should be attached.

Always leash your dog.

Consider having your dog tattooed or have a microchip inserted under his skin for easy identification. Check with your local vet.

Never drive with your dog loose in the open back of a pick-up truck.

Never drive with your window open wide enough for your dog to jump or fall out.                                                                                                                                

Always take precautions before opening your car door if your dog is loose inside. Be sure your dog is leashed or tied down so that he can’t run out. Try running the leash through a crate door for easy access.

Crating your dog while driving is the best choice. It may prevent your dog and you from being injured in a collision.

Always have a fairly recent photo of your dog to use on a poster.

Saying Goodbye

On Saturday November 4, 2000 Lisa Peterson’s beloved Norwegian Elkhound, Roxanne, moved on to her eternal resting place in Viking heaven. During her nearly 15 years, Roxanne touched many lives with her winning personality. We’ll all miss her deeply. Our love and heartfelt wishes go out to Lisa and Ray Peterson on their loss.

Lisa Peterson would like to thank our many readers for all their calls and notes in response to our last column.

Animal Lifestyles is contributed by Adria L. Henderson and Lisa Peterson owners of Safe at Home, a Newtown based Pet Sitting business. You can contact us by phone at 203-426-5784 or 426-4682. Write to us at PO Box 427 Botsford, Ct. 06404 or e-mail us at animallifestyles@usa.net. We welcome our readers’ response.