Where's Josie?

I had the poster with me. We all compared the picture with this dog. None of us thought that it was the same dog. She is more shepard than chow. Her fur looked shorter- she is shedding. Her muzzle was black. The color was sandy brown. She is quite shy -really unsocialized. My first impression was of a wild dog. I am guessing that this is the one who has been sighted in this area. I will alert the dog warden and perhaps a live trap can catch her- although she is pretty sly. However, I think that she will need to be tranquilized to catch. I was sooo certain on my way to see her and so happy that we might have found her! Bummer.

Nancy

At 10:30 today, Aug 8th, there was a possible sighting of Josie on Clay Street, 3 houses down from Sexton. The dog looked very similiar to Josie, was extremely skiddish and would not come close to anyone that was by her.

We will continue trying to catch her in hopes of verifying if it is or is not Josie and to get her safely off the streets. If you happen to see a dog in this area please call Heather at 440-667-8710 or email her at heatherlipnis@... as soon as possible.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide,

Heather Lipnis

These pictures were received on July 31, 2006.

To everyone involved in the search for Josie:

As of today, this blog will delete any and all comments and/or posts that are not directly related to the search for Josie.

It is our belief that Josie has been taken in by someone who claims to be providing a loving home for her. The people who have reportedly taken Josie into their home claim to be providing her with reasonable vet care. Unfortunately, we are unable to verify this information.

Photographs have been provided that appear to show Josie in a home. We take SOME comfort in this.

However, we have no idea who has Josie. We had been corresponding with an individual via email who has a warrant out for her arrest. But that person's identity turns out to be a lie, as the person whose identity was "borrowed" is in jail in Pennsylvania. If for no other reason than this lie, we will continue to search for Josie. Through this, we have learned that we are unable to accept the word of a stranger at face value. So unless the people who currently have Josie provide verification, the search effort will continue. This blog will update on where we are looking and where we are posting fliers.

As animal rescue volunteers, we take our committment to each animal very seriously. Part of rescue the follow thru.....you don't ever do something in rescue without being fully responsible from start to finish. The search for Josie will continue because we are responsible for making SURE she has a good home.

Rest assured, we have not forgotten that other animals need our help and we continue to involve ourselves in other rescue efforts (pulling, transporting, fostering, etc). But that does not lessen our committment to Josie, and following thru on the promise that was made to her...that she would have a better life.

Thank you for your interest and concern. Check back often for updates.

please understand, the last thing we want is a fight. we all have other animal rescue responsibilities we'd love to devote more time to. but we need to make sure josie is safe, and since the person who has her refuses to prove it to us, we will continue the search. we will be heavily flyering the area we believe josie to be in, and contacting the vets in that area. there is still a large reward offered for josie's safe return.

and to the person who has josie...you and only you have the power to end this. just let us see the dog. that's all we want.

Someone posted here that Josie had been taken in by someone.

That was apparently followed up by some emails.

Deb requested pictures.

The people emailed pictures to Deb.

The consensus of the group of people who know Josie is that the pictures are, in fact, Josie.

The people who have Josie refuse to provide any further verification that they are an appropriate home for Josie (location, vet reference, etc).

That's it...that's all we know for FACT.

i know not everyone reads the comments, so i'm going to go ahead and post this here. if the people who have josie are in fact animal lovers with only the best of intentions for josie, they have no reason to fear or fight us. we're animal rescuers...no one is more devoted to the safety and well-being of animals than we are. without seeing josie in her home environment, we have no idea whether or not she is being well taken care of.

what do we want from these people? we want the opportunity to do a home visit. that's all. it's standard practice in the rescue world, and what would have been done for any family who wanted to adopt josie from the rescue group (not shelter) she was headed for. we have no interest in their money. no one who has been involved in the search for josie stands to benefit financially from finding her. there are vetting and pull fees to be reimbursed, but i will do so out of my own money if i can know josie is safe. and no, i can't afford it and yes, i've already spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on the search for josie. *that* is what you do when you truly love an animal.

without the opportunity to do a home visit, we have no way of knowing that she is not being kept chained outside, that she is not being deprived of medical care, that she is not going to be sold to research. we simply can't take someone's word in an email that she is loved and healthy. furthermore, although the pictures we have seen do seem to be josie, there are a few inconsistencies we can only verify by actually seeing the dog they have. we would hate to think josie could still be out there and we weren't looking for her because we thought she'd been found.

if the people who have josie have nothing to hide, they should allow a home visit. that's all we want.

We are now able to confirm that a person or group of people do indeed have Josie. Unfortunately, they are refusing to let us know where they are keeping her, so we are unable to verify that she is in safe environment. If anyone has any information that could lead us to where Josie is being kept, please let us know. There is still a reward for her safe return.

Of course, if we are able to verify that Josie is in a safe and loving home, we would be thrilled to let her remain there. All we want is what is best for Josie. But the fact that the people who are keeping her are unwilling to let us see her or the conditions in which she is being kept makes us very, very nervous for her.