Where's Josie?

As the weather starts getting warmer, I'm reminded of all the time our little group spent last summer searching for Josie. Many of us gave up pretty much our entire summer in hopes of finding this poor girl. Since I live near the area where she was lost, I spend a lot of time thinking about what we could have done differently to ensure Josie got to her destination safely. I was the one holding the leash when she slipped her collar, and that moment is frozen permanently in my mind. I never want to go through that again and, much more importantly, I never want a dog to have to go through what Josie did. We've still not been able to confirm that she is safely in a home....if she is, that is great, but even if so there is no denying that she must have suffered terribly in the summer heat and rain prior to being captured. If she'd been wearing a harness rather than a collar, none of this would have happened.

Since Josie was lost, I've spoken to countless experienced transporters, and the suggestion I've heard most often is to use a harness rather than a collar, so that the dog can't pull free. Of course harnesses are more expensive than collars, and most of us who send dogs to rescue can't afford to buy harnesses for every dog. So we are asking for your help.

At the Ashtabula County APL, we've been sending increasing numbers of animals to rescue. And Vincennes Pet Port, where Josie came from, sends many dogs each weekend. We are currently seeking donations in Josie's honor to purchase harnesses for all of our transport dogs to help them get safely to their rescues and forever homes. Donations can be made via PayPal by clicking on the button below. Donations will go through the Ashtabula County APL and will be divided evenly with Vincennes Pet Port. Please note in the "Payment For" line that you would like your donation to go towards purchasing harnesses in Josie's honor.

Even a dollar or two is a huge help. I'm currently scouting out the best deal on wholesale harnesses, and would also appreciate any suggestions on that. Another way to help is to send any harnesses you may have that you aren't using to the Ashtabula APL:

Ashtabula County Animal Protective League
5970 Green Road
Ashtabula, Ohio 44004

I will disperse any donated harnesses evenly between Ashtabula and Vincennes. Donations via check may also be sent to the APL address…please note in the memo section that you'd like your donation to go towards purchasing harnesses in Josie's honor.

Thank you!
~Dawn

we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...

this dog was found in the trap this morning by the nice campground people. cindy took her to her vet. i saw the dog & it isn't josie, but at least we were able to get her off the streets before the bad weather hits tomorrow night. hooray for heather for being so persistent!!!! :) and thanks so much to the folks at kenisee campground in geneva for helping us catch this sweet girl.

an injured dog resembling josie has been spotted hanging out at the kenisee campground on rt.307 in geneva. heather was within a few feet of the dog, but it is very skittish & refused to be caught. we can't be certain whether or not the dog is josie, but regardless we want to get the poor injured thing to safety. we will hopefully be putting up humane traps very soon to try & catch the dog. and those of you who live in the area, please do keep your eyes open! the dog has a badly injured leg/paw. thanks so much for all your help!

thanks so much to everyone who has continued to keep us updated with sightings. we still have not been able to prove that the stolen dog is indeed josie, so we are following up on any leads we get. also, even if it was josie that was being held as claimed, it is not uncommon for stolen dogs to flee their captors, nor is it uncommon for people who steal dogs to become frightened of legal prosecution and release the dog. so she could very well still be out there.

sightings we have recieved lately have been in the following areas:

• the North Kingsville exit off of I-90
• Mechanicsville, by Grand River Manor
• the intersection of Clay & Sherman in Geneva
• Broad St. in Conneaut

volunteers have been searching these areas and hanging up flyers. please keep the information and sightings coming.....we haven't given up on our josie, and we won't!