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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, June 6, 1989 A rash of missing dogs prompts theft accusations (From page 1) She adamantly believes Griz couldn't possibly have gotten free by himself. "No way!" she said. "There's just no way. And even if he did, which is impossible, he's such a coward he wouldn't have left. He's petrified even if a car comes up the driveway." The family immediately started to search for the miss- ing dog. The Churchills own a backhoe, which Griz followed at every opportunity. They started the machine up and beeped the horn a few times, knowing that if Griz was around, he would show up. "Usually he comes running," Mrs. Churchill said. But he didn't this time. The next day they intensified the search, looking through fields, forests and asking neigh- bouring farmers. They talked to Durham Regional Police, they phoned every animal shelter in the vicinity, and they showed people photos. 'T've even talked to garbage- - men and asked them to keep watch," she said, disheartened. She also placed an ad with Griz's picture in the Port Perry Star, offering a large reward. Gord Churchill is still willing to pay up to $500 for the dog's safe return. The family has checked out every lead, but every lead so far has turned up blank. They're going to continue looking, but Mrs. Churchill said, "We've done all we can do. I honestly think someone has took him. I honestly do." She's heard rumours of peo- ple stealing dogs and selling them to research centres. She's heard stories of somebody in a blue pick-up truck taking dogs, but the rumours haven't been confirmed. Even if they were, the stories offer no comfort to a family that misses their pet ter- ribly. "Our dogs are our pets. They're with us at all times. There's no way in the world he would wander," she said. "It's likelosing a kid. Our kids are all upset. The other dogs wouldn't eat at first. We got all three as pups at the same time and they've always been together." Griz, however, has a special placein Mrs. Churchill's heart. When the dog was only six weeks old, the Churchill house burned down on New Year's Eve and Griz was caught in the fire. : "Gord went in the house and there was Griz, dead. My hus- band gave him mouth to mouth and brought him back to life. He's been special to us ever since. We're definitely animal lovers." Mrs. Churchill wants desper- ately to know if Griz is alive. "If knew where the dog was, we'd feel a lot better. Are they treating him allright? Geez, are they being cruel to him? "We're willing to pay any- thing," she said, to have Griz home again. Allene Kane, also a resident of Scugog Island, is a great deal luckier than the Churchills. The last time she saw Koenig, a ten year old shepherd husky "mix with cataracts, was the morning of Tuesday May 23. Mrs. Kane realized she was missing that night when Koenig didn't show up for dinner. "I suddenly realized I hadn't seen her all day," she told the Star. Being older and partially blind, Koenig doesn't wander far, Mrs. Kane said. She usually hangs around under the Kane's front porch, and occasionally travels across a field to visit Mrs. Kane's daughter. After a quick phone call, her daughter confirmed Koenig wasn't paying a visit, so Mrs. Kane began to look around. The dog was nowhere to be seen or heard. : "I thought, maybe she's gone off to die and then I thought no, she hasn't been sick." : Through the Kneales at Pete's Pet Pantry, Mrs. Kane heard of other dog owners plac- ing signs on neighbourhood mail boxes. The signs said the missing dogs needed medica- tion and asked for their return. 'After nearly a week of search- ing for Koenig, Mrs. Kane put the signs up on Sunday. That Sunday night, she got out of bed and heard a dog bark- ing. She knew it was Koenig be- cause "she always barks twice, stops, and then barks twice 'again." Mrs. Kane went outside to the porch, called the dog's name, and Koenig replied with her mandatory two barks. But shedidn't come in. "I thought maybe she was out in the field and couldn't see her way home," but knowing Koe- nig was close by, Mrs. Kane went back to sleep. In the morning she got up right away, went outside and called Koenig's name. The dog replied immediately. So with some help from her son Bill, Mrs. Kane began to search the fields for the family dog. By fluke, Mrs. Kane finally found Koenig--stuck in the cul- vert at the end of the driveway. "The problem then was how to get her out. She's a bigdog." Two young men who were working nearby began digging around the culvert, but they soon realized the culvert would have to be cut. So Mrs. Kane called friend and volunteer firefighter Dave Obee, and he went to her house with Scugog Hall No. 1 Deputy Chief Charlie Lown in the fire department's rescue van. They worked for a long time with the jaws of life before Koe- nig was eventually freed. "It was the cutter and jaws of life that got her out of there," Mrs. Kane said gratefully. "Dave and Charlie were abso- lutely excellent. If it wasn't for them, she'd have been a dead dog." The moment she was free, Koenig "came out of that culvert just like a shot. She licked all the men's faces and then just stood there and shook." Her right side was stiff and sore for a day, but other than that, Mrs. Kane says Koenig is just fine. She says there's no way Koe- nig could have gotten in the cul- vert by herself. "We had the dog for 10 years and she never paid any atten- tion to the culvert before. She was stuffed in there by some- one." And Mrs. Kane suspects she was put there on Sunday night because until then, the family never heard Koenig bark. Not once. "She hadn't lost an ounce of weight, and she wasn't hungry when she first got out," Mrs. Kane added. It was either a supreme coin- cidence that Koenig was found (Turn to page 14) 'Bear out of their sight. See story for details. Pat and Peter Kneale, owners of Pete's Pet Pantry, are warning their customers of an apparent rash of dog thefts on Scugog Island. They say at least four dogs have been stolen in recent weeks. Island residents themselves, the Kneales won't let their two dogs, Casey (on Pete's knee) and Stonemooyr ---- N * * * * * =» 399 Queen St. oS V Care genet NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER & FALL REGISTRATIONS Stonemoor provides a Child Enrichment Program for children 18 mths to 9 yrs. Open year round from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Full and 1/2 days available. Nursery School Program for mornings only. Professional Trained Staff. Nutritious Hot Lunches & Snacks. Air Conditioned Premises. Stimulating and Adventurous Outdoor Play Areas. 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