03/19/2019
Hello everyone,
Let us start by saying how overwhelmingly grateful we are to have such incredible family members, friends, and neighbors. We were absolutely floored by the support and help we received as soon as we discovered that Deb was missing. We feel so lucky to be surrounded by such kind, caring people. Complete strangers offered us their cars, fliers were posted from Park Slope to Fort Greene to Red Hook to Prospect Heights to Windsor Terrace to Kensington and beyond, and word of Deb’s disappearance spread like wildfire over social media and by word of mouth. Your combined efforts led to a surreal reunion last night that we’ll never forget.
Here’s the full story of what happened.
Deb originally escaped from our dog sitter’s on Thursday. Dogger is the dog walking and dog sitting company that we’ve been using since July 2018, shortly after we rescued Deb. They’d been recommended to us and their ratings and reputation were pristine. Deb, who’s very skittish around people, warmed very quickly to their walkers. Last Thursday we were using Dogger’s sitting services so that Deb wouldn’t be cooped up all day while we went to a show in the city. Dogger has a front gate, a front door, an entry way, then a second door, then a hallway, and then one last door before you get to the area where they keep dogs. On the day Deb went missing there was a work crew at the front of their house, and another client came in to pick-up their dog and left all the doors and gate open behind them. The work crew had been instructed to keep the doors closed, but Deb quickly made her way through the doors and out the gate to the sidewalk. She then bolted toward our apartment, and was struck by a car a couple of blocks from our home.
While we evaluate our options for our dog walking and dog sitting services in the future, we would like to recognize and thank Dogger’s complete devotion to tracking down Deb. They immediately apologized profusely, and sent their entire team of employees and dog walkers out into Brooklyn to find our dog. They have been posting fliers and venturing out into dozens of Brooklyn neighborhoods searching for her day and night. They never gave up. Based on what’s happened, they’ve already discussed and put in place new protocols that will prevent future escapes. What happened on Thursday was an unfortunate series of mistakes and just pure bad luck, but we don’t hold any grudges against Dogger.
There were a number of sightings of Deb on Thursday night, but we believe that she was picked up around Atlantic Ave., around Barclay’s center, by an individual either late on Thursday night or early Friday morning. This individual picked her up and brought her to his residence in Howard Beach. He purchased several items for her, including leash, collar, jacket, bed, and food, and appears to have taken good care of her. Yesterday, this individual contacted us saying that he thought he might have our dog, and inquired about a reward. When prompted for evidence, he texted us photos of Deb in his apartment. The individual then provided his address and let us know that we could come pick her up. We contacted the folks from Dogger and they drove us out to Howard Beach. Once there, Deb was handed over without incident. We sometimes call her Debbie Downer since she can look pretty apathetic, but the reunion was filled with hugs, kisses, and tail wags. Dogger provided a reward to the individual, and drove us back to Park Slope to a 24-hour veterinary clinic for a check-up. Besides a little inflammation in her leg, Deb was given a clean bill of health.
We are thrilled to have her back. Every flier we rip down brings a smile to our face. If we could ask one more favor of this wonderful community it would be for your help taking down fliers when you see them. We hope it makes you smile, too.
You’ll be seeing us around walking Deb throughout the neighborhood and in the park, holding her leash very tightly.
Our love and thanks,
Rob & Lauren
