THE STORY OF LU LU AND RINGO LOST DOGS

RINGO AND LU LU THE LOST DOGS

The Story of Ringo and Lu Lu

In late February of 2011 we received a call from a shelter reporting to have two Shepherds available. Upon inquiry we learned that hey were abused and the owner was in jail. These two dogs seemed to tug at the heart of the shelter manager and she repeatedly asked Diane and I to evaluate them for our rescue.
We went to see them and agreed they were salvageable and decided to take them home that same day. The dogs were not fixed which was our first priority, and we saw to that the following week. We had visited them often to get them use to a kind hand and loving people rather than the abusive moron that owned them.
After a few days they were ready to come to our home.
In the mean time we had a numerous families looking for a dog and we had already approved some of the, to receive dogs. We decided on two such families that fit the profile we created for these two pups and proceeded with the adoptions.
Ringo, the male, was about 5 or and was rather stayed and calm. He was OK with kids and pets and seemed fine with most everything. He was a dog that could cope with what ever came along. He was pragmatic, in dog terms, where he took what came at him in stride, without getting upset or anxious, but remained focused and cool under pressure. He was a beautiful dog as well with a sliver and black face and strong body.
The family that was to get him was comprised of a mother and two kids; one very young and the other older. The mom worked and upon picking the dog up, brought him home and crated him so that she could go to work for a few hours before the kids came home. She was elated with her new friend from the time she saw him at the shelter to now owning him. Ringo was what she had always dreamed of as a dog she would own and cared very deeply for him even at first sight. They bonded well at the shelter and our decision to adopt to her was rather easy.
The dog went home and into his crate and off to work she went. Her kids came home from school and against heir mother’s orders, took the dog for a walk. While the young child held Ringo’s leash something distracted him and he pull away. The kids apparently did not know what to do because he did not come to them when called. He barely knew his name and surely did not know them or the area he was in. Obviously he had no clue who these people on the end of the leash were and simply walked away from them.
The kids did what kids do and panicked. The did not catch him nor have an adult with them for help. The saw him simply walk off and lost him.
When their mom was called with the catastrophic news, she was at work and unable to get to her phone allowing more time to elapse and Ringo to get further away.
She tried for days to recover him by every means available. She involved law enforcement, animal control, friends and helpful neighbors but no sign of him at all.
Ringo remained lost for 3 weeks, still with his leash on and collar. Ringo was also chipped. He was calm and liked people so we felt that during this period he would surely come to someone for food or a pet. He was not sighted until he apparently walked up to a stranger at least 40 miles from where he was lost and was captured. The ordeal left him very thin and somewhat sick but otherwise in reasonable shape for having gone through this level of trauma. When he arrived back with SW Florida GSD Rescue he needed treatment for a variety of parasites and illnesses but he has recovered nicely.
The second dog in this rescue who is now named Kelly, but then known as Lu Lu stayed in the shelter for a week or so after surgery. She was shy and scared and not particularly social. Lu Lu was about 2 and had no training, did not respond to her name nor was she at all eager to come to people. Like Ringo she knew no commands and was abused thereby associating people with punishment.
She was used as a back yard breeding bitch and never taught to come, to sit, to say or to even understand that people can be good. She learned to fear humans because of her beatings and isolation and only knew Ringo as her friend.
We took lu Lu here to our home and worked with her for a short period of time. She was coming around nicely and accepted treats from us, loved cheese and accepted being crate trained. She would go out with our pack but not play nor interact with us or them. She had a look of fear permanently etched on her face and would not allow herself to accept love or kindness.
We found a remarkable family willing to accept her short falls and to take in this kind and gentile dog for rehabilitation. They were the perfect couple for her with the right resources, compassion and time to get her back to being the loving pet she could be.
After going through the lost and found ordeal with Ringo, we felt assured that this adoption would go far better.
Sometimes things just go from bad to worse, and we were soon going to get a call we dreaded.
We were told that 1 day after arriving at her new home that the link on her collar broke and Lu Lu ran away. Devastated, we went to their home to help in the search. We and many other good people tried our collective best to catch her but with no luck. She was so scared that seeing anyone caused her to run away. Day after day we would spot her but she would run away into the woods or too far and too fast for us to catch her. We saw her limping at one point but could not get close. We had over 50 people searching and calling in spotting reports. Days passed and we had some horrific rains and weather but still no luck in catching her. Multiple families in different areas put out food and water, which she ate, but no one was able to catch her. She was seen sleeping under boats and on doorsteps but no one ever got close enough to grab her collar.
We had animal control involved with the net gun, we tried to enlist a tranquilizer dart expert to try and catch her, again without success. We were advised using the dart gun was far too dangerous because the darts are based on weight and could kill her if we guessed wrong. We posted signs and went door to door but for a while she disappeared. Because we live near a busy road which she crossed repeatedly, we feared she would wind up dead. She had traveled over a mile to different local neighborhoods almost daily, but after being seen and having eaten, she would again disappear into the woods, constantly on the move.
Three weeks went by when we got a call that she was on our street, over 3 miles from her new home. Somehow she found her way back to our neighborhood. The best thing is that we live in an area where there is but one way in and one way out. Diane enlisted animal control to come in and help. Their officer was able to coax her into eating some food and gently put a slip lead over her head and we were able to catch her.
Lu Lu was emaciated but otherwise healthy. We took her back to our home and fed her, hugged her and in two short days time had her back with her adopted parents.
Lu Lu is now called Kelly and we are happy to report is doing fine. She is in a tremendously loving and caring home with some tremendous people who never stopped looking and never stopped caring for her during the entire ordeal.
We expect Kelly to start training this week and we are hopeful that she overcome her fears and respond to love and affection in their place.
The tenacity she showed in staying alive and out of trouble for 3 weeks speaks to her fortitude and intelligence. The folks that helped catch her know it was worth the effort and have the satisfaction that it was a collective effort that saved the life of this pooch.

Erik Hoffer