Thunder - Lost & Now Found!

Another Blog Award!

2010-03-31T23:55:00.000-04:00

Find Thunder Blog Wins Cool Dog Site of the Day's Monthly Best Selected Award for February 2010!

Thunder's Blog Takes the Cool Dog Site of the Day Award - Feb 16th, 2010!

2010-02-16T21:34:00.001-05:00

I don't think Sue or Thunder would exactly say that his being lost for three weeks was worth this but as long as he was lost, I was tickled that his blog got the Cool Dog Site of the Day Award!!

Final Chapter

2010-01-07T14:48:00.003-05:00

Tundie is home, safe and sound, and doing incredibly well. Our vet said it was unbelievable that he a) survived his 21 day adventure, especially with his extended exposure to the snow, ice, and bitter cold, and b) that he came out of it in outstanding physical condition! He lost fifteen pounds and the pads of his feet were slightly abraded from his journey. His tests all can back negative – he didn’t even pick up any parasites after three weeks of scavenging and drinking stream and ditch water. He was one very resourceful pooch with very strong survival instincts!

He is eating a lot and resting, mostly lounging around the house keeping close to my side, although he does occasionally go off on his own to hop onto my bed for a nap. He most definitely does not want to go outside first thing in the morning in the dark and cold!

I still find it nothing short of a miracle that he survived and found his way home. He most certainly had a host of angels looking out for him, and many of them were of the human kind. The prayers, well wishes, and many kindnesses, large and small, of everyone who read this blog helped keep both of us going throughout this ordeal. I could not have kept my faith without all of your assistance.

My “thank yous” are profound and many. First, to Nancy Despeaux who contacted me immediately when she saw the lost dog posting on Craigslist to offer her assistance, I cannot begin to express my gratitude. She created this wonderful blog to spread the word and track Thunder sightings, and kept the search active. Her advice was invaluable and her encouragement and support kept my hopes for his safe recovery alive. She was my rock and anchor and I am honored now to have her as my friend.

To the wonderful volunteers from the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue group, God bless you one and all. Sue Garrison was my point of contact and she coordinated with the volunteers who brought their dog out to search for Tundie, who set up food stations in areas where he had been sighted , who papered Fairfax and Loudoun Counties with lost dog fliers, and who spread the word to colleagues and friends via email. To each and every one of you who gave up hours of your own time to trek through the miserable cold and snow to help in the search for Tundie, my sincerest thank you! VGSR is a wonderful organization and its efforts to rescue and re-home lost and unwanted German Shepherd dogs are inspirational. Please visit its homepage http://www.shepherdrescue.org/ and consider volunteering, fostering, adopting, and/or donating to support their cause!

There are so many others who deserve to be thanked; I don’t know where to begin, and I don’t even know some of your names. Krissy Meyer and employers of National Realty Partners in Herndon kept Tundie on the radar the first week he was gone, reporting sightings and putting out food. A lady from Marshall collected urine soaked rags from her bitch in heat – a truly nasty job! -- so we could lay paths leading Tundie back toward home. Susan, Rivn’s owner from Page County, did the same and drove up to NoVa to deliver them to us over snow covered roads. After the police chased Tundie off the golf course on Sunday morning, Emily and Jay Hartman drove all the way from Lovettsville with Daisy, Cope, and Sammy, and walked around the course for two hours laying down pack scent to draw him back. The winds were forty miles an hour, the wind-chill was fifteen degrees, and Jay missed the Steelers game. Talk about a sacrifice, thank goodness for TiVo! There were so many acts of generosity that went above and beyond what anyone could realistically expect that overwhelmingly reinforced my faith in the basic goodness of human nature, and especially dog owners. Those of us who have experienced the unconditional love of a dog know we are blessed, and I know you all personally felt my anguish while he was gone. If your name is not mentioned here I apologize, but please know I carry your acts and words of encouragement in my heart and will always be grateful.

To Sandy Ayers, Tundie’s breeder, I offer a special thank you and an apology for putting you through this pain. You love your precious baby as much as I do, and to know he was lost five hundred miles from home and that you could not be there to help was unbearable. We worried together, cried together, and never gave up hope. I hope you know he is in good hands, will be spoiled rotten with love and affection, and is never going on a walkabout again! I promise we will visit next summer! And, Sandy, you should be very proud of the many owners of Tundie pups from all over the USA who extended their heartfelt prayers and support. Special hugs and licks to you all from both of us.

And finally, to my hero and the love of my life, Frank -- you often ask me why I love you – you will never have to ask again! Arms to hold me, a shoulder to cry on, and your unwavering support every minute of the day meant more than you will ever know. Tundie loves you too! It was your house after all, not mine, which he ultimately made his way back to. You are an idiot for tackling him in his den in the dark, but you are my idiot and I will forever love you for the heroic, if foolish, rescue.

And now, to end the story, as all good stories should end … the hero and his lady, and their dog, lived happily ever after, or at least we will all hope they do.

With love and affection,

Sue and Tundie

TUNDIE IS HOME!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-04T07:03:00.008-05:00

From Sue:

Frank caught Tundie at 5 AM today. We knew he was sleeping under the Reston National Club House so he went over and cornered him this morning while he was sleeping. Frank got a couple of nips, but as soon as he got the leash on Tundie, the dog relaxed and jumped right into the truck to ride home. As soon as I walked into the house he threw himself at me and has been welded to my side ever since, mostly curled up next to me on the couch where he is toasty warm and loved. He is very glad to be home!

He is in very good condition, a little thin, not ravenously hungry, and no signs of frostbite or hypothermia. He does have a little limp. We will take him to the vet a little later to have him checked out just to make sure that he has no serious physical issues resulting from his walkabout.

The picture is from the cell phone, not good, but I wanted to share it with all of you who have been so wonderfully supportive through our ordeal. Each and everyone of you is a blessing in our lives and I will never be able to thank you enough!

More will follow when we are all well rested and able to think clearly.

With love and affection,

Sue, Frank, and Tundie

PS from NHD -- you can see from the Comments that you aren't the only one that's happy to get this great news!

Tundie Still In Reston

2010-01-03T14:10:00.016-05:00

Tundie is still being seen in Reston today, and we still want sighting calls from anyone that sees him (whether in Reston or elsewhere). We need to figure out the best place to leave food for him. So please get in touch right away if you see him.

And we've learned of a couple of other german shepherd mixes that disappeared today in the area near Chandon Dog Park in Herndon. We don't have pictures of them, and hope they are already found, but the number to call if you think you see these dogs is 703-861-5179. This is Carla, and her dogs are Kaya and Choco. Choco is a GS mixed with rottweiler and looks like a chocolate lab.

UPDATE SUNDAY EVENING

Sandy and Kristin have commented (see comments today), and they ask a lot of good questions which I'll respond to now. I expect others are having the same thoughts and questions as Sandy and Kristin.

1) Getting food to Thunder is critical, and hopefully even more effort is being put into helping maintain or increase his body temperature right now. Hypothermia is the primary threat to his survival, after prolonged exposure to below freezing temperatures and extreme wind chill. No question here but I have to just echo this! The 2 things that sighters can do is report the sighting, and put down food. Tundie has a couple of times in the past few weeks hung around a location for several days, but he's always moved on.

2) Could heating stations with heat lamps, heat pads, places to get out of the wind, (igloo and other dog houses), be set up along with feeding stations? Are there ways that food and water could be kept warm? Food that's not frozen can be more easily smelled, and more importantly helps warm body temp. Are these kind of things being done at this point? Excellent suggestions, though Sue is a step ahead of you! She asked today for an extra dog house, which I had delivered late this afternoon, and she'd told me that it would have a heat lamp trained on it. And I dropped off a heated bird bath later this evening and emailed Sue, but I don't know as I'm writing this if it's been found and set up. Presumably it will be! At any rate, this makes two dog houses now set up around the golf course. If anyone else has a heated birdbath or any other type of heat source they can offer, please speak up!!!!

3) Might it help if people who see Tundie are asked to note whether he is demonstrating symptoms of hypothermia, such as unusual behavior (confusion) and or decreased coordination (ie. stumbling)? Sue gets this information from sighting calls at least some of the time, and I wholeheartedly agree that if this can always be a part of the information offered when a sighting is reported, we really need to know this.

4) Could information be put up on this blog about the symptoms of hypothermia and what readers can do to help if they see or find Thunder in different stages of hypothermia? For instance, if he is found stumbling and confused, or comatose should a vet be called first? Or animal control? Or the same contact info already provided? Excellent idea. If you or anyone else can do a little research on hypothermia in dogs and email it to me, it might get added to the blog a little faster. It might even be best to get it from a vet.

5) It's been a long time now that Thunder has been sighted and tracked and food has been put out. He may freeze to death before he is captured at this rate, so it seems that more active efforts to catch him are important at this point. Right you are; more active efforts are needed to catch him. It's past time to ask for help to monitor feeding stations -- this time of people living off the golf course since Tundie seems to have been in this location for 2 days now. If anyone reading this update can participate in feeding station monitoring, please leave a comment.

6) What is being done to capture him when he is sighted? Are rescuers throwing tasty food bits to him, from slowly decreasing distances in addition to setting up feeding stations that may enable him to survive the wild life until he succumbs to the cold? Are nets or baited chain link kennels ready or being used? Could neighbors be encouraged to participate in setting up heat stations and close their gates if they see Thunder in their yards? So far, most sightings have been by people that aren't aware of Thunder and his plight before seeing him, so they are taken by surprise. Some people that report sightings report that they leave food in the spot where they saw him, though it's probably a minority that know and are prepared to do this. It does seem that he retreats when attention is paid to him, when eye contact is made, when people call out to him.

So Sandy and Kristin, thanks for your comments! And Anne and Leah, thank you for your sightings that you left in your comments. They have helped us know that he is still staying put. Food and heat could keep him here until he can be trapped. Once again, anyone that can help by lending out a heat lamp or heated dog bowl (or bird bath), or can help with monitoring a few well planned feeding stations several times a day, please leave a comment.

A Chronology of Tundie Sightings Reported

2010-01-03T13:36:00.024-05:00

WEEK 4 SIGHTINGS
- Mon 1/4 & beyond: AT HOME!!!

WEEK 3 SIGHTINGS
- Sun 1/3: numerous sightings at the same location in S Reston
- Sat 1/2, 9:30am: Reston National Golf Course, Reston
- Thu 12/31, noon: Franklin Farms area
- Wed 12/30, 12:50pm: Florida & Alabama Avenues, Herndon
- Tue 12/29, 11am: on Church in Sterling

WEEK 2 SIGHTINGS
- Sat 12/26, 8am & 2pm: Maple & Harrison, behind Sully ES.
- Sat 12/26, 12:30 pm: S Lincoln & E Maple, Sterling
- Fri 12/25, pm: behind Sully Elementary School, at E Maple & S Harrison, Sterling
- Fri 12/25, 10am: behind the bowling alley at Dranesville and Woodson Rds, Sterling.
- Thu 12/24 pm: behind Herndon High School, Herndon
- Thu 12/24, 7:50am: at Chandon Dog Park, S end of Palmer Dr; then another sighting on Alabama ~ 3 blocks N & W of Chandon Dog Park a few hours later
- several sightings learned about from canvassing
- Mon 12/21, 5pm: behind Nextec on Herndon Pkwy, closer to Elden than Spring

WEEK 1 SIGHTINGS
- Sat 12/19, 9am: 1200 block of Sterling Rd, at Herndon Pkwy, playing in someone's back yard
- Fri 12/18, ~ 11:40am: Spring St, behind Spring Park Bus Park, Herndon
- Fri 12/18, am: behind the Herndon police station
- Thu 12/17, pm: Herndon HS; sighting by a teacher
- Thu 12/17, am: behind the Herndon police station
- Wed 12/16, early pm: behind the Herndon police station on Herndon Pkwy
- Wed 12/16, am: Ruritan Circle, Sterling
- Tue 12/15, pm: Ruritan Circle, Sterling
- Tue 12/15, early pm: Herndon golf course; seen by a worker
- Mon 12/14, pm: Bond @ Crestview

Sizzling Hot Sighting - Reston

2010-01-02T11:01:00.005-05:00

rom Sue:

We just saw Tundie on the Reston National Golf Course, his second home, at 9:30 this morning! Mollie, our Westie, ran right up to him and greeted him. He was wagging his tail. But as soon as he saw Frank he walked away.

I circled around the course, keeping a very wide berth, hoping to turn him back toward the house but he turned off the cart trail and trotted into the Golf Course View townhouses.

It was definitely Tundie and he looked to be in good condition for the length of time he has been lost. He is not responding to any overtures: squatting, calling "here baby," " good boy," or any of the usual comfort or praise phrases. He was very wary but did not seem particularly fearful.
His doggy play group is out on the hill where he has played with them before -- we are hoping their familiar scents and sounds will keep him around.

We will light up the grill and throw on some steaks in a little bit to get the smell of food in the air and we set up a food station in an area he knows. If he is still here later today we will set up the trap tonight and pray.

He is so close to home it hurts!

Status as of Saturday Morning

2010-01-02T09:28:00.005-05:00

From Sue:

Our last reported sighting was on Thursday 12/31 near Franklin Farm Village Shopping Center in Chantilly. We will be putting posters up in the area today. It is bitter cold and windy with several days of more of the same forecast. I hope he has found shelter if he remains in this new area, or that he has retreated to the safe harbor he used to weather the December snow storm.

I updated Craigslist today to reflect the new sighting, adding Chantilly to the location heading. The local HOA has been notified by the homeowner who had the sighting and this should help get the word out to the entire community. I will contact schools in the area first thing Monday so teachers and staff will be on the lookout for him. I am so very cold, I cannot bear to think how he must be suffering in this weather.

Update later Saturday morning: Please be sure to read the comments from this and the previous update.

Going Feral and Surviving

2010-01-01T10:38:00.001-05:00

From Sue:

I have learned a lot over the past two weeks about how dogs react when they are lost. Much of this may be surprising even to experienced dog people who have a close bond with their dogs. It is difficult to accept, but most dogs become feral fairly soon, go into a survival mode and almost never come back on their own to their owners or people they know, especially when they were lost in a traumatic manner.

The person who finally catches a lost dog is almost never the owner, nor the searchers, but rather some unsuspecting person in whose backyard the dog comes in looking for food. That person must not try to grab the dog but needs to be calm, give it a treat, speak softly and encouragingly, and quietly close a door or gate that precludes further escape.

In other words, Tundie's best hope for rescue lies in the hands of strangers. Please help us get the word out by putting fliers in high traffic areas, posting them on your neighborhood mailboxes, and even taking a couple to church this Sunday. Share it with co-workers and your Facebook friends.

The world is full of amazingly generous and caring people who are willing to help in ways small and large, and they are getting the word out in every way possible. I have met so many of you these past two weeks, and I am both overwhelmed and grateful! I cannot begin to thank each and everyone of you who is helping bring Tundie home.

Partial View of the Tundie Map

Click the map for a larger version

Sighting Today in Franklin Farms

2009-12-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

Update from Sue:

We had a sighting at 12:18 today in the Horsepen Run wooded area between Lady Bank Lane and 7100 at Franklin Farm Road. The caller is a former longcoat shepherd owner who went to Craigslist for photos to confirm the dog as probably Tundie.

We were able to track him through the woods to Piney Ridge where we lost the trail-- the paws prints are huge and bearlike -- another good indication the sighting is valid. This is in the Chantllly Highlands area of Franklin Farms.

This means that he somehow made his way over the Monroe Street bridge and is now on the south side of the Dulles Toll Road. If he sticks to following Horsepen Run it will lead him up to Frying Pan Road and back toward home.

Or he could pick up the gasline right of way north over West Ox toward Frying Pan Road. Both would be good news.

The bad news is that that he is about four miles south and just as easily circle in that direction and end up in the Fair Lakes area even farther from home. Let's hope his instincts are good.

I am calling a tracker today to see if we can try getting someone here this weekend.

Sighting in Herndon Today

2009-12-30T16:09:00.005-05:00

From Sue:

We had a probable sighting back in Herndon at 12:50 todayn at Florida and Alabama Avenues. This is in his old regular Herndon stomping grounds. The caller was sure it was our dog.

Tundie could either have picked up the W&OD in Sterling and followed back, or taken the Sugarland Run stream bed all the way into Herndon -- both any easy "commute" for him from Sterling, so it was likely him.

We rubbed Eli scent on all the Sugarland Run trail markers from Elden Street to the W&OD trail behind the police station.

Tonight we will refill the food station there with fresh food and high scent edibles (sardines and cat food mixed with the hot dog and kibble). If he does come around he won't be able to miss the odor. Will check the station first thing tomorrow.

I hope he is back in the Herndon area which is heavily posted and advertised in the Observer. Slighter warmer days and nights 'til the weekend are a relief.

Will contact the lady who offered to bring her dog and ask if she can walk her in the Sugarland Run Valley Stream Park area to lay a scent there.

Finally, Another Sighting

2009-12-29T19:27:00.002-05:00

Update from Sue:

We had another sighting today around 11 AM. Tundie was seen walking down E Church, at Oak Tree Ln and the Sterling Golf Course, headed west in the direction of Rt 28. He could have cut off north toward Sugarland, or south toward the Sulley ES area instead of crossing Sterling Blvd. Oak Tree is a loop and there is a stream that cuts through the island of land between it and Church Rd where he was sighted. He was said to have looked wet and freezing and generally miserable.

I had been in that area around Sully ES all morning and didn't see him. Drove through all the E Church St neighborhoods and walked as much of the stream bed as I had access to but saw no sign of him.

I looked all over, even up as far as Claude Moore Park in case he crossed over Church and started heading north. There are restaurants at Sterling Plaza but the dumpsters are closed up pretty tight. Today is garbage pick-up day in the area and trash bags have blown all over the place so he may be able to scavenge.

The wind and cold are keeping people off the streets, no kids playing, no one walking dogs, no one to call in more sightings unless he is seen near someone's house as he was for the morning call.

I really am worried about hypothermia today and tomorrow, especially if he is wet. It could stress his system to the point of heart failure if he doesn't find a relatively warm place to bed down.

Update After Sunday

2009-12-28T07:59:00.004-05:00

No sightings reported on Sunday, and the feeding station was untouched. But canvassing did reveal that the school custodian has seen Tundie in the area daily since Thursday. He continues to watch for him as does the man whose home back to the fence line he has been running.

Lots of fliering in the area, and at gas stations, Sterling Plaza, and the Sterling golf course over the weekend.

According to Craigslist, another german shepherd has been found, after being hit by a car, and the owner is being sought. The dog was taken to Pender Veterinary Clinic and should be going to the Fairfax shelter today. The Craigslist ads for that dog now state "Not Thunder". So, thanks to all for helping spread the word about Thunder and his plight.

Sightings Today!

2009-12-26T13:46:00.000-05:00

Tundie was seen around 12:30 today at the corner of Lincoln and Maple in Sterling. No travel was direction given so we don't know which way he was moving.

That is just a couple of blocks from the Hiddenbrook area of Herndon -- south will bring him back into town, east will take him over toward Herndon High School and Sugarland Run.

If he stays in the same area, it's all residential and close to yesterday's sightings and the Church Street and Bond Street sightings earlier last week.

Update late this afternoon - three more sightings reported today:

Last night behind Sully Elementary School in Sterling, at Maple and South Harrison Streets.

Same location twice more - this morning around 8am, and this afternoon at 2pm.

So he is running the fence line of S Harrison homes that back up to the Sully ES property. They are all fenced yards, many with dogs, so that may be the appeal. And there is a small patch of woods where he can hide if necessary.

Plans for This Weekend; Help Needed

2009-12-26T11:21:00.004-05:00

This morning, scent pads from a pregnant female in heat are being picked up, and the plan is to place them very strategically so that they will be effective in luring Tundie to a safe and yet appealing place that can be effectively used to confine him.

Right now, the thought is to find a house/townhouse with a fenced yard (six foot high minimum, preferably eight) or dog run located someplace near his route that we could use as a possible trap. It will need a gate or door that can be left ajar and monitored. The scent items hung from a deck or tree should get good air dispersion and at least draw him into the area if not directly into the yard.

Homes near downtown Herndon and toward the north and west toward Herndon High School seem to be the best bets over the past few days. Of course we are hoping for more sightings today to help narrow the field..

We don't want to use the pads at random, but rather at times and in places we believe we have a chance of confining him if he shows up. Previous sightings in the Sugarland woods don't seem to be a good choice at this point as there is no indication that he has returned in several days.

Do you own such a home or can you put us in touch with anyone who can help? See the contact information at the top of the page, or leave a comment.

Christmas Day Update

2009-12-25T15:36:00.001-05:00

Update from Sue:

We had a confirmed Thunder sighting at 10 o'clock on Christmas morning up behind the bowling alley on Dranesville & Woodson Roads in Sterling. Initially it seems way off his usual path but it is at the very end of Sugarland Run Valley Stream Park (SRVSP) -- if he followed the stream bed it would take him right there.

The people who saw him are neighbors of ours who know him -- they are up in that area visiting their son. Said he was trotting along Rabbit Run heading west and turned toward Frederick Street where they lost him.

From Frederick he could head down Sterling Road towards Herndon, cut over to Church Street, or back toward Sugarland Run, all areas where he has been sighted before. They got within ten feet of him, out calling encouragingly from their car, before he got away --said he looked strong and in good shape, ears and tail were up, and he seemed to know where he was going.

We are going to drop flyers in both English and Spanish off at the bowling alley when/if it opens later today, and they took flyers back to the Woodson neighborhood to hand out

Yesterday I received two calls with retroactive sightings:

Last Saturday he was seen during the snow storm in the 1200 block of Sterling Road at Herndon Parkway around 9 AM playing in someone's backyard. The caller was driving and did not stop, but he is sure it was Thunder and the sighting is consistent with the Herndon Parkway loop.

The other caller put him behind Herndon High School last Thursday night -- this makes sense in light of today's sighting since that neighborhood backs up to SRVSP at the Dranesville Road end. He was playing in her backyard with her dogs and ran when she called him.

Now we have the northeast Sterling quadrant to add to the Herndon Parkway loop for consistent sightings, with both tied together by the Sugarland Run.

I am hoping the next sighting comes from back at the Elden Street/Herndon Parkway/Carlisle Drive area that he seemed to be making home base over the past week.

We are picking up scent pads tomorrow and plan to hang them around along the fence line behind the Herndon Police Station in SRVSP between the two feeding stations he may have used. Hopefully he will catch the scent and remain nearby.

Sandy is sending scent pads from Eli, his best dog buddy; Ocean, his sister who is coming into heat; and some of her own shirts. With these we may be able to lure him into a vehicle or trap. Advice on how best to proceed is welcome!

The food at the new station was gone this morning, even the kibble. Yesterday I saw a hawk feeding on the beef and chicken we left, so all I can say with confidence is that something is being fed. A fox might eat kibble, but we will refill the station just in case it might be Tundie.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sighting Early Thursday

2009-12-24T08:28:00.002-05:00

Tundie was seen at Chandon Dog Park off Herndon Parkway near Elden at 7:50 this morning.

He was headed in a direction which would take him up to Alabama/Locust and send him up toward Herndon Middle school or back to Elden Street. So he's not currently in his Sugarland territory, but he's still close to it.

Update Christmas afternoon (the next day): had another reported sighting for yesterday morning on Alabama west of Elden in the Dulles Park area -- three blocks west and north of Chandon Park, not much later than the first report. This is also within a couple of blocks of the 12/19 report in the 1200 block of Sterling Road near Barbaralynn St.

This must be another area he feels comfortable in as he keeps returning. Good news is that these are busy active neighborhoods with low traffic streets.

Wednesday Morning Status

2009-12-23T12:12:00.003-05:00

Update from Sue on Wednesday morning:

No luck at the trap last night. We will trip it tonight but leave food. Tomorrow we will move the trap over to where the sightings are consistently coming in. It will be a very quiet are until Monday when everyone returns to work, and much easier to monitor. And we have the property owner's permission to do what it takes to capture him.

An additional tactic being taken is to put out an appeal for anyone with a bitch in heat to provide urine soaked rags that can be used to strengthen the luring properties of the trap. Please contact Sue at 703-568-5879 if you can help with this.

Update Wednesday evening: a female in heat has been found, and hopefully those scent pads will be available for pickup really soon. And hopefully other offers will come in too. We're not sure we can have too many.

Sighting Monday

2009-12-22T09:56:00.006-05:00

Update from Sue, Tuesday morning:

I just got home from searching -- have been on my feet since 11 am yesterday.

Tundie is back in the woods in Sugarland Run Vally Park again, in the area bounded by the W&OD bike trail (by the police station), Herndon Parkway to Elden Street, Elden to Carlisle Drive with Carlisle forming the 4th border.

He was sighted yeseteday at 5 pm behind Nextec at the Elden Street end while we had dogs searching at the other end. I got the message too late to move on it.

We have set up a trap baited with food and hope to move him in that direction today by dragging meat scented bagged along trails back to the trap.

The little pisser just runs off when he is called but he is seems to be in good condition.

I am heading back out to search.

So as you can see, calling out to Tundie has the opposite of the desired effect, so please be sure not to call him if you see him. In fact, best to review these cautionary notes in case you see him. We want you to keep him in the area if you see him, and call immediately!

Stay tuned for progress reports, and get a visual of the sightings and some of the fliering on the map. Thanks to Kathy for providing details of the fliering she did on Monday (which she reported via a comment).

Status as of Monday Morning

2009-12-21T11:41:00.004-05:00

No sightings called in all day yesterday, Sunday. And the feeding station hadn't been touched. So it was a tough day to get through, thinking about Tundie out there alone and confused and cold, and with food harder to come by due to the snow.

But today is another day, and a search group is meeting at noon at Herndon Middle School to search for him and put up more posters (after first a stop at the police station to see if Tundie has been around there). Can you join us?

We are having the Observer help spread the word with an ad coming out today or tomorrow. But the frustrating thing about that now is that the door to door delivery is going to be difficult with the roads in the mess they are in. Even the Post isn't being delivered yet so we're worried that the Observer won't either.

We are keeping Laura Totis in mind, with her dog that is trained to trail the scent of lost pets. When there are a lot of sightings to tell us that Tundie is around, we can hold off on having her come. It's when there haven't been sightings and we don't know if he's still close to the area that we need that kind of help. And the snow and lack of a starting point are show stoppers. But we are ready to call on her if conditions are right. Our wish, though, is that we won't need her.

Off to search now. Please keep spreading the word, and help us bring Tundie home!

Update as of Late Saturday Morning

2009-12-19T12:11:00.002-05:00

Update from Sue:

We went to the woods where we set up the feeding station before sunrise around 6:30 am this morning. Tundie had found the found and devoured it but was already on the move -- probably since early move since there was around three inches of snow recovering the site by the time we got there.

We followed his trail through the snow down Herndon Parkway, right on Van Buren cutting through Haley Smith Park left on Alabama and lost it around Patrick.

At 9 am we had a sighting on April Street off Summerfield on the other side of the parkway headed in Elden Street.

We tried to pick up his trail but there are too many people out and about now to distinguish his tracks. He is covering a lot of ground quickly but he is marking his path -- made it easy to follow him as far as Alabama this morning.

We also backtracked him along Sugarland Trail to the Stuart Professional Office Park off Elden Street possibly he has found some place to sleep in that area the past few nights.

We did refill the feeding station but by evening the woods and trail will be shoulder deep for him. The most optimistic news is that he has been forced into a new more public route; he appears to be traveling through neighborhoods along the Herndon Parkway Loop and he is marking the trail. He is following roads but traffic is very light and will become lighter as this weather continues -- and Herndon does keep its main road plowed so he be able to travel freely rather than exhaust himself breaking through verry deep snowsmelf. The bad news is that the snow is wet and accumulating quickly and he will have slow down and seek shelter at some point -- there is lots vailable on his route if he will only avail himself of it -- enclosed parking garages, new housing construction with open access, etc.

I would like to get some food out front to keep him out of the woods if possible - lots of invisible snow covered ravines, and brush pits he could fall into and not get out of! For anyone that can help with settin gup and maintaining feeding stations, here are some locations that we think would be good:

the entrance to Haley Smith Park on Van Buren;
in front of ther Montessori School on Alabama,
in front of the Police Station and National Realty Partners (building next to the police station complex on Herndon Parkway, also backs on the woods and he has been seen roaming there)

And this is the area of focus for flyers, businesses and neighborhoods, once the snow lets up. If you can help, please leave a comment.

Check back for more updates as they come!

Cautionary Note for Sighters & Searchers

2009-12-18T23:52:00.001-05:00

While one of the sightings learned about today had Tundie playing with a couple of neighborhood dogs, a couple of the people who called in sightings today commented on his ears down badly frightened demeanor.

If you see Tundie, please be very careful to avoid scaring him off! Some of the things to do include avoiding eye contact, refraining from calling his name or speaking directly to him, and no fast movements or movements in his direction. Don't pat the ground for him to come, or make smooching sounds. He may not run at your mere presence, if you are NOT paying attention to him, but he is likely to retreat if he picks up that you are paying attention to him. The ONLY exception is that if you are able to discreetly snap a picture of him with your phone, that would be immensely appreciated. This can help verify that it is Tundie that you see.

Best if you get low to the ground -- sitting, squatting, crouching, or better yet, lay down if you can! Put your back to him, and toss treats over your shoulder at him. These are actions that should not cause him to disappear again, and you can call immediately. We are not asking anyone to be the hero and to try to capture him. We are asking that you keep him in the area if you can do it with non-threatening behavior, and give his owner an opportunity to come as this will have the highest chance of success in pursuading him to come.

Thank you in advance for your help finding Tundie, and please leave a comment if you have other tips for sighters and searchers!

Sightings a Plenty!

2009-12-18T23:03:00.007-05:00

Thursday passed without word of sightings, but the outreach is working because today, we've found out that there have been plenty of sightings -- every day since Tundie disappeared!

Just after nine this morning, the first call came in of a live sighting that put our boy behind the Herndon police station. This was neither the first nor the last sighting at that location. Like nearly all of the sightings so far, this is just yards away from the W&OD trail. The sightings have all been between Herndon and Sterling, much more in Herndon than Sterling.

Canvassing, fliering, and feeding stations monitoring and setting up followed the sighting since Tundie wasn't captured, as wonderful as this red hot sighting was. This resulted in more sightings. And late this afternoon (seems like evening since it was dark), Mollie was given a chance to lure Tundie out of hiding. Mollie is Tundie's Westie buddy. Here's how the effort went down:

"About 5:30 she started barking like crazy and a large shadow slipped down the path and into the woods about thirty feet in front of us. Pretty sure it was Tundie since it came straight off the bike trail -- not likely for a deer. Anyway, we just sat and talked normallyfor about an hour and said his name a lot. Walked around the trail talking quietly one more time and headed home."

So, Saturday morning starts with checking the feeding stations at day break, and then waiting and watching for Tundie to start moving when the sun comes up. Let's all send our most positive vibes and prayers for this to work! We know all about the snow forecast, and what a challenge it's going to be to even get there, but we're talking determined here! And to find the positive in the snow forecast, it might enable tracks to Tundie's lair to be seen. Even better -- it will cut down on the automobile traffic in the area.

Fortunately, there are some great folks living and working in Herndon, and also volunteers from German Shepherd Rescue that are helping out, between calling in the sightings, fliering, and searching along the trail, but we can never have too many folks helping. If you can help, please leave a comment here or send an email to offer your help. The one exception is that we are concerned that a lot of people on site at the W&OD trail might scare him off, so for that, we are not looking for volunteers. Fliering and passing out business cards -- that's what we'd like help with. Download the flier, or contact us by comment or email for the business cards.

Also on tap for Saturday, weather permitting, is the possibility of a track by Laura Totis, whose own German Shepherd, Chewy, is trained to trail the scent of missing pets. The plan right now is for Laura and Chewy to come out to Northern Virginia to track for Colby, lost in Burke.

Stay tuned for developments. Hopefully, the reunion!

Have You Seen Thunder?

2009-12-18T00:19:00.001-05:00

Efforts are under way to find Tundie!

Vets have been notified via The Pet Rescue; this was done Wednesday. Fliers have been emailed and posted along the W&OD, but a lot more of that has yet to be done. The Observer will be running the flier, as well. Several internet sites have Tundie listed, and in fact, one of the early sightings came in because a person who saw him went to FidoFinder to see if anyone in Herndon was missing a German Shepherd. Early efforts turned up three sightings in the first three days, and food has been left out where Tundie has been seen. The sightings have been mapped, which you can see at right. Thanks to German Shepherd Rescue for posting Tundie's information on their website.

So much to do, so little time! Can you help? Please leave a comment if you can!

Thunder is Lost!

2009-12-16T21:13:00.021-05:00

Thunder escaped from his new home (of about ten day) as the dog walker entered the home, on Monday December 14th. He ran off along Frying Pan Road, and from there it seems that he probably made his way to the W&OD Trail, perhaps by way of Monroe Street. There have been several sightings, all of which have been off the trail.

About Thunder (Tundie)

longcoat German Shepherd

looks like a Shiloh Shepherd

male, 4 years old

coat is predominantly black with cream markings

face is solid black

stands 30 inches high

weighs 105 pounds

very gentle and unaggressive (but very wary of strangers right now)

likes going for rides

was wearing a brown leather collar with tags reading "Chewy" and
a choke collar when he disappeared

recently moved to the Herndon area when he joined his new family

Please follow the search on this blog, and contact his family whatever way works fastest for you if you see him!

Call or text Sue @ 703-568-5879
Email kshurwitz@fcps.edu
Home # 703-793-0923
Work/bus day # 703-446-1666
Prev owner # 304-384-8884
Clocktower Vets # 703-713-1200
Animal Control #s
~ Fairfax 703-691-2131
~ Loudoun 703-777-0406