*** WELCOME HOME, TOAD! *** Myself and my Toad owe the awesome citizens of Ponca City the biggest thanks ever for helping to bring him home! Without all of your help it would have been nearly impossible to track him down! Toads Big Adventure: Last Tuesday night my beloved little Toad made the uncharacteristic decision to leap out of my Jeep at the Valero station on Highway 60 in the Osage. Before I even had a chance to react he had vanished into the night. After a frantic sprint down the roadside I panicked and did what any dedicated pet owner would do - called 911 and began running through burr filled fields shouting in terror. That night was the beginning of what would ultimately be six days of desperate searching, circling neighborhoods squeaking a beaver toy out the window, hanging hundred of flyers, writing incessant public Facebook posts and sleeping in various Osage parking lots. Whether were blessed or just lucky, somehow something unimaginable happened - My constant (and Im sure at times annoying) Facebook posts got the attention of a lot of people in our community. Before we knew it we had dozens and dozens of folks offering assistance. Many people came out to join the physical search with squeak toys and cheese (his favorite) in hand. Many more called or messaged offering prayers, encouragement and support. Many just made sure my Facebook posts stayed at the top of everybodys news feeds. I was brought to tears not only by the loss of my precious dog, but also by the amazing kindness of strangers, all of whom refused to accept any reward money or my offers of compensation for gas. Thanks to the watchful eyes of Ponca City and McCord area residents, there were numerous Toad sightings. Within a few days everybody seemed to know his name, yet no one could catch what a helpful Dominos driver dubbed the fastest dog [hed] ever seen. On Sunday morning, after yet another night of sleeping in front of the old River Bridge Cafe, my husband and I headed home feeling defeated. I could no longer stop myself from thinking the worst. I began considering funeral preparations and what to do with Toads possessions. As we crossed over the Arkansas River I made the decision that a Viking style funeral would be the most appropriate - his things placed on a small boat, lit on fire and sent down the river that we knew he had been trying to cross to come home. When we arrived home I staggered past the empty crate and untouched food we had left out in hopes that my Toad would somehow find his way. I turned off the porch light we had been leaving on for him and sat down on the couch, ready for another good cry. Just when we thought all hope was lost, my phone rang. A gentleman had spotted my Toad in front of St. Marys Catholic just moments earlier - only a block from our home! I was told he was headed north, so I jumped back in the car and took off in the same direction. I could barely believe my eyes when I intercepted my little rascal on the corner of 10th and Central. Weary and frightened, he didnt recognize my vehicle and continued to run north. I gave chase and after several tense minutes of what was, in hindsight, reckless driving, I spotted him again as he emerged from a backyard. I bailed out of my Jeep, abandoning it with the door wide open in the middle of the road. Favorite squeak toy in hand, I slowly approached the Toad and he cautiously approached me. At about 15 feet he suddenly recognized me and ran into my arms! I scooped him up, ran back to the car and headed home. Relief at last! My nightmare was finally over. After what was surely the adventure of a lifetime, my Toadlet was extremely skinny, very filthy and still wet from his final river crossing, but miraculously otherwise unharmed. Though tired and hungry his attitude portrayed that to him, at least, this was all no big deal. Little jerk. Now that hes been home for a few days hes cleaned up and has much more energy, though hell be getting extra food for awhile to fatten him back up. Hell be microchipped at PetSense and Ive ordered the Tagg GPS tracker for pets. Once it arrives hell never leave the house without it. Furthermore, he will never again ride in my Jeep without being tethered to the seat as he always used to be before I regrettably become too relaxed with him. There are many lessons to be learned from this unfortunate experience, but I think the biggest thing Ill take away from this is a renewed love and sense of appreciation for this beautiful little town we all call home. Again, I highly doubt my Toads homecoming would have been possible without the help of an entire town rallying together to track down one little wayfaring dog. Though Ive done my best to acknowledge all of the comments Ive received on Facebook, I feel like theres nothing I could ever do to thank this community enough. I regret that through my stress and strife I wasnt even able to catch all of the names of those whose called, messaged and spent days tromping through fields or aimlessly driving through neighborhoods with me. I greatly apologize if youre name goes unmentioned, but please know Ill never forget your selfless efforts to help a stranger and her tiny lost dog. That being said, Id like to give specific thanks (in no particular order) to . . . * My husband, Jordan Brown, for loving enduring my poor attitude, misguided anger and demands that he miss work to search with me. Love you, Beebs. * My father and stepmother, Chuck Hosar & Kenda Perkins, who dropped everything and drove out from Bartlesville, only for my poor father to get stuck in a barbed wire fence and require stitches. Love you and so does your Toadly grandchild! * Jan Mansfield, who was out searching with me since day one all for the love her own little best friend, Miss Button the Yorkie. * James & Naomi Cummings, founders of Dros Cause Animal Rescue. Please like them on Facebook and support them if you havent already! * Becki Sheets-Klinger for joining the search even though still recovering from back surgery. * Elizabeth Kay Gatz who was selfless enough to bring her grandkids out to search, though dealing with her own personal adversity. * Jeromy & Keara Harrison for coming out with a four wheeler and cheese. * The woman with the white Honda who lives on Victory that searched nearly every day with us. Im so sorry I never caught your name! * The gentleman who spent some time searching and called offering support because he lost his own chihuahua to a spider bite recently. Im so sorry I never caught your name either, but your call meant a lot! * The Dominos driver who not only interrupted his pizza run to chase after the Toad by Dixie Dog, but also offered the pizza he was delivering to try to lure him over. Youre awesome! (And apologies to whomever received a late and possibly cold pizza that was offered to a dog before being delivered) * The Osage County Sheriffs Department for politely fielding and disregarding numerous calls per night to dispatch about my searchlights beaming into windows. * The teachers, bus drivers and students at McCord School who all kept a watchful eye. * The numerous property owners who gave us permission to search their land. * Osage Casino security for allowing me to off road around the adjacent field in the middle of the night, undoubtedly creeping out numerous patrons. * The employees of Ponca City News who ran our ads, took a personal interest in our plight and immediately called with congratulations once the Toad was finally captured. * All the business owners who allowed me to plaster their businesses with flyers. (And apologies to the corporate owned businesses that kept removing the flyers only for me to rehang them repeatedly until they stopped resisting) * Everybody who joined the physical search! * Everybody who kept us in their prayers! * Everybody who called just to say thinking of you! * Everybody who liked, commented, shared and kept my group posts at the top of everyones pages! News of the Toad spread as far as Hominy. Really amazing! Again, I deeply apologize to anyone I may have forgotten to mention, but I will forever be grateful. From myself, my family and my Toad - THANK YOU, PONCA CITY!
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:58:14 +0000
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