FindSparky.org

Anything is possible - Leo the border collie found in OR after 9 mo!

2009-04-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Did you catch this story in the Oregonian or on the AP newswires?

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/happy_ending_its_not_exactly_d.html

Eerily similar to Sparky with a 4th of July disappearance of a 50 lb dog.

Sparky's story, part 11 - thank you to all

2008-12-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

It's been 2 months since the last possible sighting, more than 5 months since he went missing. We have not given up, but we are now assuming that Sparky was picked up by someone and is either in someone's home or with a homeless person - either way, he's getting cared for. With the snow and extreme cold we are having, it's the best thought we have, as he's not built for this kind of weather.

We want to thank everyone who has tirelessly helped us look for Sparky, and for the many, many, kind words that have been sent to us from all over the country after hearing of Sparky's plight. We are deeply grateful, and it has given us hope over these past many months.

At this point, we are relying on his microchip to get him back to us. In fact, when I was in the shelter a week or so ago, one of the very nice folks that work there gave me a bit of a pep talk - could probably tell that I was a bit despondent about the situation. Anyway, she told me the story of a woman who lost one of her little dogs, and low and behold the guy was picked up 2 full years later by an animal control officer and reunited based on the chip info. We hope for a similar story.

Here are a last few bits of video as our family continued to grow and Sparky continued to become a gentler and calmer, stately middle-aged dog.

Occasionally, Sparky would get himself a minor injury. I think in this shot he had cut one of his paw pads on a rock. So we had to sock him up for a week or so while it healed. We thought it was funny.

Of course, it was even funnier when Sparky had on the full dog boot paraphernalia - which we really only broke out for the snow and ice. He loved to play in the stuff, but it was tough on his pads.

Sparky was a part of pretty much everything we did as a family, including the bedtime ritual for the boys.

Here is the last piece of video I found of Sparky, from Nov 2007:

It's a bittersweet holiday season for us this year. We're hoping our guy is able to curl up in a warm spot somewhere. In the meantime, we have his ornament hung on the tree again.

Not Sparky at Cedar Mill Crossing

2008-10-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

I returned to the apt complex and waited a couple hours. The dog did finally come by at about 7:30, but it was not Sparky. S/he was about the same size, but mostly black with long hair and erect ears (Sparky's ears are folded over). Looked like a cross between a shepard and a border collie. I could not tell if there was a collar in the darkness and with the long hair. It was extremely shy, almost cat-like, and I could not get anywhere near it - nor could I get a photo. Likely this is a lost dog, but I'm not sure. I posted on Craigslist just in case.

If any of you that has reported a possible Sparky sighting before but the above description is a better match, please let us know.

No luck so far

2008-10-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

I waited for awhile last night at the approximate dinnertime, and while I saw many cats, no dog came by. We will try again.

The dog was back!

2008-10-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

The same dog that was in the field near Barnes and Saltzman on Sunday was there this evening. The wonderful woman who is reporting this to us has been leaving food out for stray cats and the like, and it could be that this dog is coming by for dinner. I will be going there tomorrow evening to see if it returns. We're not sure it is Sparky, but it could be - here's hoping that it is.

A promising sighting

2008-10-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

A dog described as similar to Sparky was spotted in the same field off Barnes Rd that we got a report from last month. It was about 6 pm, and the reporter could not get close to the dog, despite having food to offer. She said it was a tall dog with the same kind of muted pattern as the photos of Sparky, and described it as joyfully bouncing around and then running away if she tried to get close.

I went out there, although it was a couple hours later, and called for Sparky, but no sign of him.

Not Sparky, but a little good news - we'll take all we can get

2008-10-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a couple of emails of possible sightings out in Rock Creek area off Cornelius Pass Rd. The appearance was described as very similar to Sparky, yet this dog had a green collar on. Shortly thereafter, we were notified about a new Craigslist posting for Monte, a recently lost dog from Hillsboro:

Clearly very similar to Sparky, although a few differences - the face/muzzle color is the clearest give away (Sparky is black with greying). This dog was wearing a green collar when lost, and we were able to notify the owner and he has been out searching - we hope a happy ending is coming soon.

While not our guy, we are very happy to help in any small way, along with the spotters and the Craigslist tipster, to get Monte home. And we are really happy that 2 separate people that saw this dog knew about the website and took the time to write in. One of these times we will be able to get to Sparky in person.

Sparky in Washington County Weekly

2008-10-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

Sparky's story apparently ran today in the Wash Co Weekly insert in the Oregonian. We have already received a nice email of support from a reader. I'll post a link if I can find it (doesn't look like they have the story online - at least not yet).

Sparky's story, part 10

2008-10-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sparky continued to mellow with age - or maybe it was the increasing number of pack members. Our second son was born that winter, and Sparky took to him just like the first - and, in fact, all babies that he meets.

And then the next winter we experienced our first freezing rain event. Sparky wasn't quite sure what to make of it - although he was surprisingly sure footed. Still, you'll see he does a pretty good slide at the end of this run:

Of course, one of his favorite places is the beach - so many smells, wide open spaces to run, swimming in the waves.

New sighting!

2008-10-19T19:56:00.001-07:00

We got a message today from a woman who is sure she saw Sparky walking along the sidewalk near the Thriftway on Cornell on Saturday night. We don't have any further details at this point, but I've updated the map. Please keep your eyes peeled!

Another call, but not Sparky

2008-10-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

We got another couple of calls over the weekend, about the same dog on Cornell at about 110th. I dashed right over there, and was able to see the dog, but it wasn't Sparky. Similar black/brown colors, although not brindle - more of a German Shepard like pattern - and heavier. It wandered over to a nearby house that appeared to be it's home - probably soaking up the sunshine outside.

Thanks so much for those folks with eagle eyes that called this one in!

Dave

More media coverage coming

2008-10-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Rachel was interviewed yesterday by a reporter for The Oregonian, which is planning to put a short story into the Cedar Mill section of the Washington County Weekly local insert that gets distributed in The Oregonian. We're not sure when this story will run, but looks like the last week of October. We are really excited about the broader coverage we're starting to get so that more people that may have seen Sparky can send in some tips.

We'll post a link when the story does run.

Sparky on Better TV

2008-10-04T14:14:00.001-07:00

Sparky and Rachel were featured in a segment about losing a family pet and what owners can do when a pet goes missing. Check it out at www.better.tv.

Possible Sparky sighting this morning in Beaverton

2008-10-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

A child waiting for the bus at Meadow Dr. and Downing St. says she saw a dog that looks like Sparky running into the green space where the power lines run. No way to be sure it's him, but it is again near the same watershed that all of these Cedar Mill sightings have been near.

A hot lead, but not Sparky

2008-10-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we got a tip about a dog in the parking lot of the Tannesborne Sherri's that matched the description and looked very thin. We were able to get my father, who is in town for a visit, and Sharon, one of our dedicated SparkySearchers, out there right away. They found the dog, who did look similar to Sparky, but it was not him. Turns out it wasn't a stray, as it was jumping in and out of a parked car which had it's windows rolled down.

We much appreciate the tip, and one of these is going to lead us back to Sparky!

New posters up

2008-09-28T19:15:00.001-07:00

Given the probable sighting on early Fri morning, we got some more posters up today in the general Cedar Mill vicinity. We'll see how long they last - the posters Rachel put up last week are already all gone.

Has Sparky resurfaced in Cedar Mill?

2008-09-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

We just got a report today that a dog that looks like our poster was in the empty field off Barnes, just east of the fork with Saltzman (map is updated). It was the middle of the night, so the spotter can't be sure it's Sparky, but the coloring seemed to match. The dog didn't appear to be near anyone, and the location is consistent with prior sightings, so we feel very good about this one. We will put up more posters in the area this weekend.

Sparky's story, part 9

2008-09-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

That winter of 2003-2004 was our first in Portland, and you may remember that we had a bit of a blizzard by Portland standards right around the new year. It started with just a few inches, and then we got several more after the new year. Everything shut down, and we were all just walking - and sledding - around the neighborhood. It was Sparky's first ever encounter with honest-to-goodness snow, and just like the waters of Lake Tahoe, it made him very frisky. He got cold after a while, but he sure did love frolicking around in the meantime:

This clip isn't really related to anything, I just think it's funny:

Could it be Sparky in SE?

2008-09-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

We have a report of a loose dog that is said to look exactly like Sparky who was spotted last Wed (9/17) in the Safeway parking lot at SE 82nd and Burnside. We don't think he would go across the river on his own, but it is at least possible someone took him over there and later released him. We have a previous report of a dog that looked similar to Sparky at SE 164th and SE Main on 9/5. It could be the same or a different dog.

If anyone else has seen a dog matching Sparky's description, with no collar, running loose in SE, please call or email us!

Sparky lookalike near PSU?

2008-09-24T09:41:00.001-07:00

We are continuing to get tips to follow up on. A big Sparky Thank You to a dedicated SparkySearcher in SW who sent us a lead and managed to snap a couple shots with a phone.

This dog looks remarkably like Sparky, but we and the reporter think it is probably not him due to differences in coloring and less greying on the muzzle. If anyone knows this dog and can confirm that, please let us know! The spotting was near PSU campus.

KOIN 6 report about Sparky

2008-09-23T17:28:00.001-07:00

The 2:20 video of the Amy Frazier report is now available on the KOIN website at:

http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=8618@koin.dayport.com&navCatId=156

Sparky on KOIN 6 news

2008-09-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Rachel was interviewed this afternoon by Amy Frazier of KOIN 6 News for a story about Sparky and the community love and support he's received. It aired at 5:30 tonight, with a shorter recap during the 6:00 and 11:00 broadcasts. We've already gotten new tips to follow up on. The video is not up yet, but we will post a link when it's available. In the meantime, KOIN put up a short web story on Sparky.

Sparky's story, part 8

2008-09-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Not too long after our summer visit to Lake Tahoe, our friend that had Teemu, the dog in part 7 that gave Sparky a pedicure, was moving and needed a place for Teemu to stay for awhile. After work one afternoon I went to the Alaska Air cargo facility at PDX and picked him up.

An absolute sweetheart of a dog, but not a particularly bright guy, and also a complete slug. We thought for sure after a few months on the Sparky regimen we could get him to shed the 10 or 15 extra pounds he was carrying around. Of course, when we walked him, we had arms outstretched in opposite directions with Sparky 5 feet in front of us, pulling and wanting to go faster, and Teemu 5 feet behind us, dragging and wanting to just lie down.

Sparky was like a drill sergeant who was irritated by Teemu's lethargy and lackadaisical attitude. He tried to whip him into shape, but generally to no avail, resorting to tusseling matches while lying down:

In the end, we fostered Teemu for about 3 months. His departure weight? Exactly where he started, to the pound. It was later discovered that he has a thyroid problem and needs medication, and he's now into a healthy zone, if not exactly svelte.

Maybe a sighting near Forest Park?

2008-09-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

We got an email report of a dog that matched Sparky's description in the grassy area of Forest Park "under the bridge" on Wed. I am following up, and I am guessing the reporter is referring to the Thurman St. bridge that goes over the trailhead to Macleay Park at about NW 30th. There are at least two other dogs in this general NW neighborhood that look like Sparky, so it may not be him, but the implication is the dog was unattended. If anyone has more information, please let us know. In the meantime, we will continue to follow up on this one to confirm location, whether a collar was evident, etc.

Not Sparky in Hillsboro

2008-09-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

I got a response from the person who posted the Craigslist item about a dog in Hillsboro, and she confirmed it was not Sparky, so I have removed that possibility from the map. We really appreciate the story and the tip nonetheless, and we are continuing to get new tips to check into.

Potential sighting in Hillsboro - and another great story of dog recovery

2008-09-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

We continue to be amazed and heartened by the sheer number of you who are keeping an eye out for Sparky and take the time to write in with tips. Below is another example - possible sighting from Craigslist is at the bottom. We are checking into it, and if any of you have info on this dog, please let us know! In the meantime, the gentleman took the time to write us his story of recovering their family dog, and I thought I'd share it:

Thought I would pass this on in case it gets flagged.

Probably not your dog but thought you may want to check it out since it was probably dark when they saw the dog...and you never know. There are a lot restaurants in that area...and wetlands that would provide a great place to hide.

We had a dog spooked by lighting several years ago and she was finally located almost 40 miles from our home (amost five months later) in an area that provided cover to hide in and lots of fast food restaurants where she had obviously been eating.

And the people that saw her posted her as looking like a pit/great dane mix and she is actually a purebred Rhodesian Ridgeback...it was also late at night and almost dark when they saw her. We finally got her back after ourselves and lots of our friends spent several evenings sitting in our cars waiting for her to reappear near one of the fast food restaurants in the area. You might want to check with the people at Burgerville & Baja Fresh and the other restaurants in the area to see if anyone has seen your dog hanging out in the area. We did that and received confirmation from a couple of employees that they had seen a dog resembling ours hanging out in the area.

Good Luck

Dog seen near Baja Fresh in Hillsboro (Hillsboro)

Date: 2008-09-15, 9:42PM PDT

The dog was running across Cornell between the Burgerville and Baja Fresh. I tried to stop and get the dog when it was in the Baja Fresh parking lot, but then it ran back through the bushes towards Cornell and I couldn't see where it went. It was around 9:30 PM tonight (Monday) and looked like a pit mix. Dark brown and black maybe. Muscular and big. Please go get your dog!!

Sparky's story, part 7

2008-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

We finally moved up to Portland in the spring of 2003. Sparky continued in good spirits, although he occasionally looked at us in disbelief at our relocation decision when confronted with cold and wet weather in May and June. I'm sure he was wondering what we thought we were doing leaving the wonderful warm sun of San Diego for which his hound-like self is so well suited.

That 4th of July, we again went to Lake Tahoe, for what turned out to be our last summer visit there for awhile. This time we flew, Sparky and toddler in tow. Other than a mild sedative, Spark took to it like a pro, having just flown up from San Diego two months prior. And once again, he enjoyed himself immensely frolicking with the other dogs on the beach and in the meadows. One of his favorite things at that age was to be chased:

One evening a few days into our stay, we noticed Sparky was very lethargic and slightly favoring one leg. We figured the poor guy had just worn himself out running and swimming, and probably had worn his paw pad a bid on the rough gravelly sand. In fact, Teemu, one of the other dogs, would occasionally give Spark some first aid:

We made sure Sparky's bed was extra comfortable that night and assumed he'd rebound in the morning. Boy were we wrong. By 7 am when we arose for breakfast, Sparky could barely walk and would hop a bit and then lie down. Rachel noticed that on his belly he had some kind of a bite mark surrounded by a red ring - a clear "target" type pattern. Someone mentioned lyme disease. Now we were frightened.

Our hosts had brought a laptop and there was dial-up internet available. A little searching indicated that dogs were susceptible to lyme disease, and that while rare, ticks around Lake Tahoe could be infected, and that arthritic like symptoms and lethargy were common in those affected. Full panic mode.

Because it was the 4th of July holiday, only one vet was on call for the entire Tahoe area, a little more than an hour away near Truckee . Dave carried Spark out to the car and headed out through the Sunday afternoon, home-bound traffic. A country doc with a mobile (RV) office was the one on call. After a full examination, he said he believed the leg and the bite were unrelated, that Sparky most likely had a spider bite on his stomach, which can very easily present as a red target pattern, and that he had a sprained shoulder that was causing the severe limping. Mild and coated aspirin combined with rest was the prescription. Dave headed back to the crew very relieved.

Not the first time, and not the last time that Sparky gave us a great scare which ended in anti-climatic fashion. We are hoping for the same here shortly on his current outing.

An interesting twist on 114th, but still no Sparky

2008-09-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

Rachel got a call last night from the folks that had called us with the sighting on NW 114th near Leahy, and they said the same dog was hanging around out in a field nearby. Rachel immeidately jumped in the car to speed over there, and the callers said they would stay and wait outside.

When she got there, the callers and the dog were still outside. Unfortunately, it was immediately clear it was not Sparky, although a similar looking and behaving dog, albeit a bit more German Shepard like in coloring. Of course, Rachel has food and leashes in the car, so she coaxed him over and got him on leash. After not too long, the owners came out of a nearby house looking for the dog, and that was that.

The interesting twist is that while Rachel was figuring out what to do, another neighbor came by walking her dog. She didn't know who's dog this new one was, but she said she had also seen Sparky back in August on 114th, although she hadn't called us at the time. She said this dog Rachel had just captured was not the dog she saw, that she was sure it was Sparky that she had seen.

So we disconfirmed one sighting, but simultaneously got a new report from roughly the same time frame that Sparky was there.

Sparky's story, part 6

2008-09-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

After our 1st son was born, Sparky didn't quite get the royal treatment he had previously come to expect. Pretty quickly Sparky resigned himself to his new status, although he clearly still continued to view himself as 2nd in command after Dave despite the new recruit who got the attention. Still, life was good and he enjoyed the warm weather lifestyle of San Diego to which he is so well suited. We regularly went to Fiesta Island, if not quite as often as pre-kid, bringing our son along in an off-road stroller or a backpack.

That summer, we again returned to Lake Tahoe - this time with a no-med, increasingly well behaved Sparky. After Fiesta Island, probably his favorite place he'd ever been to - 2 other dogs also visiting, wide open spaces to romp in, and ready access to good swimming. We had a few races, in fact, and he was about as fast as your average adult doing freestyle - sometimes he won, sometimes we won.

Sparky's story, part 5

2008-09-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

We were worried how Sparky would react to a baby when we found out Rachel was pregnant. At heart he was very sweet, but at 50 lbs, 2 ft tall, and with a lot of strength, he could do a lot of damage to a newborn - even unintentionally. Well, we needn't have worried. When our son was born, it became apparent that Sparky had a bit of a parental instinct kick in. He would occasionally start pacing and get concerned, but it was because the baby would be crying and upset. When in contact with the baby, we was extremely gentle, and would mostly just want to lick the little guy to calm him down.

Through 3 sons, that is still his M.O. 7 years later, although he displays the slightly weary attitude of an experienced father at this point. And we found that it's not restricted to our own pack, he attempts to lick every baby that comes into the house. It's a funny sight to see a big, muscular dog towering over an infant on the floor and then have him lean over to give a big lick.

Of course, his behavior isn't totally self-less, as there is nothing like a baby to provide an endless source of morsels - or mouthfuls. He usually wasn't quite this bold, but he always hung around the high chair, right through to the day he disappeared. The hardest thing for me so far was the first time I had to scoop up the Cheerios off the floor because Sparky wasn't there to lick them up.

Possible sighting was not Sparky

2008-09-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

We confirmed this evening that the possible sighting last Friday was for sure not Sparky. We are hoping that the coming days of sun and warmth will bring him out somewhere.

Info on sugar-free gum toxicity in dogs (unrelated to Sparky)

2008-09-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

We just had below warning forwarded on email, and thought the dog lovers out there could make use of this if you didn't already know. Below info about Xylitol is true, as you can read on ASPCA website or snopes.com.

Warning to all dog owners - pass this on to everyone you can. Last Friday evening, I arrived home from work, fed Chloe, our 24 Lb. dachshund, just as I normally do. Ten minutes later I walked into the den just in time to see her head inside the pocket of Katie's friend's purse. She had a guilty look on her face so I looked closer and saw a small package of sugar-free gum. It contained xylitol. I remembered that I had recently read that sugar-free gum can be deadly for dogs so I jumped on line and looked to see if xylitol was the ingredient. I found the first website below and it was the one. Next, I called
our vet. She said to bring her in immediately.

Unfortunately, it was still rush hour and it took me almost 1/2 hour to get there. Meanwhile, since this was her first case, our vet found another website to figure out the treatment. She took Chloe and said they would induce her to vomit, give her a charcoal drink to absorb the toxin (even though they don't think it works) then they would start an iv with dextrose. The xylitol causes dogs to secrete insulin so their blood sugar drops very quickly. The second thing that happens is liver failure. If that happens, even with aggressive treatment, it can be difficult to save them. She told us she would call us. Almost two hours later, the vet called and said that contents of her stomach contained 2-3 gum wrappers and that her blood sugar had dropped from 90 to 59 in 30 minutes. She wanted us to take Chloe to another hospital that has a critical care unit operating around the clock. We picked her up and took her there. They had us call the ASPCA poison control for a case number and for a donation, their doctors would direct Chloe's doctor on treatment. They would continue the iv, monitor her blood every other hour and then in 2 days test her liver function. She ended up with a central line in her jugular vein since the one in her leg collapsed, just as our regular vet had feared. Chloe spent almost the entire weekend in the critical care hospital. After her blood sugar was stabilized ed, she came home yesterday. They ran all the tests again before they released her and so far, no sign of liver damage. Had I not seen her head in the purse, she probably would have died and we wouldn't even had known why.

Three vets told me this weekend, that they were amazed that I even knew about it since they are first learning about it too. Please tell everyone you know about xylitol and dogs. It may save another life.

Sparky's story, part 4 - with video

2008-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

For the first few days at Lake Tahoe, Sparky acted like he usually did on Fiesta Island - he'd happily wade in, maybe even up to chest deep, but then he would stop and just pace while he waited for his ball to be brought back to shore by the waves. But by our return trip to San Diego, Sparky was a certified water dog.

One day we were out in the rowboat and Sparky clearly wanted to come along, so into the boat he went. Then we figured it was a short swim to shore, so why not see if Spark could get there with a little encouragement. I got in first, so Sparky already had some motivation, as he was clearly distraught to have me in the water while he was in the boat with our friends. Nonetheless, he didn't want to jump in. Our friends gave him a little assistance over the side as best they could, I held up his chest while he got a full doggy paddle going, and that was that.

From then on, Sparky was happier in the water than he was on land. He has the retrieving and swimming instincts of a lab - but unfortunately for him, the coat of a hound. He would retrieve balls and swim around in the lake so long, he would start violently shivering, so we'd have to put him on a leash and hold him back on the beach so he wouldn't get hypothermia. And of course about every half hour when a stranger went by, we had to put him in a down-stay because he was still a bit on the aggressive side from the residual Zoloft.

Once the Zoloft was gone, we were sort of back to where we started - a super sweet dog that was extremely fearful of strangers and completely unable to learn to focus on us. A return trip the vet led to a new prescription - Clomicalm. It is a formulation for animals of the same chemical in Anafranil, another anti-depressant. After the Zoloft experiment we were wary, but willing to go forward on our quest to allow the rest of the world see the super sweet, smart dog that we did every day.

The good news was Clomicalm was far cheaper, didn't require any cutting for dosage, and didn't need to be tapered up and down. For Sparky it was a miracle drug. It didn't turn him into a different dog like Zoloft, but it sure took the edge and panic off of him in stressful situations. Sparky was only on it for a few months, but he was indeed receptive to our training lessons and could learn to sit and lie down even in the face of some distraction. I wouldn't say he was ready to do tricks on TV or anything, but it gave us confidence in our ability to control him in a variety of situations. Finally, we felt like Sparky had come back from whatever breakdown he'd had after those many months in the shelter.

And just in time, as our 1st son was born that December.

More to come...

New possible sighting - working to confirm

2008-08-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

We got a message that Sparky may have been sighted on Friday in the same general area, but slightly farther north, as shown on the updated map. We are trying to connect with the wonderful woman who called in, but with the holiday weekend it may take a couple more days. Nonetheless, we wanted to get this info out there for those of you on the lookout.

Research says we are likely to find Sparky

2008-08-31T07:00:00.001-07:00

Although we haven't found a lot of research on the question of likelihood of finding lost dogs, one study from Ohio State just last year indicates that nearly 3 in 4 lost dogs are recovered safely. This is in spite of the fact that less than 1/2 the dogs in the study had either a tag or a microchip - and Sparky has a microchip.

Especially because the typical story with shy/aloof dogs like Sparky is that they can evade recovery for weeks or months, and because he's been sighted as recently as 2 weeks ago, we believe we will eventually be reunited with him.

Sparky's story, part 3

2008-08-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

What a complete fiasco the Zoloft was. The pills themselves were very hard to administer - a bad omen for sure. They were these teeny-tiny little things that we had to cut down into miniscule little granules because Zoloft has to be gradually built up in the bloodstream - and down again at the end.

At first we were optimistic - seemed like some of Sparky's more compulsive behaviors, such as constant circling of the dining room table when friends came to the door, were reduced. But then at Fiesta Island we noticed that he seemed bolder and more aggressive with other owners from whom he would normally run away - like those with hats and sunglasses. And then he lunged at a couple of people while out for walks in the neighborhood. Fortunately, he was not only on leash but also wearing a Gentle Leader, so he couldn't do any harm. But he frightened the bejeezes out of Rachel.

As his behavior escalated it became clear that the Zoloft had taken away his fear alright - now he was just darnright aggressive. So we talked to the vet and decided to take him off Zoloft, but that was going to take 6 weeks, of course, because he couldn't go cold turkey. So for a month and a half in the summer of 2001, with Rachel pregnant, we had Sparky in rehab while he came off his meds.

In the middle of all that, we were able to take a vacation up to Lake Tahoe with some friends - and Sparky was invited to come along. It was there in the cold, crystal clear water of the lake - while still partly on Zoloft - that Sparky first learned how to swim.

More to come...

Sparky's story, part 2

2008-08-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Part of adopting a special needs dog was a series of training classes, which was a very good thing for us because Sparky was our first dog. The SD Humane Society was on the forefront of the clicker training method, which as many of you may know is a system based purely on rewarding good behavior and ignoring bad. Sparky has a high metabolism, especially back then, so the treats were a good motivating factor. He quickly learned about sitting and lying down. However, we continued to struggle with him in environments with distractions and, as he saw them, threats - aka the real world.

The one place where he was full of joy, and the only place he was able to demonstrate his incredible sight-hound speed, was the Fiesta Island dog park. It's basically a giant dirt and dust pile in the middle of a shallow (i.e., warmer water) bay with acres of sand, scrub-brush, and lots of other dogs - i.e., a Hawaiian vacation for Sparky. Not our favorite place, but boy did he love it. He didn't swim when we started going there (more on that later) - but he sure did love pestering bigger dogs and then running absolutely as fast as he could through the brown grass and weeds. One time I remember he pestered a large German Shepard - he almost didn't make it back from that one, as it was maybe a 1/3 of a step shy of his pace.

In any case, because we continued to have behavior challenges with him - sometimes aggressive barking at taller men - we took Sparky to the Helen Woodward Animal Center in the spring of 2001 to see a behavioral specialist. Two things came out of that. First, clicker training alone was not enough for Sparky, he needed gentle but firm reminders that he wasn't in charge, so we were instructed to put him in long down-stays in situations where he ordinarily would decide to go investigate or intimidate new threats. Second, he went on Zoloft, which is sometimes used for animals. That's right, the same antidepressant from Pfizer that your doctor might prescribe to you. Anyway, the idea was to put him on a medication that would calm him down enough in the stressful situations to be able to take the training lessons. Unfortunately, Zoloft turned out to be a complete disaster.

More to come...

Was it Sparky near the MAX line?

2008-08-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

We just received a report, secondhand, that there was a brownish dog along the MAX tracks at 185th in Beaverton either Tues or Wed, early in the morning. That is somewhere around the Willow Creek transit center. Apparently the train had to slow down as a result. If anybody has further information on this or knows any MAX operators that might be able to check into this, please email, call, or post! This would be the first sighting of him in a week and half, so would be great to confirm or disconfirm it.

Join the mobile flyer campaign!

2008-08-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

Lots of folks have asked about flyers for Sparky, so I've found a way to post them so anyone can download them.

We've found it effective to post a simple flyer in the rear windows of our cars with the photo and the website. If those of you in the Beaverton area could print out just this one flyer and mount it in your car, we think we could get many more eyeballs on Sparky's photo outside the Cedar Mill area, in case he has left.

Get the car flyer here!

I've also made a regular flyer available in case you want to give one to the mail carrier, post at the local dog park, etc.

Get the regular flyer here!

Sparky's story, part 1

2008-08-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a few questions about Sparky's background, so I thought I'd share his story here.

We adopted Sparky from the San Diego Humane Society in November 2000, shortly after moving into our very first house. At that time, he was a year old and had been in the shelter for more than 6 months. He was in their "special needs" program because he'd had what amounts to a nervous breakdown with all the noise and stress. They were keeping Sparky isolated in the back, so we couldn't even see him without special assistance. The woman in charge of the program saw us - a young couple without kids - and knew she had a home for her troubled charge.

Sparky was so shy and nervous, the first time we met him it took 45 minutes of sitting down quietly nearby before we could even touch him. Regardless, it was love at first meet, and we coaxed him into the car and brought him home. Lucky for us, and lucky for him, as he was but a few days from being put down. We still cry when we think about that.

Sparky was a real challenge at first. He was hyperkinetic, didn't trust us at all, and was strong enough that when scared he posed a danger to himself, to us, and in some cases the house. It took a few days, but before long he was comfortable that we were alright people and would willingly come up to us and look for attention. But every time we took a shower, Sparky went back to his you're-a-stranger mode and barked and ran away. It took at least a month before we got over the shower hurdle.

Sparky was very nervous about entering confined areas, probably given his experience at the shelter, and so it took some effort to crate train him. We eventually found his weakness - peanut butter. A few of those hard rubber, hollow Kongs filled with peanut butter and kibble, and tied to the grate at the far end, and he decided the crate was an OK place to be. Eventually, it became his refuge of safety, and he slept in there by choice for naps and almost every night until his disappearance.

More to come...

Need help with poster condition reporting

2008-08-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

I heard at least one of the posters is down. For those of you in the Cedar Mill area, if you can, let us know if posters are down or in need of serious repair, and where. I have created a map to track where the posters are here. A comment post or an email would be great!

When we posted them is indicated by the color:
Red - Prior location that is now gone
Blue - Posted 8/17
Green - Posted 1st half of Aug
Purple - Posted in July
Yellow - should be removed if not already gone

We seem to be getting into a rain pattern, so we will look for a better backing than cardboard, big enough to hold the 2x3 poster, for the next round. If you have any suggestions of materials to use, please post a comment!

We're hoping there will be another sighting soon so we can tailor our poster locations appropriately if he has left Cedar Mill.

1 week later

2008-08-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since he was last spotted, but there were several week stretches since we lost him that he was not seen at all. Especially with the rain last week, and now some more forecast for tonight/tomorrow, his pattern may have changed, and it's possible he may have moved on to another area - let us know if you see a loose dog matching the photos somewhere else!

Speaking of rain, because it looks like another summer front is moving in and the posters seem to be readable as is, we decided to leave them for now and re-assess after the rain.

Crate report

2008-08-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

Our friend on NW 114th says something is regularly taking the food in the crate, but no sign of Sparky.

More rays of hope

2008-08-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

We got yet another great email offering words of encouragement and help. In this case, they lost their shy dog just before 4th of July 2003. It took nearly 3 months, but they finally were reunited with their dog in late Sept. We really appreciate everyone's efforts for a similar outcome with Sparky - hopefully in less time!

Now that the rain has let up

2008-08-21T22:17:00.000-07:00

We're thinking that the rain has kept Sparky under cover and out of sight, so now that the sun has returned, we're hoping he'll be out and about and sighted again soon.

Thanks to all of you trying to keep our posters in good shape. I will see if we can do some repair on the cardboard this weekend.

Crate report

2008-08-21T22:15:00.001-07:00

The report from the crate is some animal prints were evident coming up to the crate, but no evidence that the animal went inside and no food was taken from the bowl inside, so probably not Sparky.

Sparky's crate now in the area

2008-08-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

We are really appreciative of all the wonderful help we've been receiving from all of you. Based on a great suggestion, yesterday afternoon we brought Sparky's crate to a willing volunteer who lives in the area. We're hoping he'll smell his bedding and other shirts we left in it and will find it a comfortable place to hang out. We will keep everyone posted.

New report from late July

2008-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

We just got an email from a Tri-Met driver (thanks for the extra eyes!!) that a dog matching Sparky's photos was spotted crossing Millikan Way near Murray at 6:45 pm on Mon 7/28 or 8/4. These older reports are helpful because we can see if there's a pattern to his travel - keep them coming!

With Today's Storm

2008-08-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

We're not sure how the cardboard on our posters will hold up. We're not out there every day, so please let us know what they look like - esp. the new 8/17 ones with "FindSparky.org" at the bottom.

We also wonder if the thunderstorm may change his pattern - the last big one we had on 7/2 is the night he ran off to begin with. Please call us ASAP if you see an unattended brindle dog even outside of the Cedar Mill area!

No luck finding him

2008-08-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

I was over there about 45 min after the sighting, and hiked around for more than an hour calling his name, but no sign of him.

New sighting 8/17!!

2008-08-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

About 11:30 this morning, a dog matching Sparky's description was reported on NW 114th, near Leahy, going south. He was by himself and they don't think he had a collar on.

Recent Possible Sightings

2008-08-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

8/14 1:30 am (!): Murray and Hwy 26
He was reported crossing Murray eastbound and disappeared near the Chevron.

8/11 ~1 pm: Sunset Transit Center
A dog matching Sparky's photo was spotted near the bus stops, but would not approach people, and then disappeared into the field to the north of the bus area.

8/8 ~5 am: north edge of Hwy 26 westbound, between Cedar Hills on ramp and Murray exit
A brown/black brindle dog was attempting to cross the freeway. He would not get in anyone's car and eventually ran to the north in the break in the sound wall.

8/3 afternoon at Cornell and 119th
A dog matching Sparky's photo was spotted in a field next to Cornell, but was soon gone.