Jada: An Eddie’s Happy Ending
Jada‘s story had a huge following; she was stolen in broad daylight outside the Grange dog park downtown. Jada’s dad was in conversation with someone, when, in a flash, she was gone. People reported seeing her being walked off by someone. Jada’s dad was understandably very distraught. He reached out to Eddie's Network, and many wonderful volunteers immediately sprung into action. Posters were designed, printed, assembled, and put up around the area where Jada went missing. Lots of volunteers put on their rain gear to make this happen! Other volunteers posted online, and emailed businesses, asking them to print and post a poster and make their employees aware of Jada. The outreach team contacted media outlets in an effort to publicize her disappearance, but unfortunately her story wasn't picked up, deemed not “newsworthy”. Unbeknownst to everyone, the woman who took her “sold“ her to an innocent buyer. Please do not buy dogs from strangers, online, Kijiji, etc. Please use a reputable rescue to adopt your new furry family member. Fortunately Jada‘s new “owner“ saw her posters all over the downtown core, and did the right thing. We are all beyond thrilled that Jada is back with her family. Welcome home Jada!
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Nugget: An Eddie’s Happy Ending
Nugget is a sweet little Pomeranian. He was recently wearing a cone due to an eye infection. The way the cone popped up his hair made him even cuter than he already is. On April 10, 2023 Nugget snuck out when his door was inadvertently left open for a minute. He was seen crossing the street and walking nonchalantly past shops and homes. Then Nugget was nowhere to be found. No sightings at all. His family reached out to Eddie’s Network. Soon after, Nugget’s family and EN volunteers started putting up posters. Still no calls. It was a long two days but “mom”, friends and volunteers continued their postering efforts. For anyone who doesn’t know, we also prepare little handouts for people out postering to give to anyone who approaches them and wants to keep the lost dog’s information handy. While Nugget’s mom was out postering, she was approached by a gentleman who asked to take a handout. Very shortly thereafter that same person returned saying he had seen Nugget walking with someone, with his cone still on! From there, a happy reunion followed. We are so grateful to all the volunteers who helped put up posters, and so heart-warmed that this time it was the lost dog’s own family’s poster which led to him being found. Welcome home Nugget! A word of caution: Before she went out postering, Nugget's mom received a text indicating that someone had Nugget and would return him for a fee. She went out to meet these people, paid the “ransom“ and of course they did not have Nugget. If anyone calls you to say they have your dog please ask for a photo. If they don’t have a photo, it is most likely they do not have your dog. If anyone asks you to send a code, do not! It is a way of gaining access to one of your accounts by using your phone number and a verification code. These are desperate bad people but we at Eddie’s Network prefer to focus on the wonderful volunteers, the happy endings, and all the good that is out there in the world of helping lost dogs come home. Leti: An Eddie’s Happy Ending
So many people were following Leti’s story, both trying to help and hoping for a happy ending. Leti’s “dad” is Joseph, who at present has no permanent address and can often be seen around St. Andrews subway station with Leti and his guitar. One day while at Union Station, Joseph dozed off and someone walked off with Leti. The matter was reported to the police. Eddie’s Network was contacted by Brandon who saw Joseph all the time at St. Andrews and was determined to help get Leti home. Brandon agreed to be a contact for Leti in addition to Joseph. Eddie’s Network volunteers, new and old, assisted with getting posters up in the downtown area as well as two other areas where there had been potential sightings. Volunteers also launched an email campaign targeting businesses in the area where Leti had last been seen. People went with Joseph to sightings to help if needed, people attended with him at the police station to follow up as needed, and more. While Joseph was out checking on a lead one day his guitar was stolen and he was gifted a replacement guitar and case by amazing, caring people. The support was incredible. Leti’s story was shared so often that the press got involved and did a news story on her. Lots of leads were called in and all led to the same conclusion: a woman had simply walked off with Leti, left Union Station, and was not seen again. Eventually Brandon received the call everyone was waiting for, and carefully negotiated Leti’s return. Someone saw Leti’s posters downtown and made the connection, with the person who had taken her home all the way to Hamilton! Rest assured that without the poster campaign, all the social media sharing, and all the incredible leg work done by volunteers, Leti would not have been returned. Welcome home Leti! Keep enjoying your happy dance! Leon: An Eddie’s Happy Ending
Leon lives in Whitby and visits his vet in the beach. On May 17th he was there for a routine exam and while being picked up, slipped his collar and ran along Queen Street and out of sight. Leon‘s family and the Beaches Animal Hospital (special thanks to superhero Vanessa) immediately sprung into action. They naturally started searching and reached out to Eddie's Network for help as well. Leon‘s family spent every waking hour in the beach area, far from their home, doing whatever was necessary. Eddie’s Network is so fortunate to have so many dedicated volunteers in the area who put in hours, both postering and going door to door in the area explaining to residents what was going on and explaining the importance of not trying to capture or chase Leon if they saw him. Through sightings called into the family, we learned that Leon was staying in the area. The good news was that he was not trying to find his way home which would prove very dangerous; the bad news was that it was an unfamiliar area so he did not know how to make his way back to the animal hospital. Our volunteers worked relentlessly into and over the holiday long weekend knocking on almost every door in the area, explaining over and over again to residents what to do and not to do if they saw Leon. Many sightings were called in, often after the fact. Others had eyes on Leon but then he would simply slip out of sight. He was in “Survival Mode” and smartly staying out of sight of anything or anyone perceived as a threat. Finally, on the holiday Monday May 22nd, a timely sighting of Leon standing still! Someone had seen him, ignored him, took a picture and sent it to the owners who headed out to the location. It was clear that Leon was staying in the area, and everyone was most grateful that the fireworks hadn’t scared him away. Guess what? Later that morning, he wandered into someone’s backyard. Peggy had been visited days earlier by one of our volunteers. She knew not to chase or do anything to spook Leon. She sat calmly in her backyard and Leon picked up on her vibes and sat calmly with Peggy while his family made their way over. A short while later Leon was safely double leashed and in his family's car with his sister dog. It was a beautiful and tearful reunion. Our most extreme gratitude goes out to the volunteers who contributed so much of their time and to the residents of the beach neighbourhood who listened to what we had to say, didn’t chase Leon and let him feel invisible and calm so that he could have a successful reunion with his family. Welcome home Leon! Fortunately Tanooki’s story is short and has a happy ending, thanks in large part to a community that heeded her family’s request not to call out or chase her if seen.
Tanooki and her sibling were being boarded in North York, quite a way from home near Yonge and Eglinton and an unfamiliar area to Tanooki. She managed to slip out the door and make a run for it. Tanooki’s dogsitter and her owners (who were out of town) contacted Eddie’s for posters and advice. As most people do, the sitter, along with a great group of family and friends had been out searching, to no avail. They quickly realized that posters would help spread the word and make hundreds of people aware of Tanooki and where to call if sighted. Eddie’s prepared a poster, a printer stayed open late to print various sizes for us and an amazing volunteer picked up the posters, made a stop for supplies and delivered them to the sitter’s home. The sitter wasted no time putting the posters together (some are mounted on colourful poster board and all need to be weather-proofed) and started posting them up that night. By the next day, over 250 posters had gone up with the help of friends and family. The following morning, a call came in with an earlier sighting. The person had seen the dog but didn’t know who to call until seeing a poster. Unfortunately, that sighting yielded no results. Later that day, the key sighting came in. Someone spotted Tanooki on their front lawn. This member of the public is a huge part of Tanooki’s story having a happy ending. They called the number on the poster, they called 311 and they stayed inside and didn’t try to secure Tanooki. It’s almost certain that if they had, she would have bolted away. The sitter and Toronto Animal Services arrived around the same time and Tanooki was safely secured by the professionals of TAS. The sitter was beyond relieved and grateful for all the support he received. The family who, as they put it, were bawling their eyes out, found no words enough to thank each and every volunteer, family member and friend. They have joined Eddie’s Network and hope to be able to help out others when needed. Turtle is a beautiful new rescue, about two years old. She had been in her new home for only 9 days when she went missing. Naturally, panic set in and her family started to search for her. They also reached out to Eddie’s Network for help with posters. While printed posters were being waited for, a social media post went up and was shared widely thanks to so many interested people. Word about Turtle being missing was spreading fast!
Fortunately, Turtle was sighted a few times. Unfortunately, people with only the best of intentions chased her and tried to catch her, which caused her to run more. At one point, Turtle ran onto the 401 highway and was nearly hit! That is when her story changed. By the greatest stroke of luck, it was an Eddie’s postering volunteer, who is also an experienced foster and dog trainer, who was driving that car. That volunteer knew the importance of letting the lost dog feel invisible. Of course other people were trying to catch her (it’s natural and kind to want to help a dog on the highway) so she bolted away. The driver knew to stay in her car, and because of that, she was able to observe Turtle from a distance and keep eyes on her while looking for and calling the number on the poster. She continued to discreetly observe Turtle from a safe distance for about half an hour until the family arrived. By then people had again started to gather and were asked by the volunteer to back off and DO NOT CHASE. Thank you to everyone for doing just that when asked. Turtle was allowed to feel invisible and therefore calmed down and stayed safe. Turtle’s family, which hours ago had been chasing her, now knew to wait for an opportunity for Turtle to “find” them. They patiently stayed back and waited and finally Turtle wandered into a yard and a happy reunion followed once Turtle was able to “find” her family, including her canine sibling and go to them. Turtle’s family let us know that the search “definitely could’ve been shorter if we handled it the right way first. She was spotted so many times before but chased down and spooked.” As for the person who watched from a distance and called them, they said “ a huge thank you to that person who knew exactly what to do!! She was a god send!!!” Yes! Thank you! Welcome home Turtle! P.S. People were curious how Turtle got loose. Her family wants to share that information in order to help others. They had previously been walking her with both a harness and slip lead. She was walking perfectly fine so they thought they could eliminate the slip lead. Before that night, she had never heard a passing subway and that's what spooked her out of her harness. She now doesn't leave home without a slip lead, harness (a better fitting one), and collar with tracker (collar and harness also double clipped with a safety strap). Danka is a lovely rescue who has been with her family for about five years. In early February, Danka was boarding with a colleague of her owner. Unexpectedly and through no fault of Danka’s sitter Jen, Danka bolted away from Jen’s home in the Trinity-Bellwoods area on February 4.
Jen did all the right things. She posted on social media to get the word out as soon as possible and filed a report with Toronto Animal Services. There were quite a few sightings reported. Unfortunately, Danka was chased by well meaning people which only caused her to run further and faster into the night. There were reports that she may have been hit by a car. It is counter-intuitive to ignore a lost dog and simply report the sighting yet that is what people must learn to do for the sake of the dog’s safety. Jen reached out to Eddie’s Network and we were able to help by creating a poster for Danka and assisting with postering. Having said that, we were amazed by how much of the postering Jen did on her own. She was a woman on a mission! February 5 and Danka was still on the move, only the sightings stopped coming in as much and the windchill was around -15C. Jen was so worried yet felt hopeful after hearing about a pup we had helped with during a cold spell in January who was missing for a week. Dogs can often be quite resilient and resourceful if left to their own devices. The initial sightings had displayed a pattern. Danka was on the move north and west. That smart girl was likely scared and disoriented yet she was moving in the direction of….home. The poster plan adapted and posters were put up in and surrounding Danka’s home area. Luckily, we had a volunteer in the area who was able to house posters and supplies for the volunteers. More sightings! It looked like Danka was indeed heading home, or at least trying to. Since Danka was near home, small posters went up on streets where she normally has her walks. Jen put up so many posters. If that is where Danka was heading, surely someone would see her. Jen also spoke to everyone walking around the neighbourhood and brought their attention to the lost dog and reminded them not to chase her if she was sighted. That isn't as easy a task as it sounds. That is because most people want to question why they shouldn't try to catch the dog and it takes time and patience to explain. Finally, the key call came in on February 6. A woman saw Danka in her back yard. She was curled up in a childrens’ playhouse, not easily visible. It is so important to carefully check yards for lost pets including any hiding spots they may have gotten into.The woman closed her gate without alerting the dog. The backyard was only metres from where Jen was parked and on one of the streets where she had put up many posters and talked to passersby. Although Danka was in a secure yard and appeared calm, Jen again went above and beyond to do everything right. She waited for an experienced volunteer to arrive with a slip lead to help ensure that Danka would be properly secured, which she was. Off to the vet and thankfully a pretty clear bill of health was given. Danka slept comfortably close to Jen for the next two days and was deservedly spoiled until her owner returned. We heard this from Danka’s owner: “….Rarely have I seen such a concerted and organized effort to find anything before. Danka will never know but Jen went to all lengths possible (and beyond) to find her, and you all played a part. Deepest gratitude and thanks to you all….” Welcome home Danka! Crypto is an adorable Shiba Inu who wandered off on Sunday June 27. He was not home, he wandered off from a family friend's home in unfamiliar territory. Vanished. His family looked everywhere. Crypto was in Mississauga and his family lived in Burlington. Eddie’s Network reached out to offer support with postering and Healing Hearts Lost Pet Search & Recovery was ready to be there for them with tracking and trapping advice.
The family was initially hesitant to accept our assistance and put up lots of homemade posters in the area where Crypto went missing. Several days passed with no sign of Crypto. It was then that the family began to warm up to the idea of accepting our help. Posters were created and printing was completed. We were ready to go!! Late Wednesday evening volunteers began to put up the first few posters. The team assembled early Thursday morning to continue with putting up large, bright posters. That's when the magic began!! The family began to receive calls from people who had seen Crypto. People had seen the dog and now knew where to call! The more posters went up, the more calls came in. People even stopped Team Crypto while postering to say they had seen the dog! Crypto didn't know it but he was leaving clues behind. As all the sightings were being put together a pattern was emerging and trackers were able to predict where he would go next. If all goes well, as it did in this instance (so far), a live trap could be set where the dog is expected to rest and hopefully the dog enters the trap. Don’t let the word “trap” deceive you, it is more like a very large crate and the door closes once the dog enters. A key sighting came in and Crypto’s owner was placed in a quiet area and provided with direction as to how to lure him to her should he return to that site. (“Hand luring” is always the most favourable way to secure a lost pet when the human-animal bond is so strong as it was between Crypto and his family). Sadly though, because Crypto had been chased by well intentioned individuals throughout the area, he had remained in Survival Mode. Crypto saw his owner from a distance, not recognizing her, his family, he bolted back into the darkness of the woods. Although we prepare a family that this might happen, and it often does, we always hope that hand luring is successful on the first attempt. Crypto’s owners had followed the trackers instructions to the letter. Needless to say it was an emotional moment for all. There is a twist here-it was Canada Day and fireworks and firecrackers were expected. They cause enough stress to disturb dogs and other creatures at the best of times, everybody had to hope that Crypto would not change his pattern too much. Luckily, he only changed it by speeding things up and appeared at his morning spot way earlier than expected. A homeowner called the number on the posters and the two trackers who had remained in the area for hours to be prepared for the unexpected were there to advise and assist Crypto’s family with a happy and joyful reunion. This was just about 24 hours after our first poster went up. An amazing result. From Crypto’s family: “Losing Crypto for 5 days teach us something about the meaning of LOVE. Though he is just a dog, losing him is like losing a son. Getting him back will be impossible without the hand of God that meets us with noble & kind heart people who help us tirelessly & unconditionally...” Welcome home Crypto! Pinky is a sweet rescue from Texas, adopted by Samantha and Jason. She went missing from their home near Yonge and Davisville on September 9 when someone (not them) opened the door.
She was seen heading east towards Mt. Pleasant and then vanished from sight. They immediately notified Pinky’s microchip company, filed a report with Toronto Animal Services, posted on social media and reached out to Eddie’s Network. Homemade posters went up in the area that evening while the family worked with Eddie’s to create a professional looking colour poster. While the colour posters were awaiting printing, the family handed out flyers and put up more black and white posters in the area. By September 11, posters were assembled and ready and a map of where to place them was provided. Jason got so many up in record time! Eddie’s volunteers covered the rest. A wide radius was postered as Pinky could be anywhere by now. Sightings started coming in and it appeared that Pinky had been making the rounds in Rosedale. She was sighted but elusive. More posters went up in the area. From September 14-17 Pinky was spotted a few times and unfortunately chased by well meaning people. Cameras were set up to see if more information could be gathered. Fortunately Pinky, while elusive, was staying in the area. The most important thing then became to make people aware not to chase her. She needed to stay in the area where she clearly knew how to stay safe. Volunteers from Eddie’s went door to door in the area to ask homeowners to check their yards, to check any home camera footage and to explain what to do if they saw Pinky, which is: nothing!, let her feel invisible and call the number on the poster. Samantha (with their other dog Peanut) sat in the Rosedale ravine and handed out flyers to people on the trail, again explaining what to do and not do if Pinky was sighted. Social media posts were updated to stress the importance of not chasing.During this time, Samantha read others stories like this to keep her hopes up. Thanks to trackers helping with this, Pinky’s route was becoming somewhat predictable. Homeowners in the area were approached requesting permission to set a live trap in their yards. Healing Hearts Lost Pet Search & Recovery was able to set a trap in a backyard near where Pinky had been sighted. After 12 long days, Pinky was secured. Pinky was finally safe due to her survival skills, posters, sightings, cooperative people in Rosedale and Laura McKibbon Caron of Healing Hearts who brought her equipment and skills to Toronto for this effort. Samantha and Jason are so very grateful to all the people who helped bring Pinky home. Welcome home Pinky! Teddy went missing from his dog sitter on December 10, 2021 while his “mom” was on vacation. Accidents do happen and it's a good reminder for everyone to check all fences before letting a dog off leash. The dog sitter contacted Toronto Animal Services, posted on social media (good idea as a sighting was reported to her) and spent the night and next morning wandering the streets looking for him, to no avail.
The sitter then reached out to Eddie’s Network and posters were created and printed. Based on a few factors including where Teddy usually lives and where he had been sighted the night before, a plan was made to put up large and small posters in the hopes that someone had seen him and would now know where to call. No time was lost, the sitter printed off posters and started putting them up while a volunteer did a time-consuming drive to pick up hundreds more posters. Once those were in hand, an amazing group of people including friends of Teddy’s family and Eddie volunteers worked into the night December 11 to get lots of posters up. Postering continued on December 12 as no calls came in. As well, volunteers and friends handed out small flyers to passersby explaining what to do if they saw Teddy, (i.e. nothing as any action will only terrify a lost dog) and where to call if seen. A small white male dog with the same colour collar as Teddy was reported to be at Toronto Animal Services. There was no photo so all anyone could do was wait until the morning to call. Unfortunately it wasn't Teddy and the roller coasters of emotions continued. Finally a call with a potential sighting came in on December 14. Somebody had seen a dog that looked like Teddy being walked by somebody. That sighter did the right thing and called right away with the information. They provided an address where they had seen the dog. It wasn't a lot to go on but Teddy’s sitter went to the area and put up posters and talked to people. Another call…from the same area…someone said they had a dog that they thought was Teddy! The roller coaster was running again. How did they get this dog? Was it the same dog spotted earlier with another person? Did they see the posters and know that people were looking for Teddy? We all held our breath while the sitter made her way over there. Photos were sent and Teddy’s mom was 99% sure it was him (or was she 100% sure but didn't want to relax until it was confirmed?). Keep in mind that a dog's appearance can change when it has been lost for a while. Fortunately, Teddy was chipped and a microchip scan confirmed that it was in fact Teddy! The poster volunteers received this message from Teddy’s mom “ Omg I have literally been nervous and crying and emotional for the past 2 hours but I’m happy to say it is my little guy that was found …. and he looks rather great for 3 or 4 days downtown so thank God for those posters . You guys are amazing and no one could do it without you!!!! Xoxox” Welcome home Teddy! |