Maps of Tracks

Here are the tracks from the 2 tracks run for Aggie, showing where Salsa found her to have traveled.



Click on the map for a larger view


The yellow track is the first one, run a week ago. The pink was run yesterday.

From Salsa's Nose

Sam & Salsa came out to track Aggie's movements from the water tower, which is the latest sighting -- from Thursday evening. The track will be mapped later, but basically Aggie looped from the water town to Summerfield through to Rock Hill Rd, to a right on Herndon Parkway and back to Summerfield to to Spring Knoll. A feeding station was set up along Spring Knoll. In a number of spots on the track, the scent was going in two directions, which is an indication that this is her loop, and she's done it more than once.

There was a feeding station at Lawn & Leisure, but that one has now been removed after nearly a week with no activity. So now there are two feeding stations in addition to the one at the house.

If you are near Herndon and are able to assist with and of th following, please please email me:

• assist with checking feeding stations
• bring a hammer and drive some large signs we have into the ground in a few spots -- along Rock Hill Rd for one
• print out some half page fliers I've made, and insert them in door hanger bags we have, then deliver them to the residents along Summerfield
• keep Aggie's Craigslist posting new every couple of days

Every little bit you can do to help is appreciated, and makes a differnce. And I hope Aggie gets to thank you some day for what you are doing to help her.

Saturday Evening's Efforts

Last night, Aggie's supporters attempted to generate a sighting by setting up a surveillance plan that included teams monitoring five temporary feeding stations, all surrounding Aggie's new home from which she bolted one week earlier.

During the afternoon, scent trails were laid out from five locations, in spokes, leading to the house. Each location was selected for a specific reason; they were places Aggie was sighted or tracked, or had great appeal for a dog at large. Then last night, a team was placed at the start of each scent trail, and given chicken & bacon to place strategically and watch. The hope was that the scent of the meat would draw her to that spot, and then either her picking up the "eau de Sonia's socks" would lead her to the house or better yet, the volunteer team would then alert Sonia, and start a phone tree to alert the other teams so they could converge on the sighting spot. We had a volunteer waiting by the phone to guide any team that needed help navigating to the sighting location. Sonia and I roved throughout all of the surveillance sites plus other areas, always at the ready to respond to a sighting call or assist in any other way. It was a good plan, well executed, and timed during the periods when other Aggie sightings have occurred over the last week.

And nothing. No Aggie showed herself anywhere, at anytime, during a full four hour stretch. There were cats and deer and foxes that were seen. One team was approached by Herndon's finest.  Another team had a tow truck back up to their car, whose driver must have figured out that they were in it so he left. Another had some creepy black truck pass back and forth, back and forth past the car throughout the entire shift. Everyone was out but Aggie.

So we need more eyes out looking, all the time, meaning more outreach is needed. Anyone that can do the biz card thing, or can spend some time putting up large signs that we have made and want installed at some of the big intersections, email me for info on how you can help do that today. Thanks to the volunteer that spent some time re-fliering yesterday, and I think he would probably say that more refliering is needed. The W&OD trail needs to be fliered, particularly between mile markers 19 - 22, so that might be a great excuse for anyone wanting a nice walk or bike ride today. Download fliers from the blog, or I'll tell you where you can pick up a supply of them if you email me.

Sam and Salsa of Pure Gold Pet Trackers will be out today running another track, probably starting from the sighting near the water tower on Thursday evening. We're anxious to learn what Salsa has to tell us.

Someone is surely seeing her. We are waiting for the call.

Scent Article Missing!

When checking the feeding stations on Friday, it seems that the dirty sock of Sonia's (Aggie's foster for six weeks) was gone -- a good sign! Not a guarantee but a good sign!

For anyone able to help with the search this weekend, we are most interested in seeing the word spread via business cards handed out, or placed on drivers' side car windows, at the numerous shopping areas along Elden Street. If you can help, one way is to download and print business cards from this blog. Another option is to email Amanda and she can give you the location where a printed supply is being held.

Also needed is someone to do the dog adoption event circuit and take fliers and biz cards. Or, lots of different people can hit one event. If you can do that, please leave a comment! Leave a comment if you hit a dog adoption event, or leave a comment if you know specifically where and when some are taking place, or if you want to help but don't know where any events are being held. Everyone can read the comments on this blog. And the fliers are available for download.

Installing some large signs that we have made is another we can use volunteer help today. We have some large signs that need someone to drive into the ground in several well chosen spots. If you can do that, email Sonia for information.

Another way to help if you can be in Herndon is to go around checking the fliers that we have up. There's very little additional fliering help that we need today, until there is a sighting that puts her in a new area, but re-checking fliers would be a help.

Look for another update in the morning if THE update we want doesn't come along today!

Another Sighting This Evening!

Just a couple of hours ago, Aggie was seen again! 

This time, she was trotting along on Spring Knoll, by residents who were just outside their front door. They could recognize the red collar.

Tim responded quickly and spoke to the people who had seen her. She had disappeared by the time he got there, and they did notice that she seemed to be heading generally in the direction of Herndon Parkway  :(

Usually the first thought in responding to a sighting is to consider setting up a feeding station in the spot. In this case, the sighting is SOOOO close to the heavily traveled Herndon Parkway, that we are hesitant to do that -- like with last night's sighting.

But Sonia is preparing bottles of scent water (eau de dirty socks) that we will spread, on Saturday, in spokes leading to her point of escape -- Tim and Amanda's house. They are leaving food out for her, and hopefully she's the one eating from it.

Keep spreading the word, and that fateful sighting call will be on its way!

Sizzling Hot Live Sighting Moments Ago!

I'm on the phone now with Sonia (Aggie's foster mom for 6 weeks, up until last Saturday) getting the scoop!

Tim (Aggie's new dad that she didn't get to know yet) got a call of a live sighting -- a couple very close to their home were looking right at her. She was sitting at Herndon Parkway and Sterling Road, waiting to cross the intersection! They had seen one of the fliers, and called immediately.

They managed to get her away from that busy intersection by honking the horn, and Aggie then scurried down a nearby cul-de-sac, Oakshire Ct, and on through to Redwood Court, behind it. So, ultimately she slipped away. But there's no serious doubt that this was Aggie. They saw both collars and heard tags, the dog looked just like her, and there's every reason to think it was her. So we're going with that!

We now have a map that shows areas fliered, the scent track from Monday, and now this sighting. See the map HERE.

Sonia, to whom Aggie was bonded, laid a scent trail (water she had soaked dirty socks in) from the sighting location to where Aggie's home it. And there's a feeding station there, since the first night, which has been eaten from, by the way. We're talking about how to figure out who's feeding from it, which is a little tricky to do with the rain we're about to get.

Well! This is great news that we have finally had a sighting. Sure, it would be better if she'd been captured. But for this moment, I'll take a sighting. Now let's see what tomorrow brings!

Find Toto Calls Made

Tuesday evening, a blast of voicemails were left in the homes surrounding the area where Aggie was lost. We know that MANY missing pets have come home by way of sightings that came in from robo calls just like this. So we consider this a good step, and we are waiting for the calls to come tumbling in, hopefully one after the other.

Drop a line, via commenting or emailing Aggie's family if you can help with the search. There's so much to do to spread the word, we can't say no to any offers. Please keep spreading the word, and hopefully the next time you come back to check this blog, there will be some good word.

8:30PM:  Thanks to the Carolyn Lawson Low and the Herndon Patch for the shout out! People knowing who to call when they see Aggie is exactly how the sightings will start coming in so that should help. Any minute now! Aggie has to be somewhere around here. She didn't turn to fairy dust. (Hint -- you can use the Herndon Patch article to post directly to your Facebook wall, which will keep the word moving around.)

Still Looking, Chins Up!

What we learned from yesterday's track is that Aggie has not ventured far - maybe half a mike from home. She was tracked to the corner of Douglas Ct and Old Ox Road in Herndon. Salsa also found the spot where it appears that Aggie is bedding down.

Two places were found to set up feeding stations, and scent articles (dirty socks) were also left at each site by Aggie's foster mom, Sonia.

Much of the fliering that is needed was done, except for the stretch along Old Ox, and with the businesses along Douglas Ct and Oakgrove. A couple of volunteers will be out there this morning, weather permitting, chatting with the businesses and fliering, and taking a sneaky peek at the den and feeding areas.

As soon as the map of the track is available, we will share it. And by all means, any sightings that HAVE to eventually start coming in will be reported here ASAP.

Thank you for your continuing support and for helping to spread the word about Aggie's plight.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sightings, Finally!

Miss Aggie's family received two calls this morning from people who may have seen her. (it seems that she does respond some to Miss Aggie or even to Missy, but we still caution against calling out to her if you see her.)

The first sighting was described this way:

"I got a call from a man this morning who said he saw a black lab on Sterling Road. He said she looked like she weighed more than 50 pounds though. He said a woman was trying to coax her away from the road. He said he went back to his house to get his phone and by the time he came back both the woman and the dog were gone."

If you talk to someone that may have been that woman, please ask her to call the sighting number - even if she was coaxing her own dog (so the sighting could be ruled out, if that is the case).

Here is the report of the second sighting:

"After I sent this, another person called me and told me that he saw a dog on Sterling Road this morning. There is a church on the road right before Elden street and he said the dog was in a neighborhood right across from there. We immediately drove over there but didn't see her. The street coming off Sterling Road is called Travellers Pl."

This area was fliered yesterday. And we know that the word is being spread through Craigslist and Facebook - thanks to all for that, and keep circulating the message, please!

This afternoon, Sam & Salsa will be out trailing Aggie's scent, and we'll post what we learn from it.

UPDATE 5PM: Well phooey, the second sighting was another dog, which was learned when the right people were found at home. The dog seen was their dog. And in the case of the first sighting, we have still not heard anything more on the woman seen coaxing a dark coated dog. So as far as sightings, we are nowhere yet. Results of the track run by Salsa will be posted as soon as it comes in from Sam.

Aggie is lost!

Aggie was just adopted to a family in Herndon, and scared at the changes going on around her, she escaped within ten minutes of arriving at her new home (off Herndon Parkway, between Sterling Rd & Crestview Dr). Please help find her by spreading the word to everyone you know in the area. Pass around this blog address by email, social media, and we'd be happy to have you flier once we get the flier available for download on this blog.


Here's Aggie at the shelter from which Mutt Love Rescue pulled her

Can you tell from the picture how timid Aggie is? If you see her, please don't make eye contact or call out to her. She does not answer to "Aggie" anyway, at this time. Most important, call or text to report your sighting of her: 805-345-8854, which is the family's cell phone. You can also call 1-877-MUT-AWOL (688-2967), the AWOL Dogs phone number.

Aggie is a young black lab & chow mix, female, about 55 lbs. She is microchipped, thankfully, and also thankfully, she left with two red collars - a martingale collar with rabies, microchip & Mutt Love tags and one with white bones imprinted on it. Hopefully they will stay on her till she is found and secured. She escaped a little after 5pm on Saturday (Feb 19th), and we think that she is still not far from where she escaped.

Click to view larger map of where Aggie went missing

UPDATE SUNDAY 8PM:  Lots of fliering today -- thanks to all who helped out! Sometime on Sunday, a missing pet tracking dog will be coming in to trail Aggie's scent. This will be Sam & Salsa of Pure Gold Pet Trackers. (For those already familiar with Salsa the golden retriever and her recent cancer diagnosis, she is doing well enough to do some tracking, as it helps her heal since she loves working so much!) During the track, Aggie's foster mom, to whom she did bond during their six weeks together, will be laying a scent trail to try to draw to her new home.  Watch for results of that track tomorrow, and by all means, keep those fingers and paws crossed!