The Boys Miss Aggie

Aggie set off on her adventure just minutes after she met her new family at her new home, 2 weeks ago now. But it was enough time that the children know the companionship they are missing with Aggie gone, and they want her back! The family very much appreciates that, when the older son participated in sharing day, at school, by sharing that he wants his lost dog back, the school put his sign up in the front lobby. Kids are a great way to spread the word about a lost dog, so please make sure that the kids in your life know to keep an eye out for Aggie, and to tell their friends.

Well, it seems that the people at the quarry had safety issues with anyone but workers in there, so Sam was not able to get in there to track or search. But aren't quarries really loud, at least during the business day? Let's hope she's not there, then, since we can't get in.

So we appreciate that some community members are making concerted efforts to take their walks and spend some time searching in the general area of Rock Hill, Sterling Road, and Herndon Parkway. Looking at the map of the general area, Parcher Avenue looks like an area that would be worth circulating the word about Aggie to. If you know people living in that community, or if you know the homeowners associations back there, please help make sure they know about Aggie. She could get there from where she's been sighted and tracked by Salsa even if cars could not so easily get there.

There is also some concern that if Aggie meanders along Rock Hill on the other side of 606/Sterling Rd, she could so easily pick up the W&OD Trail. If she does that, Purcellville and Arlington are hers for the taking. That and the fact that that the trail has a lot of great places to post fliers is part of why we would like to get to bikers and dog walkers and anyone willing to spend some time along the trail this weekend. Can you help?

If you are able to come out and help, or if you go out searching on your own for Aggie, thank you and please let us know -- by email or by comment on this blog. Aggie definitely needs help in all kinds of ways. And don't forget spreading the word electronically, stopping by the shelters in the area to check the dogs in residence, and of course, communicating telephatically with Aggie to explain that we are not predators, we are trying to help her!

The Quarry Nearby

It's been a week now since Aggie has been sighted -- that;s a long time to go without seeing a lost dog, and don't get tired of reading this, but she didn't turn to fairy dust. She is somewhere. While it's impossible for there to be too much outreach, or enough that we are sure everyone in the area knows about her, and who to contact if they see her, we do feel that a lot of spreading of the word has been done. So now, Sam (I think) developed the idea that she could be wandering around that quarry that is right in the area.

It's massive, the quarry. Go to Google Maps and key in 23076 Shaw Rd Sterling Rd 20166, and get a look at it. You can see why we are concerned that if she has made her way in there and is looping through it, she might not be seen for weeks. While we don't want to shut down the efforts to continue spreading the word throughout Herndon and to dog lovers all over Northern VA, we are putting some of what resources we have into exploring the theory that she is on the quarry property.

Here's a report from one volunteer that did an initial cruise there yesterday (Wednesday):

I went to the Quarry, it is big. This is a very large area to search for one person, a lot of tree limbs. I did my best; I was there 3 hours.

I drove onto the first entrance and was flagged down. Very dangerous, he said and has a big hole in the middle. Across the street, Quarry on left side are some wetlands (?) some dry on the other side. I did see animal paw tracks on the harder mud. I followed them but then they broke up. I did see a few spots she could hide in, however it can be very noisy so close to the Quarry. But the closer to RT 28 through those woods the more quiet, if that makes any sense.

I also went to the administrative office further back on the same road on site and gave them the poster and cards. They said they'd show it to the guys. I gave out posters and cards to men fixing their vehicles by the quarry that work there, one to the 7/11, one to the public storage, one to the Comfort Inn which faces the woods, (I think it's a Comfort? I also looked all over their site I also looked all over the Public Sarge, a lot of equipment she could have been hiding behind or in. They were very helpful.

To anyone thinking of going there, careful and wear boots.

Then later, Sonia reported that Sam will be going out to the quarry with one of her dogs tomorow, after obtaining authorization to do so, which is required by the quarry people.

While we have a few volunteers that are fitting in the time to do some searching, trying to drum up sightings, more people are needed on the weekend. We need people to check and replace some of the fliers, do some expansion on the fliering, and install some larger signs that we ahve, in strategic locations. Anyone want an excuse to bring out the bike? Biking the area to look for her may produce sightings, or biking the W&OD trail to post fliers will help spread the word. Please, please leave a comment or send an email if you can help!

Large Signs Are Now Up

The area that Aggie is wandering through is laced with heavily traveled roads including Herndon Parkway and Sterling Road. This has it's advantages and disadvantages, the disadvantages not needing to even be spoken and they are scary to us all.

The advantage is that if we can get LARGE signs up at some of those intersections, which has now finally been done, there should be more people that now get the message about this wandering black lab called Miss Aggie. The 8.5" x 11" fliers posted at a pedestrians eye level are really good mostly just for pedestrians, and any bikers that might be traveling on any of those routes. The occaisional passenger sitting right at a light and staring right at the flier can see it, but for the most part, their good comes when someone (1) sees Aggie and (2) remembers having seen a sign to go back and look at on the corner. Lots of lost pets have been found because someone recalled that there were lost pet signs up in the area and they could find one in short order.

With signs now up, the next job is to make sure they are staying up. So anyone that will be moving through Aggie's area (see the map from the last blog update), please look for signs around Herndon Pkway and Sterling and Rock Hill Roads, and leave a comment if it looks like there the signs put up have come down.

Again, and still, we are waiting for sighting calls.

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!