Have it Your Way!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but remember how we took Bean to the vet the day after we got her back? Well, not only did our Bean not waste away to skin and bones during her week on the streets, she actually gained two pounds. I think we figured out why.

Two days before she came home, I wrote about a dog spotted hanging around the local Burger King that looked a lot like Bean. When Bryan got there he saw a loose dog, but it was not Bean. He made sure this dog got back to his owner, and came home.

It turns out that Bean probably was there at the Burger King that Friday afternoon. But before Bryan could get there, another man picked her up and took her home with him. This was the man who saw our flier on Sunday and later gave her back to us. So all those people who called us actually had seen Bean hanging out at Burger King. (Thanks, people!)

Judging by her weight, it seems she spent quite a bit of time feasting on Whoppers and french fries culled from the dumpsters behind the restaurant. Since we got her back, she has been on her normal, no-frills diet. She had to go back to the vet this past Monday to get her vaccinations, and is now back at her pre-dog-napping weight. While we are pleased that her very becoming girlish figure has returned, we will miss calling her Fatty McFatdog.

Do you smell fries? I could have sworn I smelled fries out here...

Back on the streets

Because walking Bean is a lot like walking a Clydesdale, she wears a Gentle Leader when we go out. Like most dogs, Bean despises wearing this thing. The first time I put it on her, she thrashed around the living room for 20 minutes, rolling around on her back and pawing at her face to try to take it off. So we were not surprised to hear that, within hours of getting away from the man who stole her, Bean was spotted wondering around without her Gentle Leader and leash. I am sure the first order of business after getting free of him was to roll around and paw at her face until she finally got that thing off. Now that she is back (Yay!!!), I have bought her a brand new leash and head collar. She was none too happy when we pulled it out and put it on her.

Damn you!!! How did you find this??? I thought I threw it in the creek...I'll have to find a better hiding place next time...maybe in that dumpster over there...

Even with the collar, Bean is very happy to be back patrolling the neighborhood like usual. Now all the residents can sleep soundly, knowing that they are protected from squirrels, cats, blowing leaves, plastic grocery bags, the wind, and everything else that Bean thinks is suspicious.

Also, Bryan wrote a wonderful article in which he discusses what the search for Bean taught him about community organizing. It can be found in multiple places, including here.

Friday night film festival

We spent last night in bed watching movies with Bean. Here she is right after we watched The Painted Veil with our friend Christy, but before we watched more of the series Planet Earth. We highly recommend both.

If you don't come back to bed right now, I am claiming your pillows (and your husband) as my own. Also, enough with the flash, OK?

However, if you are grossed out by cockroaches and bat droppings, you might want to skip the episode called "Caves." I kind of wish I had....

Now that the search is over....

The city has very nicely asked us to take down the Bean fliers that were put up all over town. Since so many people put them up in so many places, it would be really great if everyone could take down the fliers they put up. If you are unable to do that (because you put up fliers in an area other than where you live) please let me know where you posted them, and I will get someone else to take them down.

Also, if you happen upon a flier in your daily travels, please take a moment to rip it down. It will be such a happy task compared to putting the posters up! We don't need them anymore because we have our Bean back!

The city has been unbelievably understanding about these fliers, and I really don't want them to have a reason to regret it. So if we could try to get those fliers down as soon as possible that would be awesome!

No photos. Sorry. Just business, since I am sending this from school. I am pretty sure we can all guess what Bean is doing right now anyway!

Sleeping Beauty

Here is another photo of Bean. As you can see she is still sleeping most of the time. This time she is on the bed.

Go away. I'm sleeping.

I did however get her to at least raise her head this time, so that you all can see that she is not dead:

Please leave me alone.

I am happy to report that her stomach has settled down, and we are adding the dry food back into her diet. I am also happy to report that I passed my psychiatry exam!

Also, I feel that I have been done wrong by the press. From reading some of it, you would think I didn't even exist! It is bad enough I was left out the photos for the paper, I am also barely even mentioned in any of them.

I would just like to point out for the record that I am the one who wanted a dog, I am the one who picked Bean, I am the one who is on the official adoption papers, and (most importantly) I am the one who created and maintains this blog. There is some reference to "Bryan Proffitt's blog" somewhere. Please give me URL. I would love to see this blog, because as far as I know he doesn't have one.

This is kind of a sore point for me, as you can tell. Why? Because when I started this blog 3 years ago, Bryan was mortified. He laughed at me. I think his exact words were "What kind of a nerd makes a website for her dog?"

Who's laughing now, baby?

Finally a photo....

I'm getting up. Just ten more minutes...

Here is a photo of Bean sleeping in the living room this afternoon. This is proof that we do indeed have her back. As you can see, she is healthy and settling back into her routine quite well. She has been pretty much sleeping non-stop since she got home. I couldn't even get her to get up off her blanket and move into the light for this picture. I ended up having to use the flash, which is why it's not such a pretty picture. I am sure the one the professional photographer took will be much, much better! He took a bunch of photos of us outside. Bean was sitting on her bench on the deck, and we were standing beside her petting her. After a few minutes, for no apparent reason, she got up and went back inside through her dog door. She is such a diva that she is actually walking off the set during photo shoots. We are so proud!

So, we reached the goal of $1000 in less than one day! At $1000 per day, Bean is now the breadwinner of the household. We are not going to tell her that, though. She is already letting her celebrity status go to her head.

It's so good to have her home.

WOW!

So, I post this plea for donations to Bean's Recovery Fund, I eat my lunch, pack a bag, meet Bryan in Durham for lunch, come home and do a photo shoot for the paper (more on that later), and then check the blog. Now we are 93% of the way to the goal!??!

Wow. Just....Wow.

We have gotten calls from both local papers today. One (The News and Observer) sent a photographer over to take some shots of Bean and her family.

Why was I left out of the final shot? That's cold.

It's a photo of Bean kissing Bryan on the chin. I am off in the background welcoming visitors. That pretty much sums up how things work around here. Bryan gets all the love! But when he is not around, and it's just me and Bean, it's a whole other story. Then she's all "Mom, I totally love you best. I just do that stuff with Dad because he's insecure. Seriously....Let me get in the bed. Please?...Mom?"

I just took some photos of Bean. She is sleeping on a blanket in the living room. All of her beds and things are in the laundry from the puking last night. The vet says she is totally healthy. We are trying her on a bland canned food for a day or two, and if she keeps that down, we will mix in her dry food until she is back to just dry. Bean probably stuck her paw down her throat last night while no one was looking, just so she could get some of this canned food. She LOVES this stuff. She had some after her knee surgery too. Bryan gave her 1/2 a can when he got back from the vet, and he said she almost hurt her face she was trying so hard to get all the food in her mouth at once.

Unfortunately, I didn't pack the cord that let's me download photos from my camera to the computer, so you will have to wait until tonight for those. But there are professional photos coming! I will let you know when they are in the paper and link to them from here.

You all are the best!

Rebecca

Passing the Hat for Bean!!

Are you still giddy from the news that we have found our Bean?? Do you want to make that feeling last a little longer??? Can you spare five dollars?? Then this post is about you!!!

In the last days of Bean's disappearance, there was talk on this blog in the comments about us increasing the reward, and that some folks out there would be willing to help donate for us to do so.

Well, the good news is that there was no need to take such drastic measures. The less good news is that even with the reward set to $1000, that is way more than we actually have. Our thought process went like this: "We will cross that bridge when we get to it, and PLEASE GOD let us get to that bridge!!" In fact, at this moment we owe most of that amount to the various friends who ran off scrambling with their ATM cards trying to get the cash together yesterday afternoon.

There are many costs of getting her back which either cannot be recovered or we will come up with the money on our own for, including: the HUNDREDS of hours put in by us and everyone involved in the search, the astronomical copying costs of making thousands of fliers, and the vet costs (which we are hoping won't be too bad!) for getting her back to her usual excellent health. But we are really hoping it is not too much to ask for more support in this one last thing.

So, I have set up a campaign where YOU (yes you!) can donate and make this happen! There is a little icon in the top right of this page, which you can click on to donate (via Paypal). You don't even have to have a Paypal account to donate, just a credit/debit card. There is a progress bar so we can all watch as we reach this goal.

I have done some math (which is really painful to do post-exam, by the way), and figured out that the following scenarios will all get us to the $1000 goal:

1) Every person who has checked this blog during the past week donates ONE dollar

2) Every person who was involved in the search in some small way (from putting up a flier to combing the streets for Bean) donates FIVE dollars

3) Every person who wanted to help, but because of time/distance (hello out-of-state Bean fans!) constraints were limited to praying and hitting the refresh button on this page every 3.6 minutes donates TEN dollars.

4) Oprah Winfrey (a well-known dog lover) sees this, checks the cup holder in one of her cars for loose change, and donates ONE THOUSAND dollars

Which will it be? Stay tuned to find out!!

The Story...

I just got home from my exam. I definitely passed, so no worries there. I talked to Bryan. He says that Bean threw up again this morning, and has an appointment with our vet in a couple of hours. I think it's just something she ate, but we'll have her checked out head to paw anyway.

Bryan sent out an email to friends/family last night with the story of how we got Bean back. I am posting it here, but with all the names changed (except for Bryan and Bean, of course!):

I'm on my way back from Chapel Hill today, after a long day of crying and exhausted naps. I was getting to the point of really feeling like we wouldn't see Bean again. Listening to the blues and everything.

Then I got a phone call from a young sounding dude (late teens?) who said that he had Bean and could I meet him around 9th St. I said sure, told him which parking lot I'd be in, and headed straight there. He called back and asked about the reward, was it still $1000? I said that it was, but that I wouldn't have it on me. I then told him what kind of car I was driving and what I looked like, and asked him to do the same. He hemmed and hawed for a minute about not being sure what car he'd be in, and then told me he'd have on red pants and a blue short.

At this point, I'm pretty sure that the dude is going to try to rob me since he sounded so shaky and wouldn't give me any info about himself.

So my two most ride-or-die-for-Bean comrades Elizabeth and Jane came out and parked nearby and waited to make sure that I was cool. We waited for about 45 minutes and decided to leave because the person obviously wasn't being serious. Or, he'd been dissuaded when I told him I wouldn't have the money on me. Whatever, we didn't have any more energy to waste.

Then, Elizabeth gets a call from Fitzwilliiam saying that he's at the bike co-op and he's looking at Bean. He said that the guy who was bringing her to me rolled up to get a flyer, and that he had jumped out to stop him. Elizabeth's all, "yeah right," because there were about 1500 phone calls from folks saying that they had her, and of course, none of them were her. So, the 3 of us speed over there, and sure enough, I get out of the car and see my baby pulling on her leash like she always does.

It was Bean for sure.

So I go talk to the guy and he tells me that he had picked her up two days ago by the Burger King at Club and Guess (by the mall). She was wandering around. I'd actually gotten several calls that she was over there, and Elizabeth and I went, but we found another loose dog that people could have mistaken for her. It turns out there's about 10,000 loose dogs in this town.

He had gotten her, taken her home, and kept her in his garage to try to take care of her. His nephew saw the flyer at Walmart on Saturday, and they called me today. We stood there and talked a while, and he was the nicest guy. He had just lost his dog, an 11-year-old chihuahua/poodle mix like 3 weeks earlier and he'd been real sad about it. Elizabeth and Jane went to get the money, and we brought Bean home.

Then came the phone calls, the visitors, and the lovin on our Wonderdog. She looks healthy, but she's exhausted, and clearly just ready to lay in bed for like the next week or two. We're taking her to the vet tomorrow. She'll be snuggling in bed with me tonight.

Y'all have all been so amazing with the constant walks, posting the flyers, calling your friends, telling your co-workers, saying your prayers, having your dreams, driving around yelling her name out of your windows. It's overwhelming really, and y'all can't know what it means.

There will be a Bean party later on in the week, maybe Friday, so be on the lookout.

Goodnight y'all. Going to bed tired, but so so happy.

love

bryan

Waiting to take my exam..

Just a quick post before my exam starts. I am shockingly unprepared for this, but I can't make myself study anymore, so we'll see.

I called Bryan a little while ago. Apparently, Bean threw up earlier this morning. Probably a combination of whatever she's been eating this past week and all the excitement/treats after getting home. Oh well, back to her plain old healthy kibble I guess! We will have her checked at the vet just to be sure.

I'm going to look over my atypical antipsychotics one more time...wish me luck!

She is home and HEALTHY!!

OK

I am taking a break from Bean's impromptu welcome home party (which she is sleeping through, she is so tired!)

The story is detailed, and Bryan is the one who really was there for the whole thing. He didn't call me until he had her safe and sound.

She is FINE. She has a scratch on the top of her nose, which she probably gave herself when she pawed her head collar off. She had one tick. Other than that, she looks EXACTLY like she did before she was taken! We are taking her to the vet tomorrow, just to be safe, for a check up.

I will have Bryan write a detailed account of the whole day, and will post it tomorrow. For now, just know that she is safe at home, curled up in the middle of our bed, snoring.

I can't thank everyone enough.

PS - Photos to come - I was so excited I left my camera in Chapel Hill. I will take lots tomorrow!

SHE IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bryan just called. He was shouting. He said something about having Bean in his car. I am going to Durham right now.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Sunday 8:10 AM

Well, we are officially well into our second week of the search. I keep remembering the story of one woman who called to say she knew of a pit that was stolen and showed up 3 weeks later. We are not even close to that yet. This is great, because there is still so much reason to have hope. It is also scary, because if we are this close to complete physical and emotional exhaustion after one week, what kind of shape will we be in after three??

I am letting Bryan sleep in a little. Later I have to go back to Chapel Hill and study. My exam is in less that 24 hours and I have even started to prepare. I have no idea how I will make myself concentrate....

Some wonderful Team Bean members are looking in the woods around where Bean was last seen today. The hope is that maybe she has avoided being seen for this long by staying up in the woods. Oh Bean, I don't blame you for hiding! I would hide too after what you have been through. As you have so cruelly found out, there are awful people out there. But there are some great ones, too, so please let one of them see you today, OK? We really need for you to be seen.

Rebecca

Saturday 4:56 PM

Well, that was not Bean either. But I think that the word is spreading to the right people, people who know about the many (illegal) ways there are to get a pit bull.

I just had a wonderful pep talk in my living room from 4 wonderful women. They are involved with the organization that let us adopt Bean, and they are angels. I even laughed, which I didn't think would happen today. One of them had her dog with her, and he wondered around looking for treats. It was nice to have a dog in the house again!

Bryan's phone continues to ring. Some calls are helpful, and some are not ("I don't have your dog, but I have dogs just like her that I will sell to you for less than $1000...")

Bryan is home and I hope I can convince him to sit down and eat something. (He has had a bagel and a bag of chips today, both while on the move.)

I'll post as soon as there is any news worth posting.

Rebecca

Saturday 4:11 PM

I was so moved to see so many new (to me) faces this morning at the meet-up. People brought water, supplies, fliers, and most importantly HOPE.

Lots of ground was covered by the morning crew. We are trying to keep track of it all with maps and lists.

I came home just before the 1:00pm meeting. It was generally agreed upon that a sobbing little brown woman covered in snot would not really be useful in the search.

I have just spoken with Bryan. Apparently, the flier was shown to someone in a house where people are known to steal pits. When the person saw the flier, he slammed and locked the door. The police were called, and are on their way there now (and so is Bryan). This is exactly the kind of house I am scared she is in. Please pray that this leads to something!

The word is spreading like wildfire. Bryan's phone has been ringing constantly.

Bean, if you are out there honey, just hold on a little longer. We are coming as fast as we can!

Rebecca

Friday 5:43 PM

OK now Bryan is going to check out another stray someone called in about. He is getting really good at this, and thinking of changing careers and working for animal control.

About tomorrow...

A very smart friend had a very good idea. Let's have 2 "meet ups," one in the morning at 10, and one in the afternoon at 1. This way people who can't do both can do either one or the other, and people who can help the whole time will have time to get lunch, reconvene, and just catch their breath.

So THE PLAN is:

Meet us tomorrow at either 10:00am or 1:00pm (or both) in Northgate Park. It should be easy to find us. The park is not that big. From there we will distribute supplies (thanks to the nice lady who left 2 cases of bottled water on our porch!) and figure out who is going where. There will be a pep talk, and group hug, and then we will head out and flier the crap out of this town.

Thanks!

Friday 5:18 PM

It's not Bean.

It's another stray. Bryan is trying to catch it now, and I have alerted animal control. THANK YOU to the woman who called us though. That kind of quick action is what will bring Bean home!

I am at least relieved to know that Bean has not been spotted without her collar, as that really makes her stand out from the other strays.

Whew! My heart is jumping out of my chest. I found my shoes and I am not taking them off until Bean comes home.

Friday 5:08 PM

Possible Bean sighting!

A woman called Bryan 30 seconds ago and said she saw a dog matching Bean's description (no collar though) running loose across Club Blvd near Northgate Mall, where the Burger King is. Bryan and a friend are headed there now. I didn't have any shoes on, so they raced out without me. Please keep your fingers crossed! And if you are in that area please please look around!

I'll update as soon as I hear anything.

Where are my $*#))(*) SHOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rebecca

Friday 8:56 AM

Sorry about the rapid-fire posting this morning. I just won't be near the computer for awhile once I leave to make the rounds of all the vets/shelters.

Here is an important link:

http://pctraininggirl.com/teambean.html


This is the TEAM BEAN resource page, created by the talented and wonderful Kelly. It has all 3 fliers (English, Spanish, and the Car flier) available to download. If you have access to a printer and copier PLEASE make as many copies of the flier as you can to bring to the meet-up on Saturday. We think it will be at 10:00 AM at Northgate Park in Durham. More info will be posted as the day goes on. Things that you should bring (if you can) include:

1) as many copies of the flier as you can make
2) bottled water (enough for yourself and maybe a few others if you can swing it)
3) Leashes/Collars (for when you find her. If you find her and you don't have a leash, just grab whatever part of her you can get your hands on and yell like crazy for help.)
4) Maps of Durham
5) Comfy/warm clothes and walking shoes.

I think that's it for now. Hopefully she will turn up today, and we can just change tomorrow's meet up into a Welcome Home Bean Celebration!

Rebecca

Friday 7:59 AM

Well, sleeping sucked. I kept dreaming about Bean.

Anyway, I am up now. I have been notifying vets/shelters individually about Bean and her microchip number, and I will continue to do so. I have also just called HomeAgain (the makers of Bean's microchip) and notified them that she has been stolen. I enrolled her in their lost pet program, in which (for $15) they will be sending out an alert to all facilities within a 25 mile radius that have microchip scanners. That should help.

By the way, when Bean gets home, in addition to her microchip, she will also be equipped with a GPS navigational system like Zoomback. It's the same technology they use to track down stolen cars.

Also, she will no longer be allowed outside the house for any reason whatsoever. We will be putting astro-turf down in the spare room, installing one of those light bulbs that simulates daylight, and maybe dragging a few potted ficus trees in there. That will be her new "outside". She'll deal.

Rebecca

Friday 12:18 AM

I can't sleep. I am considering driving around, but I seriously doubt Bean will be out and about at this time of night...

The nights are the worst by far. It's the time when Bean would normally be snuggled with us on the bed. I can't not think about where she might be sleeping right now.

A note about my previous post:
I absolutely did not mean to portray the Durham Shelter in a negative way. If I am mistaken about their policy, please do let me know! I am just going by what the woman who answered the phone told me on Monday. We go there at least once a day, and the staff have been extremely sympathetic and accommodating. I only wanted convey what some folks have told me about why someone would take her to a shelter outside of Durham. I would consider it the greatest blessing for Bean to end up in their capable hands!

I'm going to try to sleep. Goodnight everyone. And goodnight my little Beanie.

Rebecca

Thursday 7:57 PM

1) No Sightings Today. Not much more to say about that....

2) Bean is still not at the Durham County shelter.

3) A "nest" has been set up along the trail that runs through our area. It includes Bean's favorite fleece sleep-pad, and our bedsheets. We will be checking it regularly.

4) I have tomorrow "off" (I am supposed to be studying for the exam on Monday, but oh well!). My plan is to: a) Pay a visit to every vet in Durham to make sure they have a color photo and her microchip number. b) Go in person to the Wake County and Orange County shelters and make sure they know about Bean and have her microchip ID number. Someone may have picked her up in Durham and taken her to one of those shelters, thinking that she would have a better chance of finding a home. The Durham shelter does not adopt out pits, from what I understand. Pits that are picked up on the streets or brought in by someone are kept for one week. If no one claims them in that time, they are put down. If someone knows about this policy, they might have chosen to take her to a neighboring county. c) Contact the microchip company and report Bean as missing.

5) The plan is to organize a meet-up on Saturday. The idea is to meet at one central location and divide into groups. Each group takes a neighborhood and a stack of fliers, and then puts one on every door there. I think the best chance of finding Bean is to have every pair of eyes in Durham looking for her. Would you guys be up for doing this? What neighborhoods should we put on the list? I am especially interested in getting the word out in areas where people have a lot of pits in their yards, etc. I think we have missed those areas so far, and maybe they would be more likely to notice Bean on the street? What do you all think? We will also need people to volunteer to bring bottled water. Or everyone could make sure to bring their own? More info about Saturday is coming...

6) The window fliers are working!! We got a call from a woman this afternoon who had just seen the photo of Bean and our number in the window of someone's car. Unfortunately the lead was one we had already checked into (the found pit in Southpoint). Please print them out and get them into those car windows! I am going to try to bring out a bunch to the Saturday meet-up to hand out to people who volunteer.

7) Photo copying costs are getting big. Does anyone know of anywhere cheaper than Kinko's? If I post a link to the flier, would people be up for printing it and making/paying for copies? Then you could bring them to the meet up. We need LOTS of copies!

I think that's it for now. Keep up the awesome work everyone!! We are getting so close, I just know it!

Also, apparently Bean was mentioned on the radio this morning! We have covered every type of media now, short of having her name written in the sky (which we will look into next week!).

Much love,
Rebecca

Thursday 1:28 PM

Aaaaaghhh!!! This class will NEVER end!!

Here's some good news. I got this response from the city about the flyers:

Dear Ms Silver:

The recent mobilization of the community to assist in finding Bean clearly indicates that losing a pet is a distressful situation for not only the pet’s owners but for everyone who hears about it. Those feelings of distress and sympathy for the owner are shared by the staff in the City-County Planning Department.

Interim Director Steve Medlin is attending an out-of-office meeting today but he forwarded your message to me so that I could provide you with a more timely response to your concerns about posting flyers in the rights-of-way and on utility poles.

As you may have learned, such signs in the rights-of-way and on utility poles are not permitted by ordinance. In addition, most power companies, including Duke Power and Progress Energy prohibit signs on utility poles. We have been told that the residual staples create hazards for line workers. As an alternative, we encourage people to put the signs adjacent to the right of way on private property.

The standard procedure for the Planning Department is to first provide information verbally about the violation, since most people are not familiar with zoning regulations. A second step would be to write a Notice of Violation seeking voluntary compliance with the ordinance. Compliance is our goal for a better Durham. We are NOT seeking fines, although fines have been used as a last resort to resolve situations.

At this point in time, the Department has not issued a Notice of Violation in this case. Since Steve Medlin is out of the office, we will await his return to discuss the situation with him, review our obligations to enforce Durham’s ordinance with equality, and determine what course of action the Department should take.

We will be happy to keep you informed of the situation and, in the meantime, continue to hope that Bean will be returned home safely.

Sincerely,

Bonnie Estes

Assistant Director

Thursday 11:15 AM

The dog found at Southpoint is NOT Bean. That dog has been taken to the animal shelter. I am trying to get out of class early so I can resume the search. I'm sending this from class right now, so I have to go. Just a quick update!

Rebecca

Thursday 6:25 AM

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! Please send some of that Valentine's love Bean's way!

I am sitting at my desk looking at a sweet card I ordered from Etsy for Bryan, which I never even got around to opening, let alone writing in. Our Valentine's Day has gotten a little sidetracked by all of this. But angel, you know that I love you and that our little family is too strong to be broken by one bad person. We will celebrate Valentine's Day when Bean comes home with a romantic dinner of steak, hot dogs, puppy chow, and peanut butter. All mixed up together. Over candlelight.

Someone posted a lead in the comments from the last post about a pit bull that has been found in the Southpoint area. I have no idea how Bean could have gotten that far, but maybe she decided to do a little window shopping. At any rate, we will be calling them as soon as the sun comes up.

Someone called me at one o'clock this morning to tell me that they saw a red pit bull being walked by a man yesterday morning and that it was a male dog. My heart jumped out of my chest when the phone rang! But after I assured the caller that, yes, we are positive Bean is not a boy, and, yes, we think red-nosed pits are beautiful too, I was able to fall back asleep without too much difficulty.

I have to put in a major appearance at school today. So I will be pretty much off the search until 6pm. Which sucks because it is a perfect day for Bean-watching! But I know that Team Bean will be out in full force, and that Bryan will be searching starting at noon.

Today is the day! It will be Bean's Valentine's Day gift to all of us!

Rebecca

Wednesday 10:07 PM

It's so cold outside right now. And it's raining ice. And I'm so scared. I hadn't really considered yet that the weather might be something else that Bean has to survive to get back to us. I am trying really hard to think of all the ways that she might be keeping warm enough to survive. She has never been an outside dog. Not even for one night. I don't know anything about what kinds of temperatures dogs can survive. Or what they do on cold nights. Those of you who know about such things, please please help me think of scenarios where Bean is not freezing to death tonight.

Bryan says she could be curled up in someone's garage or shed. Or maybe even a vacant dog house. I would really appreciate some more ideas, if anyone else is still awake. I need to be able to picture her somewhere where she can survive until morning, or else I don't think I will be sleeping tonight.

Pray really hard that Bean survives another night out in the cold until we can find her.

Rebecca

Wednesday 8:06 pm

1) Bean is on the N&O website and will be in tomorrow's print edition, with a photo! Here's the link (thanks Amy!):
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/942684.html

2) The wonderful Kelly has made a mini-poster for Bean that is to be printed out and taped inside the window of your car (backseat please! You need to be able to see out all the front windows so you can look for Bean (and so that you can drive safely :) ). It can be found here:

http://www.pctraininggirl.com/bean.pdf


It might be true that no lost dog in the history of Durham has been searched for with this much intensity. I am liking Bean's odds!

Rebecca

Wednesday 3:41 PM

No sightings. This is an update on Bean and the media.

1)Bryan tells me that she should be in the News & Observer tomorrow, and that she is on their website now.

2)I had placed an ad in the Independent to run both in print and online for 2 weeks. It shows up online, but was accidentally left out of the print version this week!!! I called and the guy says he will give me a refund (don't care) and will run it for an extra week (please God don't let her still be lost in 2 weeks!!). The nice thing was that when I prompted him about which ad I was talking about by saying "It's about a red dog named Bean..." He said "Oh yeah! I know all about Bean, I have seen her photo everywhere around my neighborhood." So that's good. The fliers/flyers are working!!

3)Bryan is going home now to work on calling radio stations to see if they can put out an alert. Maybe it can go into the list of possible material for radio talk show personalities to play with. You know: "easiest way ever to earn $1000!!" or "Don't want to go to work today? Call in sick and look for this dog. You will make more money than you would have at work anyway!"

That's all for now.

Rebecca

Wednesday 2:52 PM

Remember that class I am supposed to be in right now? Well I sat down to "rest" around noon before going and cried myself into a restless sleep. Just now waking up.

Bean is still not at the shelter as of this morning. However, they are open until 6pm today, so we will check again before they close. The difficult thing is that the same instinct to run away from strangers that seems to have allowed her to escape her kidnapper and evade capture by dog fighters will probably also make it hard for anyone GOOD to catch her. My best advice if you see her is this:

1) Squat down and call her. This will at least get her to stand still. She knows humans can't run very fast while squatting. She may eye you suspiciously, because usually when Bryan or I do this it is because we want to give her medicine or brush her teeth or something else unpleasant.

2) Once she sees you, try jogging in the OPPOSITE direction, looking back and calling her. This is how we play "Chase". She will try her best to "beat" you to....no where. I don't think she ever realizes that we are not running towards anything. That doesn't matter, all that matters to her is that she is winning.

No new news. No sightings. I keep hoping it is just because of the rain. The Good news is that it will be bright and sunny tomorrow. That means Bean is more likely to be out, as are folks who might see her.

No word back from the city re: the flyers (is it fliers?).

I'm just holding on to the "no news is good news" philosophy.

Rebecca

Wednesday 10:38 AM

Another lead on a found pit bull, again from the comments section of this blog (Thanks emily!):

My mom lives in SW Durham, and reads the TP list. I got this email from her just now:

"I read on the TP listserve about the pit bull that was stolen. A woman was putting up a dog-found sign at Massey Chapel and 751. I stopped to ask, as one of our neighbors has a stray at her house. This lady found a sweet pit bull yesterday or today and took it to the Durham Shelter, as she has five dogs and wasn't sure about the pit bull.I'm sure the owners of the one on the listserve are keeping in touch with the shelter, but thought I'd give you this info (I don't know how to post to the listserve). She is afraid they will put it down quickly since it's a pit bull and said it was a really sweet dog. It's unlikely that it's the same one, but look at "Hannah"!

Hope this is helpful! We'll keep our eyes open for Bean!

The pound just opened 9 minutes ago, but I am calling them and someone (another angelic stranger to us who has joined the Bring Bean Home Task Force) is going to visually check the dogs there this morning. We will probably go again before it closes at five.

Also, as for the found pit bull in the pink collar I just wrote about... The woman who found her just went home from work to check on the dogs (both her dog and the pit were in her back yard) and the pit has escaped! But I am not freaking out because: 1) she saw the poster of Bean before she found this dog, and never thought that this dog looked very much like the photo of Bean, and 2) Bean is NO escape artist. This woman has a fenced in backyard, and though she says the fence is not the most secure, she states that her dog has never gotten out of it. If a door in the house is only slightly ajar (but still 20 inches open) and not all the way open, Bean does not think she can go through it and will sit on the other side and cry. Again, not exactly a Houdini.

Keep the leads coming!

Wednesday 10:28 AM

Update on the this posting about a found pit bull:

"A female brown and white pit bull just followed me to my house on 9th street. I have her in the yard with my dog. Please contact me by phone if you know who she belongs to. XXX-XXXX. Thanks!"

I have called her, and the pit bull she found is brown with white markings on her face, with a pink collar. It doesn't sound like Bean, but Bryan will go by and confirm this visually later on today. I got her address. I deleted the original post by Melissa (Thanks Melissa!) and didn't put her phone number here, because (as Melissa so correctly suggested) I don't want this poor woman to be called by half of Durham since we are already looking into it.

Bean's search team has become quite a force to be reckoned with!

Also, we are leaving the signs up until further notice. Lots of people have contacted the city, and some of you are even offering to help pay the fine! We may have to take them down eventually, but I don't want to do it a minute before we have to.

Rebecca

Wednesday 7:40 AM

This is the update Bryan emailed out yesterday. I thought I would post it here as well. It's titled "What Bean Does When it Rains":

She walks up to her dog door, pokes her head outside to stare at the rain, and then realizes that she's too big of a diva to be out in that kind of weather and walks back in.

So...

The fact no one called us to say that they saw her today in the rain is just a testament to:

a) Her prissy-ness
b) Her newfound street smarts
c) some really sweet old lady letting her stay in the house and watch The Price is Right all day

But, we have had about another dozen or so folks that we don't know out driving around, taking their lunch breaks to look for her, etc. etc. It's really a world full of amazing people that we live in. One of my students brought his dog out from across town and walked around with me for 2 hours, then called and told me he'd help out in any way he could.

We're still on the hunt y'all, and we're not giving up anytime soon. Our baby is coming back to us. If you'd like to help tomorrow, please do one of the following things:

1) Take down signs that you see around town on lightpoles and stuff like that. The city said that they were going to fine us $500 if we didn't have them all down by like 2 tomorrow. Jerks. Just the city property, not bulletin boards and stuff like that. Hold off on this until we see if we can't get an extension/ exception. Call/email the city planner and ask for the rules to be relaxed in this case. His contact info is listed in the previous post.

2) Pass out flyers to everyone you know.

3) Take a minute to go out and look. The latest area of concentration (5 sightings yesterday) is on the nature trail that runs North/South between Trinity and Club between Duke and Washington and then down at Northgate park.

4) We'll be out again in full force in the afternoon if you'd care to join us.

5) Keep having your dreams, sending your prayers, and telling everyone you know.

Let's make it happen

Wednesday 7:12 AM

Yes, I am supposed to be in class right now. But I don't think it would be conducive to anyone's learning experience for me to be sobbing and wailing in the front of the auditorium. I'm just not ready to go on with life as usual. It feels too much like giving up on Bean. So I am sitting here in my tiny Chapel Hill apartment (Bryan and I officially have two separate addresses, that's a whole other story) typing this while wrapped in a comforter that we snuggled with Bean on just 2 Sundays ago.

There is a mandatory Clinical Epidemiology class from 2:00-3:30 that I will make myself go to. (For those of you who don't know, I am a 2nd year medical student at UNC). When my exam rolls around on Monday, by which time we will have of course found our Bean, if you all would not mind rolling those "Bean come home" prayers into "Please let Rebecca pass her Psych Exam" prayers, that would be great. After all, I have to graduate and get a job so I can afford to keep Bean in steak and sausages for the rest of her warm, safe, happy life!


So, let's everyone just hold off on taking down the signs. I think they are too important in the search for Bean. Everyone who has called about seeing her has done so because of the signs and flyers. Let's just hope that the city has some mercy on this lost dog of mine. A commenter has some helpful advice:

Steve Medlin is the Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Durham. I suggest we all (politely) e-mail (steve.medlin@durhamnc.gov) or call him at (919)560-4137 and let him know how the citizens of Durham feel about how the sign ordinance is being applied to "lost dog" posters. It's one thing to regulate solicitations, it's another thing to impede a rescue effort! Not just for Bean, but for any of us who could be in this situation someday.
Here are the pertinent links:
http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/planning/
http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/planning/udo/pdf/udo_11.pd

I am going to email him right now about this, and call later on. Hopefully if enough people do this we will be granted some sort of exception. If not, I say leave them up until they actually mail us a bill. What do you think?

Tuesday 10:52 pm

One more thing, "the city" called today and said that if we did not take all the posters of Bean off of the telephone and electric poles by 1:00 pm on Wednesday, they would fine us FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! I hope that is not a per-flyer charge...

I'm not sure how they are going to enforce this, or how serious they are about the precise time they need to be down, but we are going to go around as soon as we can tomorrow and tear down all the posters. If you happen to be walking by one, and wouldn't mind taking it down for us, that would be great.

I honestly can't even remember where we put them all....

Ugh!! Doesn't the city have anything more important to do??? Like, say...finding my dog!!!

OK , now I really am going to bed.

Rebecca

Tuesday 9:23 pm

Well, I just got dropped off back at the house. Bryan, along with 3 other amazingly awesome people, have returned to sit in their cars in the rain. They are hoping to see Bean on the trail, and Bryan is checking on the doggie trap every 15 or 20 minutes. Bryan is sitting in the rain, staring at a damp piece of fried steak. I don't think it gets much sadder than that.

I have to admit that things are looking pretty grim. I know it's probably because of the rainy weather, but the fact that Bean has not been seen at all today is really scaring me. I think the weather should clear up soon, and she will hopefully start making appearances again.

Tomorrow I have to go back to school. I have skipped classes Monday and today. I hadn't even thought as far ahead as Wednesday, because I thought "We will surely have found Bean by then!"

And here it is. Just a few hours till Wednesday and our little girl feels farther away than ever. Another reason I need so desperately for her to be spotted running around loose everyday is that it is the only way I can know that she has not been picked up off the street by those monsters who like to do horrible things to pit bulls. I would honestly rather find out that she is dead than to have her end up chained to pole in someone's basement for the rest of her life. That is the life we rescued her from. When she came to us we promised her she would never have to worry about being hurt again.

If anyone out there has stories about pets who went missing for weeks, and then showed up out of the blue unharmed, now would be a really good time to share them.

Also, I know we are in a severe drought crisis and all, but if you could pray for sunny skies, that would be awesome too.

Sorry to be so down. I will try to be more positive tomorrow.

Rebecca

Tuesday 7:44 pm

It's kind of a sad evening around here.

This is the first day since she was taken that there has not been a sighting of Bean called in. The last she was seen was last night on the trail that runs through the woods behind our house. It's also raining, and that means that Bean is out there in the rain somewhere. I hope she has found someplace dry and warm.

Late this afternoon, there was apparently a dog bite incident on the other side of downtown. Rumor has it it was a pit bull. A brindle one, so it doesn't sound like Bean (I would also be shocked to hear that she is biting now). However, it is being said that animal control picked up that dog as well as several others that were running with it. It is possible that Bean has fallen in with a bad crowd, and that she got thrown in the slammer with the biter. But we can't know until tomorrow when the shelter opens.

Tonight, a very sweet woman who works with a local animal rescue lent us a humane dog trap. It looks like a very long wire dog crate. The door swings up, and stays propped up until it is triggered. At the other end of the trap, there is a little platform that is about 1 inch off the ground. If you put food on the far end of the trap, on the other side of the platform, then the dog would have to step on the platform to get the food. The second the platform is pressed down, the door slams shut.

I am currently frying Beef and Cheddar-filled sausages. Since neither of us eats red meat, it is kind of disgusting. But hopefully it will be irresistible to Bean. Of course, you have to check the trap very often, since you don't want the dog to be trapped in the cage for very long. They don't like it at all and start freaking out.

We are going to set the trap on the trail she was seen on last night, and then camp out nearby. I wonder how many other strays that aren't Bean we will catch!

Wish us luck. Will post an update later on, before I go to bed.

Rebecca

Tuesday 12:28 PM

No new news.

I just spent 90 minutes walking the trails around Northgate Park. I walked so much I ended up back home, and now I have to wait for Bryan to come home from work (any minute now) to take me back to my car. It was a sad, gray walk, and I was in tears by the time I got home. I found myself peering into little creeks as I passed them, actually looking for her body! But I have to keep telling myself that she is strong and she is still out there somewhere. As I walked into the house, I called for her again. We have opened the fence to the backyard, so that if she were to get home, she could come in through her dog door. Every time I unlock the front door I say a quick prayer that she will be on the other side, staring up at me, demanding dinner.

It feels like we are always one step behind her.

It really does feel like the whole city is looking for her!! Thanks to everyone for being our "eyes" all over town.

I'm feeling really down right now. But it does help to check my email and this site and get all the encouraging messages. Please don't you give up hope!!

What hurts the most is that I feel like I have let Bean down. She was trusted to us because we promised to keep her safe for the rest of her life. And now we have lost her. I hope she knows we are looking her her. That we have not forgotten about our little girl. That we never will.

Rebecca

Tuesday 10:53 AM

Another sighting!!

A very nice woman just called to say that she saw been yesterday at about 5pm. Bean was "running really fast" along Club Blvd, and then turned into Northgate Park. This was just an hour or two before she was spotted on the trail behind our house, which also leads to that park.

There is a dog park there, and Bean has always been excited about other dogs, so maybe that's where she's been hanging out. I am headed there right now with flyers and my staple gun.

At least if she is running, she is not hurt too bad. Poor girl! Her bad leg must be sore by now. She is getting a massage and a hot bath (and a steak) as soon as she gets home!

No sightings today, but a good friend went to the shelter for me (those places always make me cry) and confirmed that she is still not there.

Keep the prayers coming everyone! And check back often!!

Rebecca

Tuesday 9:12 AM

This morning a very kind man (a stranger to me and our situation) at a local copy shop paid for me to make 500 copies of Bean's flyer. I pretty much started crying right there. How can there be even one bad person like the man who stole Bean when clearly we are surrounded by angels every single day?

I have covered a very long street near where she was last seen. They are forecasting a cold rain this afternoon, and I pray we can find her before then.

I will go to the shelter when it opens at 10:30, to see if she was picked up overnight.

Thank you all. Keep on praying!

Rebecca

Tuesday morning 6:30 AM

Hello all,

Alas, another night has passed without Bean in our bed safe and warm. We know that she is very close, and I am spending the morning going door-to-door in the surrounding areas. We must have printed thousands of flyers by now. I feel good. Good enough to write my own words today. We are bringing her home today! I just know it!

Keep checking back,
and keep on praying (the prayers have worked wonders already!!)

Rebecca

Monday Night 8:30pm

Good News! Bean was spotted at around 7pm on the trail right behind our house!!!

She was not only clever enough to get away from the man who stole her, and to make it on her own for 2 nights on the streets, she seems to have found her way back to our neighborhood! Everyone is out with flashlights now. I have a good feeling about this. I know that if she can just find our street, she will know how to get home. We have all the lights on, and a big bowl of peanut butter is sitting on the front porch.

I'm going back out now.

Please keep your fingers crossed that we will find our baby tonight!

Rebecca

Monday afternoon 1:30pm

Again, this is an email Bryan sent out. I don't have anything to say, except that is feels like my heart is breaking. Please keep praying.

Okay y'all...


Today's the day! Everybody seems to be feeling it. Thanks so much to all of y'all that have called/emailed and let her know.


Bean was not at the shelter this morning, so Rebecca and I came home and got a little rest (not much of that has been going on). We're getting ready to head out and just sit on a couple of corners for a while. Bean seems to be a moving target, so maybe if we sit still, she'll emerge.


We're asking any and all of you to join us today/tonight when you get off of school and work. We'll still be out there, and we'll have fliers so that we can show them to folks and ask if they've seen her. I think that if we saturate the neighborhood one more night, she's bound to show up.


Michelle apparently had a dream that Bean came home tonight. Keep dreamin y'all. For my Catholics, holla at St. Francis and/or St. Christopher. Everybody just keep doing what you do. We're going to find her and bring her home and smother her with all the love and attention she can imagine.


And just so that y'all know, if she's been out this long and walking, she's going to be limping a significantly. Her back right leg is no good, and she's got to be getting tired. Not that you could mistake her for another dog, but just in case.


Please call me (210-9256) or Rebecca (604-1143) and come join us.


Let's do it y'all

Update Monday morning 6:30 AM

This was sent out by Bryan late last night. I am too incoherent to write an update myself. Although I am not able to express it right now, I am so grateful for everyone's help and kind words. But I am too sad to write more.

"Hey y'all...

Here's where things are right now. Rebecca and I are going to sleep without our Bean for the 2nd night in a row. Theo, Rebecca's dad (Curtis), and I just got in from one more late night sweep, and we didn't find anything.

I did, however, just get a call from someone who said that he saw Bean near Lancaster and Markham today with another dog, wandering about. Our baby has, apparently, made a friend, and is looking for us.

While this has been an excruciating couple of days, we are so warmed by all that everyone has done. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family of people around us. Many of you have worked with us, many of you have worked on your own; many of you have said prayers and chanted for Bean to come home to us, and many of you have spread the word far and wide. I personally am in love with the people of Walltown, who have been so supportive and so willing to help us, calling just to see if we've found her, and going out of their way to bring our baby back to us. It's just a testament to how many wonderful people are in this world, despite the broken soul who took our Bean in the first place.

Please don't stop. Everyone in the area knows about Bean, and everyone is looking. One more day of persistent searching, and I know that our love will be back here annoying all of us on a daily. Please keep talking to your neighbors. Please keep walking around and looking for her when you can. Please keep putting up flyers. We will find her. And we will find her because of this wonderful family that we have.

Rebecca and I are checking the animal shelters first thing in the morning, and then we'll be back out in the neighborhoods if she's not in the shelters. We'll find her. Hit me on my phone (210-9256) if you want to come out with us.

Thanks so much y'all. You don't know how much it means to both of us.

bryan"

Bean update 2:30 am

We are printing up hundreds of these at Kinko's and knocking on doors to hand them out first thing in the morning. I will also be bringing copies to every vet office and shelter within 30 miles on Monday. Please pray that we find her before then, though. I know that every hour she is out there increases her chances of being hurt, or being found by the horrible people who stole her.

Update: Saturday night 11pm

Here's where things stand:

We have posted many fliers advertising a $1000 reward for her safe return. We have gotten 2 calls since she was stolen, both people who had seen her wondering around in the neighborhood near wear she was taken. The wonderful news is that she was dragging her leash around and walking alone! She seems to have gotten away from the bastard (pardon the language) who took her! Now she is not "stolen" so much as "lost" and I think that is good news. We walked all through the neighborhood (about 12 of us) in teams of 2 from this afternoon until just now at 11pm. Tomorrow I am going to knock on doors and pass out fliers. I can't bear to think that she is out there alone tonight, but at least I know that she is not with the person who stole her, and that it will not be too cold. God willing, we will find her tomorrow.

please pray for us

earlier this afternoon bean was stolen out of bryan's car while he was buying her dog food. please please pray for her, and if you are in the durham nc area please keep an eye out for her. the police are looking as well as several friends. if she is not found before dark, then I just don't know what I will do. She is micro-chipped, but I am so scared she was taken by the kind of people who will not take her to vet. Oh my baby.

please pray for us.

rebecca

Bean's 100th post!!!

Wow! According to Blogger, this is Bean's 100th post on this blog. That just blows my mind. It seems that only yesterday we brought our tiny little big-eared puppy home for the first time. They grow up so fast...{sniff, sniff}

I am just getting home from taking a monster of a neuropathology exam, and am heading off for a much-deserved nap. But I just had to post this photo first.

Bryan and Bean spent Saturday night here with me. Because my bed is only a full-sized one, and because Bryan is well over 6 feet tall, Bean doesn't sleep with us during the night. She sleeps on her deluxe LLBean dog bed in the corner. (I know, it's sad to see a dog being abused so cruelly.)

However, on Sunday morning, after taking her out to pee (no dog door here) we invite her up into bed to snuggle with us. Is there any better way to start your morning than rolling over and seeing this face?

Oh, Hi. Morning.

Of course, she makes sure to let me know that she is the #1 girl in Bryan's life by draping herself over him in such a way that makes it hard for me to cuddle with him.

Go on, try to kiss him if you dare.

I'm not sure I like this competition.

ps- ignore all dirty laundry in the background, please. things get a little messy around here right before an exam!