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
6 comments:
Good Morning.
I have 2 reunion stories to share and a suggestion or two. I've been an animal welfare advocate/worker for the past 7 years or so here in the Triangle, and have seen and heard of some remarkable things.
A bit of hope to start the day:
Last Summer while pet sitting her friends VERY skittish dog (a dog that almost didn't make it out of the shelter I worked in)her grandmother died. H.S. had to leave Ginger with another friend. On the second day, Ginger bolted into a neighborhood she had never been to before, very far from home. We started putting fliers everywhere, went out searching everyday and night. Calls came in with sightings, but she continued to ellude us. Weeks turned into a month and while we knew she was out there, we just couldn't seem to reach her. Eventually we set up a humane dog trap and on the third night, Ginger gave up and let us catch her.
2: Biscuit loves squirrels and bolted awyay from Mom one day in hot pursuit. With Mom hot on his tail, Biscuit ran into the road and got grazed by a passing car. Dazed, confused and scared he ran off. Fliers, wood combing, door to door knocking, and many sleepless nights later, Biscuit came home with only a few cuts and bruises.
Now for my suggestions. Part of the reason Ginger finally gave up her street life was that we made it as uncomfortable for her as possible. While it may sound like 'tough love,' it worked. We instructed all neighbors to STOP leaving food out - ALL food. The only food that she should have access to ANYWHERE would be on your porch, in the trap and maybe at another home she is familiar with. The more uncomfartable she is while she is out there, the more likely she will be to let herself be caught/found.
Someone else mentioned the clothing/home smells and this is a great idea! Panda, a former serious Street dog, was walking in Duke forest with his Mom when a bunch of runners spooked him and he ran off. Countless hours of searching and calling to him later, they had to go home to rest for an hour or two. Taking off clothes (and socks) and leaving his very favorite toy by a tree in the woods, they left. At day break when they went back, there was Panda sitting right by his 'things' waiting.
I'm sorry this is so long, but a few more things. Make sure every Vet in the area has a flier of Bean. The can be faxed or emailed. Make certain theat the Shelter is checking the 'found' book when you go. Both the Orange County shelter and the Wake shelter should also be notified/checked. Someone may have driven Bean there thinking she had a better chance at getting adopted.
My partner and I have been looking and will continue to do so. All our very best vibes that Bean decides she's had enough of this adventure and makes it home.
-Heather & Holly
Well, no sightings just now on the lower part of the trail, nor around Club/Northgate, but we'll keep trying! I love the idea about putting "home-smell" things out - perhaps around the trail?
Anyhow, can't believe I haven't thought of this yet, but has anyone put up any flyers in Spanish? There's such a large Latino population around here and perhaps that might help reach a larger audience?
Keep trying. I know Bean's ready to get home!
Just wanted to share this from Bonnie Estes in city/county planning:
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 some
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.
We're working on a Spanish language flyer for you, Rebecca. Good idea, Karen!
After seeing the signs for Bean on 9th St. last weekend (and subsequently receiving an email about the situation from our friends Bob and Adrienne), I have been checking this blog for updates and hoping very much for good news. Bean is out there, and she'll make it home soon--believe it!
Re: your encounter with the city about the sign ordinance, I emailed Steve Medlin and received the following response this morning. You may have already heard the same reply, but I thought I'd share with you, in any case:
"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"
Hopefully, the city will stay off of your backs long enough for Bean to make it home. We're definitely keeping an eye out for her in Northgate Park!
Amanda
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