The Shadeau Saga....

You know how you sometimes have to know a story ends good before you can finish it?  Well, let me just tell you, this story has a GREAT ending :)

A couple Sundays ago, we let Shadeau, our 7 1/2 year old Shih-tzu out to go to the bathroom.  I was preoccupied with getting the kids ready for church, so I didn't realize she wasn't scratching at the door to come back inside for about 20 minutes.  We drove the neighborhood, checked her normal hiding places...nothing.  Animal control was closed until the next day, so we had a sad night missing her.

I called the next day and reported her missing...I also called the animal hospitals and left her description.  I put ads on ksl.com.  We put fliers up all over the neighborhood.  The kids took the fliers to their classmates at school.  I checked ksl.com and craigslist and The Clipper for dog found ads...nothing.

A week went by.  Then two.  Finally, yesterday morning at about 6:30, I received an email from a woman who had been touched by our story, and had found two ads from around the same time Shadeau went missing.  She will forever be our hero.  I called on the first ad, and it ended up being a dog at the pound I had already checked into.  Since he was a boy, and white, and fat, it was obvious it wasn't her.  I tried from 7am to 5pm to reach the woman (Jennifer) from the second ad.  Finally she answered her phone just before 5, and very curtly told me she'd tried to find us through animal control and ksl.com and since she couldn't, she took her to a shelter where she was adopted out.  Needless to say, I was upset.  Very upset. I didn't know what to say, or what to do.  I worried all night long.

So this morning starting at 8am, I went to the mattresses.  Actually, I went to the phones.  The shelter she said she had taken Shadeau to ended up being nothing but a database with no way to contact them.  The nice people at Weber County Animal Control told me of another little hole-in-the wall shelter with a similar name. So I called them.  The owner talked to me for over 40 minutes, you could tell she was very concerned, but she assured me not only hadn't they seen our dog, but a situation like that could not have happened on her watch.

Then I called Jennifer again...she didn't answer...and left her a message that I needed the name of the place she took Shadeau to, that I unfortunately had to file a police report, and that my next step would be calling the news...that was the short version :)

Then after a lot of back and forth between Animal Control, Davis County Sheriff, and Bountiful Police, I ended up going in to the police station to issue a statement and file a report.  Even though the detective was very nice to me, he made it pretty clear there was no way we'd ever get our dog back and that there wasn't much he could do.  But he did say he would contact Jennifer, so that gave me some hope.

I heard from a friend through facebook that the news may be interested in running our story.  I was torn because I didn't want to unnecessarily cause this woman grief, but yet I knew she was jerking us around, so I said we'd go ahead and do it when/if they had time.

Just before 4, Jennifer called me.  It was not a pleasant conversation.  I will spare you most of the back and forth, because frankly, most of what was coming out of her mouth was fodder.  But, I was proud of myself because in the face of something horrible, I was calm.  I didn't let her walk all over me, but I didn't berate her.  She stuck to her story that she had taken Shadeau to this little shelter...but this time, it was the name of the one I had called and talked to the lady for 40 minutes.  Hahaha...busted!  She also said she only knew she had been adopted because Shadeau was no longer on their foster care list (they don't have a foster care list...they're too small, so they know each pet by name).  The best part was she said her ad didn't say she was wearing a collar (it did) and she changed her description to the one the woman at the shelter gave me of a dog they adopted out 2 months ago.  Lots and lots of little lies.  At least I wasn't dealing with a professional liar :)

An hour later, I got a text from her saying a friend of hers had talked to the 'little old lady' who had Shadeau.  Apparently this little old lady was bawling her eyes out and was very upset because of all the money she had put out on her.  BUT, what was our address and she'd bring her to me.  Sudden change of heart considering a few minutes before she had no idea where Shadeau was or who had her :)  Well, since Bryan works out in Clearfield (which is where she lives) we arranged to have him meet her in a restaurant parking lot.  She asked me to send a picture of Shadeau, which I did.  She said the picture looked nothing like her but she'd bring her anyway so I didn't have her arrested for theft :)  I politely responded 'thank you' :)  Is anyone besides me realizing that there never was a 'little old lady?'

Bryan was a little stunned when she pulled up.  To say this woman and her aunt who was with her were not well-kept would be a bit of an understatement.  As soon as Shadeau saw Bryan, there was no question it was her.  She was soooo happy! :)  I laughed afterwards that at this point, Jennifer was still saying she looked nothing like the pictures that were on fliers, and ads, and the pix message :)  Shadeau was a little dirtier than when we had seen her last, but she was fine.  She hadn't been brushed, which is funny because Jennifer kept saying how matted Shadeau was, and how she had candle wax all over her, and how they had saved her.  Bryan said, 'Wow, someone must have driven up to her and dumped candlewax all over her, that's awful!' and then proceeded to tell them what heroes they were and how grateful he was that there were people like them who were protecting animals from negligent individuals such as himself.  I don't think she got his sarchasm.  She said the little old lady was so upset and home crying, and I think after all of that he was just done, so he simply said, "Better an old lady than six little kids." And he left with Shadeau snuggled up next to him in the passenger seat.

A few minutes later, the detective called me to tell me what he had found out.  When I told him Bryan had the dog, he was pretty interested to hear how it happened.  So I told him the story.  Then he said he had talked to Jennifer three times today, and that each time she told a different story...each time he could tell she was lying.  So finally, at 4:30 he called her the last time and told her that he knew she was lying, that one way or another he would find the dog, and that it was a pretty big deal to impede an investigation.  Something about jail may have entered the conversation :)  I thanked him over and over again, because I know if he hadn't pushed her, we would probably never have seen our dog again. He asked if we wanted to press charges against her.  I admit, I actually had to think about it for a half second before telling him no.

When Bryan walked in with her, the kids obviously freaked out.  But the cutest thing was Alex....he was so happy he wouldn't leave her alone, it was sweet.

To celebrate, Bryan bought her a new collar (hers was conveniently missing), and not that it would have helped in this instance,  but tomorrow, both dogs are getting microchipped!

So that's the story....and we all lived happily ever after. :)