Lost & Found = Party !
After a long day of working on our property Gary and I went to the beach to watch sunset. I was happy and decided to bring a puppy to play with at the beach. The pups don't walk well with a colar because they keep scratching at it. So I didn't have a colar or leash Mistake #1. We just sat down and were rewarding ourself with a beer while watching the sunset over the ocean. A friend sat down with us, the puppy starting using our feet as a chew toy so we put our feet up. I kept watching the pup and she was staying right under our chairs. I kept checking on her and it was about 20-30 seconds I didn't see her so I started walking arround calling her name. Elvira, puppy puppy puppy. Come here. Nada. I looked in the restaurant because the pups just learned how to climb stairs. And if the cooks saw her in there they would pick her up and play with her.
Then we extended our search and Joshua a friend in a camper trailer said "I saw her walk home. I thought she was following you guys." Oh no. she's somewhere between the beach and home (5 min walk through mango fields). The sun had just set and it was getting dark. Tracy & Mike campers immediately gave me a flashlight & other campers all grabbed their flashlights and then there was an Army of campers all looking for this little 7 week old puppy. We walked home and got more flashlights and see if she actually came back to our place. Nope.
There wasn't any vehicles on the street or at the restaurant.
Gary got on his motorcycle and was driving all arround. I was walking. I got a couple dogs from our place to help me look. Dinger, Tilly (friends dog we're watching) and Wahine the momma of the pup. Come on guys help me find this puppy. We walked arround for hours and hours. We went to bed when we couldn't walk anymore. We slept about 4 or 5 hours. I woke up when i saw the sun coming up and we put our shoes back on and continued the search.
Gary had plans and had to go take someone to town, he'll be gone all day. ah.
A friend camping made me toast and coffee and then came with me to look more. That gave me energy (thank you Morgan). I was walking everywhere I had already looked and decided I need to hand out flyers.
Reward / Recompensa $1000 pesos ( aprox $85 us) phone # / Illianet Restaurante (where we lost her).
I have this puppy SOLD to someone already. I've been paid $200 and I'll get $1,000 soon. I take pictures once a week so I had a recent picture.
I was able to make flyers in about 10 minutes.
I went to every restaurant down the beach (about a dozen) and asked to tape a flyer up. Everyone had heard a puppy was missing already. Even in the surf they were talking about it. We're in such a small community here.
I was walking to the farthest restaurant and saw a couple of my girlfriends Colleen & Lainie. They were walking back to the beach house so I walked back with them. I gave Wyatt (5yr old boy) a piggy back ride on the way back. =)
I sat down and cooled off and asked if I could borrow her truck (remember Garys gone with ours) to go to Los Llanos (little town a couple miles away) and put up flyers. "Of course!" she said. ok, i'll go home and make more flyers real quick, take one more look arround and come back. She said take Hank ( the german shephard dog we watched for them while they were gone, he still comes by our place to visit). So now i've got Tilly and Hank. I walked the back way behind all the beach houses instead of the beach. It's just mango fields back there. I was about 1/2 way between the restaurant and home. I was still calling her name and I heard a little bark. Then Hank and Tilly both turned their heads and barked. The puppy barked again. ! Oh my goodness I see you, I can't believe it. She was at the base of a tree. I riped through 2 fences to get to her, she wouldn't come to me, too scared to move. She was shaking and crying when i found her. I gave Hank and Tilly a pat and said thank you. Yes, I talk to dogs. So the puppy did walk back home but instead of turning right she went left and got lost in a field. I wonder if she stayed right there all night. We looked in there and Mike a camper said he looked in that specific field for about 45 minutes. she must of been too scared to make a sound or walk towards him.
I walked to the closest place I had a flyer already up and was holding up the pup like a trophy I FOUND HER ! A mom with two little girls staying there gave me a bowl of water but she took one sip and didn't want to drink. too shaken up I guess. I went back to Mike & Lainies Holding up the puppy again and everyone screamed ! They said I was crying and shaking too. I just remember being SO happy! That was one of the happiest moments of my life. A really long night and sad day turned into a great day.
I borrowed Lainies phone and called Gary in town and told him I found her. I know he felt bad he had to go and couldn't keep looking with me.
I took the puppy to the campground / Illianets restaurant and held up the puppy again. I FOUND HER ! Then I was spanking her butt, bad puppy, you ran away! Ha ha.
I took the puppy home gave it food and water, it started playing with it's siblings again and I took a much needed shower.
I put sunscreen on again, got a handfull of peso coins and walked everwhere again to take down the flyers and I gave the owners a tip and said "gracias para audarme" ( Thanks for helping me). Everyone was glad to hear I found her. Some said oh, it's a cute puppy we thought someone must of stolen her. I would of thought that too but there was no traffic that night. Only people that lived here that I know and americans and canadians here on vacation were in the area.
I told everyone since I didn't have to pay the reward money, to come to Illianets I'm buying drinks & beers for everyone that helped search. Gary pulled up to the restaurant and told everyone I've got two coolers of beers and rum and coke. It's funny both Gary and I wanted to celebrate with everyone by buying them drinks. Ha ha. It turned into a party. Even the family running Illianets Restaurant were happy and drank beers with us.
I had a sore throat Before I had to yell for the puppy all night & day but the rum and coke cured my cold. I feel great. The puppy is fine. Completely normal, she didn't have a scratch on her. I wonder What she saw that night she was out alone. When we were searching Gary saw possums, rabbits, cats, and even a skunk. He was with a couple dogs and saw eyes and then saw the animal was a skunk and yelled RUN AWAY ( line from Monte Python). It sprayed but it didn't quite get the dogs thank goodness.
Thank you to everyone who helped. I've been in a great mood ever since I found her. =)
