How a lost dog named Sirius taught us all about life in Rappahannock (with thanks to Rappnet!)
Editors’ note: Once in a while, something happens that captures the essence of life in Rappahannock, in real time. So it was this week when a lost dog named Sirius illustrated again why we love living here.
By Mary O’Meara
In a country as large as Rappahannock, in which it takes over an hour to drive from one end to the other, there are lots of square miles for a dog to get lost.
This week our beloved Sirius Brown, a large gentle Chesapeake Bay Retriever, was on the loose in the southern part of the county for four long days and nights. In an event that dissolved these distances, the enduring community of Rappahannock County, including the one that has been built up around Rappnet, (the local e-mail list-serve: www.rappnet.org), came together in a remarkable effort to find him.
Saturday afternoon July 21, Sirius and Cheyenne, our two dogs, slipped off to visit a neighbor’s pond, their favorite swimming hole. Because the two often went on the lam when together, we had made a policy never to allow them outside at the same time. They had never before (note these famous last words) run off while walking with us.
Other circumstances came together to create an even more difficult situation. Our neighbors, Doug Lapp and Anne Keiser, expecting us to be right behind them, didn’t call right away. When they did, the call didn’t go through because our phone had been out of order for several days. By the time I noticed the dogs’ absence and reached the pond, they had gone on to more interesting pastures. When Cheyenne came home without Sirius several hours later, we were all alarmed. What good would the telephone number on his collar do us?
(RAPPNET) Missing dog
I went to my computer and sent out the alert on Rappnet, remembering the three or four missing dogs in as many weeks - all of them recovered. I was hoping that his bum leg would slow him down, especially after the Rimadyl he was taking got out of his system.
Empty porch. He’d never been gone this long.
Early next morning we were out on the road when we heard a truck coming up through the woods. It was our neighbor Beth Gyorgy, already on the trail. (Beth has distinguished herself by finding a Rappahannock Hunt hound 40 miles away after 9 months! I was very grateful to have her on our team!) Next vehicle down the road was our friend Cynthia Johnson, calling out her window. (I am not making this up!) Standing in the road, we made a plan.
Beth would continue her tour of Eldon Farm, driving up and down driveways and fire roads. Cynthia would go on down Quaintance Road and stop at all the homes, letting them know how to reach us. We would continue our walking search covering our favorite trails. Cheyenne would help us. I would soon learn how many other people were riding the roads.
When I got home at noon, the porch was still empty. I called the phone company and asked them to forward that important phone number on his collar to my cell phone. Even though I had no coverage, I could call my voicemail from my neighbor’s phone.
In late afternoon, I took a long trail up over the ridge with Cheyenne. My cell phone was in my pocket. As I reached the highest ridge, ground sloping off on both sides to breathtaking views through trees backlit by an afternoon sun, my cell phone recorded three or four messages with new idea from Beth.
Suddenly, the phone actually rang. It was another Sirius call but from Botswana; our younger son Tim calling as he got ready for bed. It was a comforting break, sitting on a log in the middle of nowhere, Rappahannock, sharing news with one of my favorite people who I hadn’t seen in four months. I thought optimistically that a universe that had such good timing would certainly bring Sirius home safely.
(RAPPNET) Dog still missing
Later, porch still empty, I logged on to Rappnet. Heartwarming messages popped onto my screen — other ideas to pursue: calls to many surrounding county sheriffs and animal shelters, VDOT (no-one wants to go there, but at least we’d know); offers of help: searching, passing out flyers, etc.; lots of thoughts and prayers; stories of their own successful searches. I did it all.
Each time I ran out of things to do (read: got discouraged) there were more lovely connections with caring friends and strangers. Of course I wrote back, relishing the sense of community. Best of all, everyone was optimistic that he would return.
At 10:15 p.m.,, having said goodbye to my husband Barney off on a trip, I got a call from Franklin Schmidt, telling me that a friend thought she had seen Sirius running across a field on Rt. 231 near Belle Meade. Did I want his help? We spent the next two hours driving slowly down that road, flashers blinking, spotlighting the fields. All we saw were lots of deer. But we did a lot of talking, sharing dog stories.
(RAPPNET) A SIRIUS SIGHTING
When I got home, I updated Rappnet on his possible whereabouts. I also added some other personal details that began to concern me: he’s not good with cars (he tries to bite their tires), and once IN one, has anxiety attacks (throws himself around the back seat, whining and barking very loud). My worries started magnifying. If someone picked him up, he would make himself extremely obnoxious. But he is very sweet. I miss him.
By Monday morning, one of our phones was fixed, so I re-routed the forward so the calls would actually ring into the house. Up at dawn, I made the circuit again, this time with flyers made by Cynthia. She took one side of Rt. 231 and I the other, going down Hawlin and Yancey Roads, telling everyone we met, even into Madison County at Etlan.
I handed the mailman, David Thornhill, a flyer on the way out. He rides those roads every day, and promised to keep his eyes open. At the same time Beth was out on Eldon Farm behind Conyers House with Sandra Cartwright-Brown, both on horseback, and Kathryn Hedrick was riding up and down Hawlin Road on her horse.
Kit Johnston volunteered to substitute teach my 9:30 yoga class. Dog lovers were popping up everywhere, hearts aching with our loss, and knowing the shoe could easily be on their foot!
At one point, I drove past James Leake, one of our dog wardens. We recognized each other and paused on the side of the road. While we were risking our lives (cars whizzing by) standing on the side of the road talking, Cynthia drove by on her mission and the three of us compared notes. Later, I ran into him again on Hawlin Road, and he told me he’d been by my house, and the porch was still empty. He was burning up those roads. (I was really glad I could tell him I’d bought my county dog tags this year!)
Later, in my quiet house and missing that big brown head plopped on my foot, I logged on for my Rappnet fix. It helped fill up that Sirius-sized hole in my universe. I also placed ads in the Culpeper Star-Exponent and Rappahannock News. The total strangers who took my calls couldn’t have been nicer.
Tuesday, I had to work. Before I left home, I spent time trying to recreate on my computer the flyer I had pasted together the day before. Couldn’t, but sent the parts out to the Rappnet crowd anyway. Hal Hunter, Bill Clark and Cynthia put it together and sent it back to me. Hal dropped off a couple at stores on the other end of the county. I stopped by the Culpeper Animal Shelter and a couple of vets to drop flyers.
Beth called to tell me she was riding up onto Eldon Farms and up the fire road to Woodville. Several Rappnetters said they’d gone out searching the roads themselves. Wendy Weinberg also put out some flyers along the way.
Wednesday morning I decided to take the long way to Culpeper, driving up Hawlin Road again on the way to work. I went in to Sperryville to mail a package, and talked to the postmistress. David had put the flyer up on the bulletin board. Driving up Rt. 522, I tried to look in the fields on both sides of the road, as well as the shoulders.
The calls from Beth and Kathryn came in the middle of a meeting about thirty minutes later. Sirius had been seen on Hawlin Road. I excused myself and made a record-breaking trip from Culpeper to Woodville.
Three men building a deck on the back of a house about a quarter mile from Rt. 231 had seen Sirius lying in the corner of a field about 50 yards away. He had snarfed up a sandwich, but growled when they tried to capture him. (Yes, he is headstrong.) Between Kathryn Hedrick and the guys, they had roped him in, and when I got there, he was at Kathryn’s trying to figure out how to get into her pond.
Beth, Kathryn and I did a victory dance. Sirius was hyper from relief, and jumped in and out of the back of my Outback about five times before he finally settled down. He lay quietly (exhausted) in the back the whole way home. We stopped by to thank the guys, who were back at work. Turns out they had been told by three people, Kathryn, David, and me, about Sirius’s predicament. They wouldn’t take a reward, saying that they knew we’d do the same for them.
(RAPPNET) SIRIUS IS HOME!!!!!
The first thing I did when I got home was log on. I knew I had no idea how many people all over the county knew of Sirius’ plight, and how many had pitched in on the search. I wondered how I could possibly let everyone know of his safe return, let alone thank them.
I breathed thanks to Rappnet Listdad Eric Kvarnes, and the 591 people who participated. My email message spoke all of the above. Reflecting on the tremendous support and energy that I felt working for his safe return, Sirius and I basked in the joy that came flooding back through the internet into our home through Rappnet and the phone lines. Most of all I thought of how lucky we all are to live in Rappahannock County, and how it gives back everything you put into it, and more.
Later, Sirius got an email from Beth.
This email is for Mr. Brown
STAY!!!!
Siriusly.
Sincerely,
SMSR (Slate Mills Search and Rescue)
Hazy, Hoozy & Walden
-- AdminComments
Comment from Joy Lorien
Time: July 29, 2007, 7:46 pm
What a great story to see when all the pieces come together and yes indeed what a coming together of everyone. As I went to Yoga Monday morning wondered if you would be there and watched all along the road on 231 for Sirius. Was not surprised to see Kit teaching and we all sent you good wishes and our prayers from that bonding place which moves the chi through us. I was getting afeared for Sirius as the days were slipping by and after Yoga I drove slowly along looking. It is amazing what the landscape can hold from a kingfisher on a fallen tree limb, a standing groundhog, and rabbits appeared across the countryside but no Sirius. So So glad he is home!
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