Bring Brew Home

[Kelly27]

Hello, I'm currently in a struggle to have our beloved Brewser returned to us. This is a case of good intention gone bad and missing information sending us astray in our efforts to have our 6yr old Border Collie returned to us. His registered name is Serendipity's Brew and he's a registered Border Collie with the AKC that I introduced to my family in New Brunswick 6yrs ago April 4, 2002. I currently hold his ansestry bloodline documents, registration papers and immunization record. He's a big part of our family and we rarely go or do anything without him. He is so well behaved and well manoured that he's always complimented. When we walk him it's common for vehicles to stop and comment on his looks. He's very large for a border collie and i've yet to find one like him in this community. We only moved to Carberry, Manitoba 1 year ago and we like the slower lifestyle of this small community. We feel safe here with our children (we have 4). The local children have come to know my dog and adore him, especially the way he plays hide and seek. He loves children, cats and is especially calm and gentle with the elderly. I've actually considered visiting one of the 5 or more elderly living establishments that make Carberry home. Being such a small community you'd think that the passage of information would be smooth but as i've experienced it's only as smooth as you make it. This all began approximately 1 month ago when we still had the surge of cold weather that Manitoba is known for. My 11yr old son let Brew out for his nightly business. Brew has in the past wondered out of our yard when given the chance so we've made it necessary to watch from an open door and return the pooch as soon as he's done. Unfortunately my young son was lured by his open computer game and returned to it's side rather that do what was required at the door. Brew saw the chance and decided to go visiting. 1 hour passed and I asked where Brew was which triggered my son's memory and he checked the door. No Brew. I stayed up and waited for the pooch for a long while because he always returned home. No Brew. I went out and looked for him. No Brew. I figured because of the cold a family had taken him in. It had happened in the past that a family would decide to take him in even going so far as to remove his collar and try and adopt him on sight. It took a week but we retrived him thanking the family for their concern for him. They only lived two blocks away. We happened across him when they attempted to walk him. Not their fault I hadn't updated his ID tags to reflect his new phone number. I promptly did this on his return. With this new disappearance I decided more change was in order on his return to ensure he no longer had the opportunity to take advantage of an 11yr old's mistake. This night his collar had already been removed for a quiet night of sleep. We decided he must be in some good somaritan's care again. One week passed and my son's tears sent me searching every chance i could. I'd asked many residents in Carberry if they had an animal shelter in the town and was told no. Not a big surprise, not a big town. Two weeks passed and still no Brew. The weather picked up, and brought hope that we'd find him being walked again. Every day of nice weather sent us searching to no avail. Unfortunately my search was limited by demands from work. I work for an office that oversees the financial and administrative services for all military members being deployed to Afganistan and with the tours changing hands this was a very busy time for me. I think i'd almost settled with the idea that perhaps a local farmer snagged him. In any case i'd find him and relay my story of pity and woe. The following week i was informed that i was being scheduled for Spinal surgery. In the week that followed I spoke to a grocery store cashier in hopes that someone had mentioned a found dog. It was at this point that I was informed that found dogs were relocated 70kms away in Brandon at their animal shelter. Panic set in, I know from past experience that they only hold an animal for a very short time before being offered up for adoption. I used to volunteer at a local humane society. Being too late for business hours i called the following morning from work and enquired about a Border Collie picked up in the Carberry area. I was told there was one and he'd been adopted out to a Brandon family. I couldn't tell my son. He already blamed himself and I was having major surgery the following day. I couldn't do that to him. My short stay in the hospital saw sleepless nights filled with tears over my pup. I finally discussed my situation with the night nurses in hope that I could get some much needed sleep and purhaps a solution. It was mentioned that I should call city hall. My delemma is this. I don't want to challenge the legalities of pet adoption. I am an avid supporter in their cause and currently own a 19yr old cat that i adopted at age 8weeks. She's a joy even in her senior years. The shelter provides a much needed service, but I love my Brew and I don't know what to do. I guess i hope that in hearing my plee the family that currently has Brew will side with reason and understand that a mistake has been made. I didn't know to call Brandon or I would have immediately. In retrospect there were probably other places i could have seeked to help. This is not a widely known fact in this community or at least one the residents I spoke to would have offered up this information I would assume. If i could turn back time i would but in the meanwhile my son cries and so do I. In his blaming himself, I blame myself. Last night he pulled out all Brew's documents to feel closer to him I suppose. The shelter will not divulge the new owner's name but has promised to send to them our phone number. That was 3 days ago. No call. We are more than willing to offer up financial restitution for any costs incurred. We love him dearly and although he carries a wonderful diposition and a happy character his heart belongs with us. He has crossed this country with us and I couldn't possibly leave without him. We are a military family and with our service we give up all emotional connections and friendships we create at every post when we move on. The only sense of continuity we possess are the people and possessions that travel with us from post to post. Please bring Brew home, we miss him very much. Any ideas out there on past issues like this?

Kelly

[Love4himies]

Holy lots-a-words.

I hope you find Brew. Have you put up posters, knocked on neighbours doors?

[shirley1011]

Kelly, my heart goes out to you. If I were in your position I would take out an ad with a picture of Brew and your son and put it in the Brandon paper with a brief plea for the error in looking at that shelter and perhaps
when they hear your plight they may return Brew.
Have you sent a picture to the shelter to confirm that it was Brew that was adopted from there?
Best of Luck to you...it has to be the worst feeling ever to not know where your beloved pets are.
Shirley

[Love4himies]

IWhoops should have read more closely. adopted a cat from a shelter a year ago, he is precious and I could not believe that somebody was not looking for him. Had the shelter called me letting me know that his family was looking for him, I would have contracted them in an instant (with proof I would have returned him). The loss of a beloved pet is similar to loosing a child. You never know, they may be out of town on vacation. Hopefully somebody will contact you soon. I would call the shelter again to ensure they passed on the message to the family who adopted him and to make sure they have your phone number correct.

I second shirley's idea of putting an ad in the Brandon paper.

[ddianam]

Kelly27, I really really hope that you find your dog. I am in a similar situation as far as having lost my dog. You would think that people the community would help with a lost pet, but unfortunately some people aren't kind and don't care and know what it feels like to love a pet. My dog went missing a week ago and he has been spotted twice. The 2 different people who saw my dog on 2 seperate instances, did not do anything about it except call me to tell me that they spotted him. I asked them to keep track of him or hang on to him or something until I got there (which would be 5 mins later since I lived close by), but they both said no. When I called one person back to ask them if they would hold him they lied and said that they didnt even call and that I had the wrong #. Anyways, some people are just rude and mean and will never understand the feeling of losing a pet.
Hopefully you get Brew back and I find my dog as well.
Diana

[shirley1011]

I was just looking on www.canadastrays.com but noticed that there are not many dogs posted there as missing. Perhaps posting a picture there will make it easy for whoever has Brew to check the picture and see your story.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by Kelly27

hey there Himmies yes i did state that in six years I had never had a problem with Brew's whereabouts and never gotten a complaint...badly stated on my part...if I was trying to hide the previous issue I would never have brought it up in this forum...the difference with that episode was that a family here in Carberry had decided to keep him and removed his collar and tags hoping no one would claim him...even though contact info was on his tags....we found them a week later walking him....it was their decision not to call us...and in essence was stolen so I tend to think about it in different lights sometimes...not trying to hide the truth...

I didn't accuse you of trying to hide anything, but just wondering why the misinformation.

Also, I highlighted where you stated the family that found him a year ago, did not contact you, but tried to steal him, but previously (see below in your quote) you state the tags were not updated and they could not contact you. It is not stealing if you can't find the owners.

Originally Posted by Kelly27

I figured because of the cold a family had taken him in. It had happened in the past that a family would decide to take him in even going so far as to remove his collar and try and adopt him on sight. It took a week but we retrived him thanking the family for their concern for him. They only lived two blocks away. We happened across him when they attempted to walk him. ...Not their fault I hadn't updated his ID tags to reflect his new phone number. I promptly did this on his return. ... We decided he must be in some good somaritan's care again. One week passed and my son's tears sent me searching every chance i could. I'd asked many residents in Carberry if they had an animal shelter in the town and was told no. Not a big surprise, not a big town. Two weeks passed and still no Brew.
Kelly