On December 10, 2018 I left my precious little dog, Sasha, at my boyfriend’s house while we went and had lunch. We were planning to get some medicine after and then I was going to go home and rest. During lunch, he received a text message that Sasha was loose. We quickly ended our lunch and raced back to his house. His mother had let her out along with her own dog and Sasha had managed to squeeze through a small hole in the gate. His mother had chased her up to the high school where she lost sight of her. By the time we got there, Sasha was nowhere to be found.
Sasha had panicked and fled. I tried not to panic or cry as I frantically dialed my mother and then my brother until I got a hold of somebody. Once I finally reached them, they immediately left and started searching for Sasha. I also made a missing post giving a photo and details about Sasha on every lost pet page I could think of including Lost Pets of Poplar Bluff on Facebook. While we waited for information to pour in, my boyfriend and I went up and down the block around his house on foot and each surrounding block.
In the evening, when I checked the page, hoping for anything, there was a comment on her post.
“Saw this one crossing 60 into plaza tire at about 430 was dragging right rear leg...”
I could feel hope rising in my chest. I was scared to get my hopes up. I knew there was a possibility that we wouldn’t find her, or that we might find her deceased. My biggest fear, while she was missing, was that my dog, who has always had bad separation anxiety, would die alone.
My brother took me up to Tire Plaza. My boyfriend met us there and we searched the area with flashlights. It was a chilly night, and I did not want my baby girl to freeze. I tried to hold an image of her in my mind. The world felt so big and empty while she was lost.
Eventually, my boyfriend took me back to his house. Sasha hadn’t been found. We went to sleep for the night, planning to resume the search in the morning. His sister drove around looking for her during the night, but she had no luck.
I got up the next morning and decided to make flyers. I didn’t want to take any chances that someone might have sighted her or leave any stone unturned.
Meanwhile, my mom was using every detective skill she had ever learned from constantly watching British murder mysteries and crime dramas. “We need to find her in the first forty-eight hours,” my mom told herself. “We are going to find her alive.” She took the clue that Sasha was seen going into tire plaza and worked with the information.
She knew from the clue that Sasha must have veered left. She did what she imagined Sasha had done and followed that direction. She also talked to every single pedestrian that she came across, asking them if they had seen my little dog. One woman had seen her. She told my mother that she had seen Sasha the day before near the school. Mom walked around the school and called Sasha’s name several times. She didn’t get any response. Then as she was getting ready to leave the school, her own dog wrapped his leash around the pole. It was when she turned around to fix it that my mother met eyes with Sasha.
I called my mother, flyers now ready, and waited anxiously for her to pick up. When she answered the phone the first thing I heard was, “Sasha! Oh my god! You poor baby! You’re going to be okay, Sasha!” She was alive!
I screamed, “She’s alive! She’s alive!” Sasha had been found. She was badly injured, having been hit by a car, but she was alive. I immediately told my boyfriend’s mother and then I sent a message to my boyfriend who had to be at work that morning. “SHE’S ALIVE!” I wrote in all caps.
My brother drove us as we rushed Sasha to the local animal hospital where she is still being treated. She had a broken leg, a bad wound on her stomach, and she needed a drainage tube put in. But they told me her prognosis was good and she will get better.
Had it not been for the clue we received from Lost Pets of Poplar Bluff, or my mom’s great detective skills, then we might never have found her. I will always be grateful that she survived the chilly night and that she was found alive. And I encourage anyone who doesn’t have one to start a lost pet page for their city.
Sasha on a shopping trip a few nights before she disappeared. She had just been groomed
Sasha's first day in the hospital. She was still groggy when this picture was taken
Sasha finally recognized me after a few days of treatment
In moments of panic and uncertainty, it's crucial to remember that community efforts can be incredibly effective.
Just as the social media campaign for Sasha's recovery united people in an unexpected way, efforts like raising awareness for endangered species on social media can lead to meaningful change.