The Rip Van Wrinkler, Volume XIV, Issue 4, November 2009

Page 11

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Basenji Lost & Found Symbol meaning "meet again"

Harrowing Search Ends Happily for Millwood Couple/ by Steven Corvine
{reprinted with permission - “The Examiner”, July 13 – 19, 2010 - Serving Mt Kisco, Pleasantville, Chappaqua/Millwood}

You sure can go home again.

That certainly was the case for Chloe, a three and a half-year-old Basenji who was found nearly four days after she broke loose from her walker thanks to the help and support of the Pleasantville community.

“We were just so overwhelmed by how incredible everybody was in Pleasantville,” said Carin Horowitz, who along with her husband David Wagenheim own Chloe.

The Millwood couple left for Pittsburgh on July 1 for a curling tournament.  When they were driving home after returning to Kennedy Airport on Sunday, July 4, they received a phone call from their dog walker that Chloe ran off outside the dog park in Pleasantville.  She scampered away after hearing fireworks and headed toward the Saw Mill Parkway.

Horowitz and Wagnheim have no children but they look at their two dogs, Shamus and Chloe, as their little ones.

Once home, they quickly left for the dog park to search.  The dog walker and her business partner also scoured the area.  Horowitz and Wagenheim set up camp and stayed in the parking lot overnight, hoping Chloe would return.

“I sat in a folding chair outside the park for most of the night,” Wagenheim said.  “I think I went into my car at one point to lie down, and I left the door open in case she would happen to come back and jump in the car.” The next morning, Horowitz posted flyers around Pleasantville.  At 11:30 a.m., Horowitz received a phone call from someone who spotted Chloe on Church Street, nearly a mile and a half from the park.  At the same time, Wagenheim received a call from the police about a stray dog on Church Street.  Horowitz and Wagenheim set up camp on a couple of properties.  They left food hoping Chloe would pick up the scent.  Residents let them use their property and offered the couple food and use of the bathroom.

Hours passed as Horowitz and Wagenheim waited.  As they tried to stay cautiously optimistic, worries crossed their minds.

“What was really nerve-racking was how fast people drive down the street,” Horowitz said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Horowitz, not knowing if Chloe was still in the area, started searching elsewhere on Church Street.  Se arrived at the St.Jude Group Home.  At 6pm she began walking around an open field on the complex yelling Chloe’s name but to no avail.  Horowitz got back in her car and finally spotted Chloe in the field.  She tried to walk toward her, but couldn’t ge closer than 50 feet.

“At this point it’s been two days now,” Horowitz said.  “We were just really happy because she looked great.  She wasn’t injured.  She wasn’t limping.  She was able to run off at least.  So that leaves me to feel a lot better.”

Later in the day there was another sighting, thanks to the help of some Green Meadow Drive residents.  Horowitz and Wagenheim sat down in a driveway and brought their other dog, Shamus, hoping Chloe would be calmer seeing a familiar face.  They heard her walking behind a fence, and Shamus began to whimper.  They were nearly 10 feet away from her this time, but Chloe ran away again after hearing more noise.

On Tuesday night, Horowitz and Wagenheim decided to go home and get some sleep.  They rose at 5am to restart their search.  They left her usual food outside all those houses during the day to see which ones will be eaten.

“You have to establish some sort of pattern, to see where she is eating food from,” Wagenheim said.  “At that point, we didn’t know what she was eating.  We didn’t even know if she was even drinking water.  And if she was, where she was getting it from?”

This helped them to think Chloe was around the St. Jude property.  They found her bowl flipped upside down, and found food in her water bowl as well, each a familiar trait of hers.

By Thursday morning, after choosing to sleep at home to regroup, the started their search at the St. Jude property with chicken and bacon.  Horowitz had to go to work, so Wagenheim continued searching with Shamus.  Around 112:30am, they were walking at Green Meadow and Summit Drive, and Shamus began to whimper.  Wagenheim began to give Shamus more leash, hoping Chloe would see Shamus and not be scared off.

As they continued to walk up, they saw Chloe behind a fence, and instead of trying to go after her like before, he chose to walk away, but left pieces of chicken behind him, hoping Chloe would follow.  As they walked away, Wagenheim notice that Chloe was not following the trail because she couldn’t figure out a way to get around the fence.  Wagenheim began to walk back to her and gave Shamus the full length of the leash.  As he got closer, they both started to whimper and sniff each other.

“It was a very clear sign for me that she wanted to be with him,” he said.  “But I still didn’t know if she would run away form me.”

Wagenheim began to walk over to the break in the fence and thought Chloe would follow him.  He got close but didn’t want to lose her again.  He was finally able to ge Shamus ghrough the opening and both dogs began to sniff and run circles.

“They were very happy to see each other,” Wagenheim said.  “I’m thrilled that we’re this close to her and she’s not running.”

He carefully pulled out the chicken put it in his hand for her to eat.  She came up to him and began sniffing his hand and started to eat.  Wagenheim took the opportunity to grab her.  Chloe was finally in safe hands.

“I started hugging her and crying because I missed her,” he said.  “I was so relieved that this nightmare was finally over.”

“She looked good for the most part but her pads were all torn up and blistered,” Horowitz said.

They’re both certain the story wouldn’t have had a happy ending if it wasn’t for the people of Pleasantville.

“For complete strangers to be out there in the woods with all the bugs, looking with us, offering food and water, letting us use their bathrooms and all the calls that came in, it was really unbelievable.” Horowitz said.

Sahulka

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