Tojo's Missing
Tojo was last seen on Friday night. No sign of him at all since then. He's been out on the acreage with my mother-in-law. She really likes him and suggested we leave him with her sometimes, since he likes it out there and we're really busy with our new baby and having just moved. We went over how he would be cared for and agreed on all sort of things and it seemed like a good idea, because we could still see him and come get him any time we wanted.
But, apparently, on Friday night, MIL left Tojo outside over night and no one's seen him since. The chances that he's still alive are really slim, I mean, he knows his way around and he's never run off before, so it's not like he's lost. He was most likely killed by a wild animal. Even the times that he's escaped, he never runs away. He stays on the property. We've put up posters and called the local rescue, but I doubt I will ever see him again.
I don't know how to feel. I mean, I guess I could be angry at my MIL, but... what's the point? I could be mad at myself for letting him stay out there. I just want Tojo back. I don't know if I can let myself start grieving yet or if I should keep up hope a little longer. Tojo's the only dog I raised from a puppy. He's my baby.
But, apparently, on Friday night, MIL left Tojo outside over night and no one's seen him since. The chances that he's still alive are really slim, I mean, he knows his way around and he's never run off before, so it's not like he's lost. He was most likely killed by a wild animal. Even the times that he's escaped, he never runs away. He stays on the property. We've put up posters and called the local rescue, but I doubt I will ever see him again.
I don't know how to feel. I mean, I guess I could be angry at my MIL, but... what's the point? I could be mad at myself for letting him stay out there. I just want Tojo back. I don't know if I can let myself start grieving yet or if I should keep up hope a little longer. Tojo's the only dog I raised from a puppy. He's my baby.
Comments
Hoping for the best!
Snf
Where you used to live, was it with your MIL or someplace else? Could it have been possible that he tried to go back to the old house?
There's still time...I wish the "Search for Tojo" to be a successful mission!
Shigeru - the thing about that property is that it's surrounded by wheat fields, mostly. There are trees and buildings around the house and then lots of fences, but those have been checked very, very extensively. Not that we won't look further, but there isn't actually a lot to get stuck on.
sukoshi's mom - There aren't any homeless camps around, but there are a couple of Hutterite colonies and a Mennonite school nearby. We put a poster up at the school, and MIL is going to visit the Hutterite colonies.
One thing that is really bizarre is that there's no trace of him whatsoever. Everyone's looking for him, and the nearby fields have been absolutely scoured and you'd think that if he did get into a fight with something, there'd be evidence. Especially since he's blowing his coat like crazy, but there's not so much as a tuft of fur anywhere.
One possibility is that someone picked him up and took him. I hadn't thought of that, but I'm going to call nearby rescue groups, shelters, and veterinary clinics. He wears tags, but supposing someone wanted to steal him, they could remove the tags. He's got a microchip, though, and shibas aren't common at all around here, so he'd stand out.
Also, there was a truck driving by the property slowly the night he went missing, and some tire tracks on the property that don't belong to anyone living there. This is new information to me, but it seems awfully suspicious.
I've been taking out ads, have called all animal control in the area, I've called all the vets in the area and told them that I think he may be stolen, but that he's got a microchip, so just a quick scan will reveal that he's registered in my name.
The surrounding area has been absolutely scoured and no one's found so much as a tuft of fur to indicate any kind of struggle, let alone any remains.
Question - my ads say that we're offering a reward, but I haven't really decided how much of a reward is appropriate. What's the usual? Obviously, I'm willing to pay quite a bit of money to get Tojo back and if someone's stolen him, they might be trying to sell him and if there's a reward for just returning him, that would certainly be easier.
There's no dog fighting in the area that I'm aware of, and while there are only two potential instances of dognapping, they both involve purebred house pets, which suggests that they're targeting potentially valuable dogs, rather than just any old dog to be used for baiting.
The things I have going for me are that shibas are rare in the area and Tojo has a microchip, so he should stand out.
I pray he is returned to you soon.