Chilly dog: Beagle rescued on bitterly cold day gets home and family in Jamestown
The elusive beagle who evaded would-be rescuers for days received her Valentine’s Day presents early this year — a name, a new home and a loving family.By: By Kari Lucin, The Jamestown Sun, The Jamestown Sun
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The elusive beagle who evaded would-be rescuers for days received her Valentine’s Day presents early this year — a name, a new home and a loving family.
The dog, named Sophia Sweetie by Madi Schauer, 9, arrived at her new home in Jamestown Wednesday afternoon with Madi’s parents, Ron and Cindy Schauer.
“It’s awesome!” Madi said, as she came home that day to find her dog waiting for her. “I never thought of getting a beagle, but now that I’ve seen them I think they’re the most adorablest ever!”
They played together on the living room floor as the beagle got to know the girl who named her before they even met.
“This dog will be loved unconditionally,” Ron said. “The love from a pet is unconditional love, rewarding in all aspects.”
Sophia had found a family at last, though her path to a new home was not an easy one.
The Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Jan. 31 about a beagle running around loose near the James River Humane Society shelter east of Jamestown.
Concerned by the plummeting temperatures predicted to fall 20 degrees below zero, with wind chills forecast at minus 54, people from the Sheriff’s Office set out to catch and rescue the dog.
“(She) did not want to get caught,” said Detective Jason Falk of the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office.
They called in Becky Johnson, the animal control officer with the Jamestown Police Department and volunteer with Prairie Paws Rescue, but eventually the beagle spooked away.
Johnson, her Sheriff’s Office helpers and helpers from the Humane Society baited a trap with food and water and checked it every few hours, but the canny beagle simply strolled in, grabbed the goodies and left without springing the trap — for a whole day and a night.
She sprung the trap only after it had been readjusted, and was found in it and rescued at last on Feb. 2.
“I think we had the easier part, loving this guy,” Cindy said of the family’s newest member. “They had the harder part — catching her.”
The day after a Feb. 4 story about the dog was published in the Jamestown Sun, the Sheriff’s Office received several tips that led to the beagle’s alleged prior owners.
A 17-year-old has been referred to the juvenile authorities for animal neglect, a Class A misdemeanor punishable with one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
According to the person who allegedly left the beagle in the area, she had been sent by her mother to find a home for the dog at the Humane Society.
The Humane Society could not take the dog, and the juvenile let the dog out nearby to relieve itself. The juvenile claimed that the beagle then ran away.
A new family
Not too far away, in southeast Jamestown, the Schauers found themselves missing their four dogs, all of whom had grown up, aged and passed away. They intended to find a new canine companion for their family sometime in the spring.
“It has been so weird to come home and there’s nobody to greet you,” Cindy said. “There’s something missing.”
Ron’s father read the story of the elusive beagle in the Sun, and suggested that his son adopt the dog. When Ron went home to speak to Cindy about it, he found she had already filled out an adoption application for the dog.
“We brought a paper home and read that story about the dog (to Madi), and for about five days, she slept with that paper and prayed that dog would be hers,” Cindy said.
They filled out their application, hoping they wouldn’t be beaten to the beagle by any other families. After the required home visit, and after receiving glowing recommendations, the family still had to wait the few more days until the 10-day waiting period was up.
The time allows symptoms of any possible illness or injury to show up, and though rabies wasn’t likely, a case of frostbite was possible, given how long Sophia had been out in the cold.
A visit to a veterinarian revealed no problems at all, however, and Sophia was cleared for adoption.
Now she’ll spend most of her days in the Schauer house, and when the weather allows she’ll have the run of the fenced-in back yard, too.
“She’s going to get lots of love,” Cindy said, before bringing the beagle home on Wednesday afternoon.
Johnson said that Sophia seemed ready to become attached to someone, and she was also glad to have the extra space at the city pound.
She expected another six to eight dogs to come in from another rescue operation today.
The dogs will join the pound’s only other resident — a sad-faced cream-colored cat with an intricate orange pattern in her fur.
For more information about adopting a pet locally, visit prairiepawsrescue.com or jamesriverhumanesociety.org. Prairie Paws can be reached at 701-320-4553, and the Humane Society can be reached at 701-252-0747.
Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be reached at 701-952-8453 or by email at klucin@jamestownsun.com
Tags: local news, news, pets
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