Oliver's Story

From: Emmaus, PA
Lost: July 25, 2015
Trapped: September 29, 2015 

AN OPEN LETTER and TESTIMONY from Lauren Elizabeth, Oliver's MOM. 

When  your dog is a family member and runs away from home a lot goes through  your mind. These thoughts eat at you every moment he’s gone. You wonder  if he’s ok, if you’ll ever see him again and if there was ever anything  you could have done different. But surprising to learn there is also a  lot that you don’t expect to think about. Like the people that will tell  you to get over it “its just a dog, get a new one”, the angry bitter  individuals that yell at you for posting too many flyers on telephone  poles or the groups that tell you they’ll help you find your best friend  but then turn your back on you because they only want you to work with  them, and them alone. When Oliver broke out of our fenced-in yard my  world was in pieces. I kept thinking about the first time I ever held  him when he was so tiny and how happy he made me. I never in a million  years thought he would be gone but here we were walking the streets of  our neighborhood until 4 in the morning with tears in our eyes calling  his name. My boyfriend, myself and a group of caring friends combed our  neighborhood for hours, then days and still he was gone. Finally we met  Beth and Julie, two really energetic women with determination in their  voices. They brought flyers with Oliver’s face on them (I loved that  picture I never thought it would break my heart to see it everywhere),  Brightly colored poster board and a staple gun. “Lets get started” Beth  said. We set up a humane trap at his last location, trail cameras and a  feeding station. Every morning for the next week we would get calls of  sightings, some credible and some far fetched but with Beth and Julie we  followed every single one of them. Then the phone stopped ringing. We  would wait, and wait, and wait but nothing. Robyn another member of  their rescue group set up an areal search with a helicopter to scower  the area were we thought he was. I kept thinking to myself “Oliver this  is for you my friend”. After we saw nothing the game plan never stopped.  Every single day in the hottest days of summer we were out with Team  Ruby flyering, walking in wooded areas and talking to so many people.  Most people had such kind hearts and wanted to help, others were rude  and heartless. We believed Oliver was following the train tracks that  run through our town. Beth said she could feel it in her heart he was  still out there and she was never going to give up. There were days when  my heart felt like I couldn’t take anymore, but a quick pep talk from  Beth and Julie and I was ready to keep going. One day out of no where a  really sweet woman called that knew my boyfriend saying she just saw  Oliver if her back yard. We were ecstatic. She mentioned where she was  located and suddenly my heart dropped. She said she was 9 miles away  from our home. 9 miles? My 10 pound lap dog who ate grilled chicken and  napped all day…. nine miles? Beth said we have to look into it. Robyn  mapped out the location and we soon learned that the rail road tracks  that run from our area also run into his supposed location. Beth and  Julie went out and flyered. The calls came pouring in of Oliver  sightings. Robyn drove around the location and figured out his pattern  of travel. Finally we had hope again. After they set up a trap, cameras,  and chicken galore we waited. Every image the trail cam sent us built  up more and more anticipation. After the second night of the trap being  set it began pouring rain. I remember Marc’s phone going off at 11:00 at  night and hearing the girl on the other end saying “Your dog is in the  trap, he's in there and he’s barking”. We rushed out of bed. Beth called  right after screaming “WE GOT HIM WE GOT HIM” one hour later I was  holding this skinny, smelly, wet dog and it was Oliver. He was home and I  felt like I was whole again. The entire experience was draining, it was  like being on a roller coaster that you never wanted to go on. But at  the end of it all we not only had our dog back, but we made a friendship  with Team Ruby that feels more like a family. I never thought meeting a  stranger could change my life so much until I met these woman. They  never once turned their back on us, they went out and spent their own  time looking for a dog they never met. I don’t think I could have kept  my head up if it wasn’t for them and the work they do. Every time I look  into Oliver's big brown puppy dog eyes I smile, and I think of Team  Ruby.

Love,

Lauren & Marc

and OLIVER