Saturday, September 29th, was a warm summer afternoon and Brian Maguire and his canine buddies set out on one of their frequent strolls down Sabercat Creek Trail that meanders along an oak-studded waterway not far from Ohlone College in the Mission San Jose District of Fremont.
The trail, a two-mile long bit of remaining wilderness, is a former archeological dig site where once saber-toothed cats, wolves, giant sloths and cave bears roamed and is, to this day, a shelter for local wildlife. It was this fact that brought their idyllic adventure to a sudden and devastating end.
One of Brian’s beloved charges, foster dog Bo—a small, young Chihuahua mix that had been rescued from the Fremont Animal Shelter months before—still had some behavioral issues that Brian worked on in the usually peaceful environment of the trail. On this day, Brian was working on Bo’s recall...something that free-spirited Bo was slowly ‘getting’ if somewhat reluctantly. She had been off-leash for a short space of time and had returned when called after a minor infringement. After praising her for returning, Brian clipped a long leash to her collar and proceeded toward home.
What happened next was unexpected and changed two lives perhaps forever.
Suddenly, a large deer bolted from the wooded area next to the trail and Bo, still pumped from her previous episode, took off in hot pursuit snapping her leash in the process. The leash should have held and the only thing Brian thinks could have happened is when he leashed her, he may have clipped the leash to her ID ring in error. If this happened, then it could mean the ring may have broken and her tags come off later.
Bo, for all her bravado when it comes to other animals, is still shy of strangers. Her life before Brian had not been easy.
It has been more than two weeks and Brian and friends, both two and four-legged, have scoured the trail and adjacent areas for Bo each day. Homes surround the trail area and lost flyers have been posted everywhere, shelters and local veterinarians alerted but with no response that has lead to bringing Bo home. Bo seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.
As it stands, we have a lost little dog in a potentially dangerous environment and a deeply depressed person who loves her so much that he has hardly slept and won’t give up looking for her. As each day passes…missing her more and more…remembering waiting for her to scratch the back door to come in when he returns from errands. Recalling all the little endearing things that we often take for granted until a loved one is no longer with us. Her favorite bed remains empty where she would be tucked under her fleecy blanket every night, poking out her little head to say goodnight.
One of the hardest things when a loved one disappears is not knowing what happened to them…there is no closure. In Bo’s case, she may have finally been caught by a Good Samaritan who didn’t know to report finding her to the animal shelter, or a worse scenario, she is still lost and alone. It’s the not knowing.
Please help us find Bo. She is about 12 pounds, wears a collar with an ID tag and has an embedded ID microchip with tag# 981020005083783.
Bo is very shy with most people so if you spot her, please call Brian ASAP at 510-501-4576 (call 24/7) or email BSMaguire@gmail.com. If you or someone you know has her, Brian needs to know she is safe.
Tri-City article by Nancy Lyon, President, Ohlone Humane Society
The trail, a two-mile long bit of remaining wilderness, is a former archeological dig site where once saber-toothed cats, wolves, giant sloths and cave bears roamed and is, to this day, a shelter for local wildlife. It was this fact that brought their idyllic adventure to a sudden and devastating end.
One of Brian’s beloved charges, foster dog Bo—a small, young Chihuahua mix that had been rescued from the Fremont Animal Shelter months before—still had some behavioral issues that Brian worked on in the usually peaceful environment of the trail. On this day, Brian was working on Bo’s recall...something that free-spirited Bo was slowly ‘getting’ if somewhat reluctantly. She had been off-leash for a short space of time and had returned when called after a minor infringement. After praising her for returning, Brian clipped a long leash to her collar and proceeded toward home.
What happened next was unexpected and changed two lives perhaps forever.
Suddenly, a large deer bolted from the wooded area next to the trail and Bo, still pumped from her previous episode, took off in hot pursuit snapping her leash in the process. The leash should have held and the only thing Brian thinks could have happened is when he leashed her, he may have clipped the leash to her ID ring in error. If this happened, then it could mean the ring may have broken and her tags come off later.Bo, for all her bravado when it comes to other animals, is still shy of strangers. Her life before Brian had not been easy.
It has been more than two weeks and Brian and friends, both two and four-legged, have scoured the trail and adjacent areas for Bo each day. Homes surround the trail area and lost flyers have been posted everywhere, shelters and local veterinarians alerted but with no response that has lead to bringing Bo home. Bo seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.
A week later, a small lone dog was spotted in the area by a man who had seen one of the posters and tried to get the name off the tags but the dog, who according the report looked exactly like Bo, spooked and ran off. He stated that he later saw the same dog on leash with a man walking the trail - a dog described as looking exactly like Bo. Had Bo been rescued once again?
As it stands, we have a lost little dog in a potentially dangerous environment and a deeply depressed person who loves her so much that he has hardly slept and won’t give up looking for her. As each day passes…missing her more and more…remembering waiting for her to scratch the back door to come in when he returns from errands. Recalling all the little endearing things that we often take for granted until a loved one is no longer with us. Her favorite bed remains empty where she would be tucked under her fleecy blanket every night, poking out her little head to say goodnight.
One of the hardest things when a loved one disappears is not knowing what happened to them…there is no closure. In Bo’s case, she may have finally been caught by a Good Samaritan who didn’t know to report finding her to the animal shelter, or a worse scenario, she is still lost and alone. It’s the not knowing.Please help us find Bo. She is about 12 pounds, wears a collar with an ID tag and has an embedded ID microchip with tag# 981020005083783.
Bo is very shy with most people so if you spot her, please call Brian ASAP at 510-501-4576 (call 24/7) or email BSMaguire@gmail.com. If you or someone you know has her, Brian needs to know she is safe.
Tri-City article by Nancy Lyon, President, Ohlone Humane Society
