After their dog went missing, a couple put everything on hold, including their upcoming nuptials.
Trendee King and James Galley of Los Gatos, near San Francisco, were expected to tie the knot this year, but on Feb. 13, everything changed. King was in Los Angeles shopping for her wedding dress, while her husband was at work. It was the first time the couple left their Brussels griffon Theo with a dogsitter. During her shopping excursion, King received a call no dog owner wants to get: Theo was missing.
Image credit: Trendee King
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The dog had apparently escaped through the front door and was seen up to 3 miles away from the location — that was until people lost sight of him.
King was in “total panic,” she tells This Dog’s Life, and raced back home to help her fiancé search for their dog. They canvassed the 3-mile area where the dog was last seen but to no avail. But they aren’t giving up – not even close to it.
Image credit: Trendee King
Nearly, every day, they contact all local shelters asking about their microchipped dog. They have put 800 posters all over the area, including the local Petco, PetSmart, Starbucks and other retailers. They hung giant whiteboards on freeway entrances, are working on putting up giant tarps on fences, put ads in newspapers, turned to social media, sent out dog amber alerts and had bloodhounds searching for him.
Image credit: Trendee King
Because of this, they have received about five to 10 leads a day and follow up on each one of them, including a very close, yet heartbreaking, call.
“Someone called us last night and let us know they had hit a dog on the freeway almost two weeks ago and then buried him nearby and that it could possibly be Theo, King writes on Facebook. “We went and dug the dog up that was badly mangled, we took it to the vet today and they confirmed it was NOT Theo.”
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Until they get an answer, it is just too much to think about their special day. “My one and full time job is to find Theo. When he is home wedding planning can resume,” King tells This Dog’s Life.
King says Theo “looks just like an Ewok, he has a snaggle tooth that sticks out half the time, he has long legs, and a beard. He is friendly and sweet but may be scared.”
Image credit: Trendee King
The couple also has a $3,500 reward for Theo – no questions asked. If you know anything, call 310-663-2652. You can also follow Theo’s Instagram account, BabyBeard, for updates.
Related: After Missing For 10 Years, Dog Is Reunited With Family
