On 14 September, we get Greetings from GRACIE in Northern California:

GRACIE asked me to send along these photos she so graciously posed for last week.

The news here is great; we now have a wonderfully well-adjusted little girl who loves living here in Marin County. She has quickly figured out our household patterns and goes into her "guard dog" imitation, strategically placing herself in front of the front door any time she thinks we are getting ready to go out so she never misses a chance for a ride in the car.

Her favorite destination is Doggie Park by the Bay (see photos) where she loves to visit with everyone. She often hangs by the gate and thinks she is the "greeter" . . . all she needs is a blue WalMart vest!!! GRACIE said to send you hugs and slurps!

Rita Ferrer asks how many are still left to adopt, to which Sidney replies:

There are just two left . . . ONYX & SHADOW with Melissa in Phoenix. ONYX is now hanging out in the house voluntarily day and night and allowing some pets. SHADOW will come up to the back porch to eat and will give a few licks to Melissa's fingers and comes into the house after Ted & Melissa are asleep (they know because shoes & underwear mysteriously disappear -- LOL!), but will not allow himself to be caught. Melissa is considering using the coyote trap to catch him.

Melissa & Ted have a very large, secure yard, including a barn and arena, and they have a dog door. It is dog heaven, but in this case, once ONYX & SHADOW escaped from the smaller inner yard where they keep new fosters into the bigger yard, it became almost impossible to catch them. Melissa didn't want to terrify them even more than they are, so has just been allowing them to get as close as they will at their own pace. It makes it a much slower process, but I'm sure they will get there eventually.

On 16 September comes some bad news, when Sidney writes:

LILLY (LESLIE) Needs your Zen

She has done it again. Jeanne & John were walking LILLY at the construction site last night where they are building their new house, were getting back into their car and the leash came apart! For a split second, everyone stood there and then LILLY was off for a run.

It is very similar to where she was loose before, except fewer houses. It is in the foothills of South Mountain Park with a house built on the top of each hill and a valley in between. LILLY had just met and been playing with one of the neighbor's dogs, Mookie, and Mookie is going to be the best bet for luring her in.

Jeanne & John went back last night to put LILLY's crate with cat food and water and some of their smelly socks under a tree near their new house.

They went over there again this morning at 5:00, watched for her, checked the crate, went with Mookie & Fronzie & Jack on a hike, handed out fliers to various bicyclists and runners who come thru the area regularly and left a flier tied to the crate with her picture, contact information, etc. They will go back over again this evening and during the day will be posting fliers around the area.

They will call around to see if they can rent a coyote trap and if they haven't had any luck by this weekend, I will take the dogs up and camp out at the construction site to see if maybe we can lure her in.

A report from Jeanne - the only bright note at the moment is that she is doing everything I would do if I were there.

. . . have called Maricopa County Animal Control and they won't list her since she is not tagged for Maricopa County. I did list her on Pets911.com.

Will call vets, local animal hospitals, take them pictures, etc. I am even going to give the crossing guards at the school (just before you enter Tapestry Canyon) a copy of the flier. I figure they might see her if she's down that way. I pray she isn't, as Desert Foothills Pkwy is a busy street.

We walked the washes, the trails and the streets in our canyon this morning, even hiked out into the desert here we gave those fliers to runners and bicyclists. If you do have to come on Friday night, we will do our best to locate a coyote trap. When I get back from handing out more fliers and putting down the ant spray this morning, I'll begin calling around.

This little dog's karma is trying to tell us something and I'm not sure what it is . . . but I truly believe everything has a purpose and life takes us places we sometimes don't want to go. Unfortunately for you, this is the second go round in the escape artist's saga.

Man . . . I still can't understand how that leash released. John & I are both totally in shock about it.

PS . . . have emailed all of the homeowners in our Tapestry Canyon community the info and a picture so they can be on the lookout for her.

A LILLY sighting on Tuesday:

We just got back from walking, watching, and having Jack take Mookie & Fronzie out on a walk hoping to lure her in. While I was at the lot, one of the people in the canyon called me and said LILLY had been seen drinking out of one of their flower pots. Thank God!!!! . . . so we know she is sticking in the area. She was only about 1/4 mile away from where she got off the leash. We'll be out again tomorrow a.m. and again tomorrow evening. I will do the "bang the can thing" and call out. I am sending emails out to the canyon neighbors that's she been spotted and to keep calling if they see her.

. . . and another on Wednesday:

Jeanne & John both spotted LILLY this morning. Jeanne was whistling softly while she walked down the road and LILLY bolted out from behind a house and went over the hill. Jeanne called John on his cell phone and told him she was coming his way and he spotted her as well. Jeanne & John have moved the crate and food and water so that she will stay in the area until we can get a trap there.