Cesar’s beginning can be
summed up as unspeakable. It cannot end
this way. His past left him in a state of constant fear and thus
not adoptable. The rescue advised without the possibility of an adopter,
he would be euthanized. We adopted him and loved him for 9 years.
We immediately found the words good and boy could not be spoken together – he
trembled, his eyes glazed over and he would go to another place in his head. What was he expecting? It would be a long time before he trusted
enough to hear those words and not be afraid.
The first month Cesar was with us, he hid under the bathroom sink. He
would not come out so I made his bed under there and served his meals there
too. Since he could not live under the sink forever, after that first
month, I carried him into the bedroom and closed the bathroom. He went
straight to the far corner, made himself as small as possible, and tried to
become part of the wall. I brought the bed to his new location and again,
with the exception of being carried outside for relief breaks he stayed in that
corner, eating, sleeping, not moving for the next couple of months. The
room had a couch and tv, so the other dogs and I spent all of our time in there
with Cesar. They helped him adjust and start to heal. We eventually
won his trust.
Since then, Cesar’s life with us has been good. His food and snacks are
home cooked. He likes to eat his meals on his couch. Getting older,
he prefers to be hand fed – of course I comply.
Rain, thunder, lightning, or wind
– he still trembles and chews the door frames unless we hold him.
When I give him kisses, he returns them by licking my eyelids; just the
eyelids. He doesn’t like to leave his home, so he is not a fan of walks
but we both need the exercise so I usually make him come along. However he
loves chasing and barking at those chatty squirrels in his yard. He has
some health issues now, but we were taking care of that until July 22, 2017.
That Saturday morning when Cesar disappeared we knew within minutes he was
stolen and AE agreed. We were careful not to use the word ‘stolen’ for
fear the person(s) who took him might harm him or leave him in some remote
area. Giving the captor(s) every opportunity to return him, we advertised
and kept using the words lost or missing. We offered scenarios of what
might have happened to continue giving the person(s) who stole him a way to
‘find’ him and give him back. We do not know if the person(s) who took him,
kept him, gave him away, or let him go. We’ve searched day and night
since that Saturday trying to find clues as to where Cesar was taken and where
he is now. We have canvassed door to door, put out hundreds of signs,
passed out thousands of flyers, placed newspaper and magazine ads, kept him
updated on so many missing pet facebook pages and websites, and even hired 3
missing animal advisors. I’ve gotten so many calls from people thinking
they’ve seen Cesar walking with people, riding in vehicles, and on his own, in
locations all over the county. Unfortunately few people have taken
pictures of the dogs they see, so only a few have been ruled out and none have
been confirmed.
Today is November 3rd - Cesar has been gone 104 days. It’s getting cold
outside and Cesar’s hair is so short it looks like it’s painted on.
He does not tolerate cold – even inside when it’s cool he sleeps under a
blanket. I pray at minimum he is warm, not hungry, and not being harmed.
I continue wondering what kind of vile person would steal an older dog from his
family.
Reading about Dom, the pit bull returned, it is clear the only reason Dom was
returned was due to the substantial reward offered and advertised. Since
Dom’s return, I realize Cesar’s only chance of returning home is the same kind
of reward.
Unfortunately, searching for a stolen dog is expensive. Since July 22 the approximate
extra expenses are:
-
$1350/month in gasoline: putting up signs, passing out flyers, following
every lead and call all over the county (fill the tank every other day)
-
$180/month maintaining food stations, filling them daily in areas where people
think they might have seen Cesar
-
$320 for 3 advisors
- $100-$150 per newspaper and magazine ad
-
Hundreds of Signs and Thousands of Flyers - cardstock, laminate, paper, printer
ink, stakes, tie wraps
And just prior to Cesar being stolen, 3 of our guys had terminal illness
expenses averaging $1000 each per month. Although their diseases won, we bought
them 8, 9 and 12 extra months of life. Like Cesar, they were family.
I have a home business and I recently added a 2nd job, also home based, to help
with these added expenses. It is still not enough. I need help to
Bring Cesar Home:
- Reward. Like Dom, Cesar needs a substantial reward. Large
enough to entice anyone who knows the person who has Cesar, to give that person up.
If substantial enough, a neighbor, friend or relative may come forward.
-
Advertising Cesar’s Reward. Ads in various community newsletters (they
are pricey and there are many); more magazine ads; or if possible a massive
postcard mailing to the county. Everyone needs to know about Cesar and the reward.
Cesar’s been gone since July 22. As of today, November 3, that is 3 ½ months.
However his little canine body is aging much faster. Depending on how one
figures it and not factoring in the stress or the quality of care/lack of it,
his body has aged up to 2 years since being taken.
Cesar needs to come home and I really need help to make it happen. Every
dollar donated will be used to create the reward and advertise it. So please contribute if you can. And please forward to all of your contacts and any
organization which may have resources to help. (If you do not want your
donation published, message Sandy Mack on facebook and I will list it as anonymous.)
I thank you for helping to Bring Cesar Home.
*
Once Cesar is home, all remaining contributions will be given to another
heartbroken person needing resources to help find their ‘Cesar’. *
