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Suzy comes home
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman Lori TeBeest holds Kaitlynn, 3 months, as her daughter Samantha Damon holds Suzy, a wire-haired pinscher/greyhound mixed breed, that returned to Klamath Falls after a five-week journey. |
Dog travels 225 miles in effort to find original owners
By TY BEAVER
H&N Staff Writer
Three-month-old Kaitlynn throws her arms around the neck of Suzy the dog. The dog doesn’t whimper or complain, even as the infant drools on her fur and grabs at her bearded muzzle.
Lori TeBeest didn’t think Suzy would like attention from her young granddaughter. So when she found out her granddaughter was moving in, she decided to give Suzy to friends in Madras.
But within days, Suzy decided she’d rather be in Klamath Falls. It took her nearly five weeks to travel the 225 miles through timber and high desert terrain, but she made it home. And the reason she was sent away isn’t an issue.
“She came home and now that baby’s hers,” TeBeest said.
TeBeest and her husband, Gary, adopted Suzy earlier this year. With no other pets and no more kids at home, TeBeest thought a dog would give her something to dote on.
Adopting the dog
They discovered the wire-haired pinscher/greyhound mixed breed during a trip to the Klamath County Humane Society. Suzy adored the couple from the beginning, though shelter workers said the dog was always afraid of other people.
TeBeest and her husband returned to the shelter a day later to adopt Suzy. They knew at once they’d made a good choice.
“She jumped the kennel as soon as she saw us,” TeBeest recalled.
The couple couldn’t predict that several months later their daughter would be moving into their home with a newborn grandchild. TeBeest said she also couldn’t predict how Suzy would respond to such a young child.
She decided the best thing to do would be to give Suzy to another family. The dog had spent countless days playing with the older children of neighbors who used to live nearby. The family even kept dog biscuits for her before they moved to Madras.
An offer was made, and a week later Suzy was on her way north. TeBeest knew the dog was going to a good home — there was a large backyard for her to play in and she adored the family’s children — but she was still sad to see her go.
The next day, the family’s mother called. Suzy ran away when she was taken outside. The following days were filled with failed attempts to catch her, and then she disappeared.
Weeks passed.
TeBeest’s husband mentioned that maybe she’d come home, a possibility that TeBeest and her daughter, Samantha Damon, brushed off.
“I told him that “Homeward Bound” was just a movie,” Damon said.
Then a family living near Sky Lakes Medical Center called. They trapped a dog that had been visiting their home for the past several days. Her tags had TeBeest’s information listed.
The dog was roaming around a cul-de-sac near the Nob Hill neighborhood for weeks. No one could get near her and the weather was getting cold.
“Every time we’d even look at her she’d run away,” said resident Gayle Christmas.
Christmas and her family members, who are allergic to dogs, left food for the dog and even made a bed for her on their back deck, where she’d sleep before dashing away in the morning. Eventually, Klamath County dog control set a live trap.
Christmas’ son, Scott Kleeman, found the dog in the trap three days later after school. He managed to get close enough to see the TeBeest’s phone number listed on her tags.
Suzy reunited with the TeBeests on Oct. 19. She had lost a lot of weight and was splotched with tar and mud. The pads on her paws were cracked and sore.
But she’s recovering well, and Suzy has nothing but love for the family’s newest addition. She doesn’t even mind when 3-month-old Kaitlynn tugs at her fur.
Lori TeBeest didn’t think Suzy would like attention from her young granddaughter. So when she found out her granddaughter was moving in, she decided to give Suzy to friends in Madras.
But within days, Suzy decided she’d rather be in Klamath Falls. It took her nearly five weeks to travel the 225 miles through timber and high desert terrain, but she made it home. And the reason she was sent away isn’t an issue.
“She came home and now that baby’s hers,” TeBeest said.
TeBeest and her husband, Gary, adopted Suzy earlier this year. With no other pets and no more kids at home, TeBeest thought a dog would give her something to dote on.
Adopting the dog
They discovered the wire-haired pinscher/greyhound mixed breed during a trip to the Klamath County Humane Society. Suzy adored the couple from the beginning, though shelter workers said the dog was always afraid of other people.
TeBeest and her husband returned to the shelter a day later to adopt Suzy. They knew at once they’d made a good choice.
“She jumped the kennel as soon as she saw us,” TeBeest recalled.
The couple couldn’t predict that several months later their daughter would be moving into their home with a newborn grandchild. TeBeest said she also couldn’t predict how Suzy would respond to such a young child.
She decided the best thing to do would be to give Suzy to another family. The dog had spent countless days playing with the older children of neighbors who used to live nearby. The family even kept dog biscuits for her before they moved to Madras.
An offer was made, and a week later Suzy was on her way north. TeBeest knew the dog was going to a good home — there was a large backyard for her to play in and she adored the family’s children — but she was still sad to see her go.
The next day, the family’s mother called. Suzy ran away when she was taken outside. The following days were filled with failed attempts to catch her, and then she disappeared.
Weeks passed.
TeBeest’s husband mentioned that maybe she’d come home, a possibility that TeBeest and her daughter, Samantha Damon, brushed off.
“I told him that “Homeward Bound” was just a movie,” Damon said.
Then a family living near Sky Lakes Medical Center called. They trapped a dog that had been visiting their home for the past several days. Her tags had TeBeest’s information listed.
The dog was roaming around a cul-de-sac near the Nob Hill neighborhood for weeks. No one could get near her and the weather was getting cold.
“Every time we’d even look at her she’d run away,” said resident Gayle Christmas.
Christmas and her family members, who are allergic to dogs, left food for the dog and even made a bed for her on their back deck, where she’d sleep before dashing away in the morning. Eventually, Klamath County dog control set a live trap.
Christmas’ son, Scott Kleeman, found the dog in the trap three days later after school. He managed to get close enough to see the TeBeest’s phone number listed on her tags.
Suzy reunited with the TeBeests on Oct. 19. She had lost a lot of weight and was splotched with tar and mud. The pads on her paws were cracked and sore.
But she’s recovering well, and Suzy has nothing but love for the family’s newest addition. She doesn’t even mind when 3-month-old Kaitlynn tugs at her fur.
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| Feeding the hungry |
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