After nearly four long months, the Rev. Lou Scurti, of New Jersey, continues his long-distance search for his beloved dog, "Noelle", the white dog lost in White Marsh. If you recall my September column, Noelle ran in fright after being in a car that was involved in a multiple-car accident on I-95 on Aug. 27 during Hurricane Irene.
She was the traveling companion of Lou's cousin, Jon Boshart, on their return trip to New Jersey. The horrible accident not only separated Jon and Noelle but also removed Noelle from everything familiar to her. Although John's injuries were serious, his physical recovery is almost finished. Lacking a reunion with Noelle, his total healing is not complete.
Recently, Jon drove from New Jersey to White Marsh hoping to reunite with Noelle and complete the last leg of their interrupted August trip. He met with several local people assisting in the search, including Diana Fell, Belinda Hobson, and Dog Rescue of Maryland and Sam Connelly, of Pure Gold Pet Trackers. The group met to make a plan to safely find and secure Noelle.
Sam is from Perry Hall and sole proprietor of Pure Gold Pet Trackers. Although she was called into the Noelle search only recently, Sam's experience and advice in finding lost pets, as well as the information provided by her tracking dog, Salsa, are integral in taking this search into the final phase.
"I'm absolutely hopeful if people stop feeding her and her food is limited to her one feed station, we will get her home. This is the critical end and the hardest part. Not feeding her is critical to the recovery of the dog. If people keep feeding her it will hurt the final phase," Sam commented.
The rest of the group remains hopeful as well. Diana Fell of Bowleys Quarters sees it all coming together. "The search has been like a tapestry being made," she said. "From the back it looks a mess of different colored threads that stop and start and don't make any sense. But when it's done and you turn it over, you have a beautiful picture."
Finding Noelle and getting her back to New Jersey will complete the tapestry for the searchers and mend her family's aching hearts. If you live in the community, you can help. If you have been feeding Noelle, please stop. If you see her, please call one of the numbers listed below immediately to report it. Do not call her name, chase her or try to interact with her in any way.
Hope remains that the 12-year-old Akita-husky mixed breed will be reunited with the family she loves in time to celebrate the day she is named for. If you spot Noelle, please call Father Lou at 973-981-5003 and Belinda Hobson at 443-912-9505.
If you'd like more info on Pure Gold Pet Trackers, go to http://www.artmoms.com/pure2/ or call Sam at 410-365-7456 or Dog Rescue of MD, go to dogrescuemd.org/index.html or call Kim at 410-320-5010.
Baltimore County has a gift for you! Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz announced there will be free metered parking in Baltimore County as a holiday gift for shoppers during the week before Christmas, December 18-24.
Searching for the Citizen of the Year! The Perry Hall Improvement Association is accepting nominations for the Perry Hall Citizen of the Year Award, which was created in 2007. It is presented annually to a Perry Hall resident who has provided exceptional leadership and contributions that improve the quality of life in Perry Hall. Please send nominations by email to perryhallmail@gmail.com or to the PHIA at P.O. Box 63, Perry Hall, MD 21128 by Dec. 31, 2011. The nomination submission should include a brief summary of the contributions the nominee has made to the Perry Hall community.
To share your news or announcement in the Perry Hall/Kingsville area, please send email to write2shell@yahoo.com or phone 443-286-5881.