The search for a missing dog in South Tampa, Florida, has brought some neighbors closer and stirred action on social media, WFLA reported.
Wendy, a small, grey Shih Tzu, proved difficult to locate when she went missing a couple of weeks ago. This prompted her owner, Rachel Lewis, to post on the Nextdoor App asking neighbors to help find her pooch. Some locals took to social media to share news about the missing pet while asking friends to join the search.
According to Lewis, the Shih Tzu ran away the same day she got the dog from a breeder. She added that she had only had the pup for about four hours before her disappearance.
Moment missing South Tampa Shih Tzu escaped
Lewis, who lives off of Gandy Boulevard in Tampa, said she took Wendy out in the front yard thinking she was well secured in her harness — only for the dog to prove otherwise.
“I just took her outside; she had her little harness on, her little pink thing and I thought I had it on tight enough,” a heartbroken Lewis narrated. “But…for some reason, she wiggled out of it and took off.”
Lewis said she saw her Shih Tzu run off towards a large open area, adding that the land once housed Georgetown Apartments. The apartments were demolished some time back to pave the way for new construction. However, no building has been erected on the plot yet, so the space is currently open and unoccupied.
In describing her missing dog, Lewis said, “She looks a little shaggy.” Continuing, she added, “They say don’t chase her because that won’t do any good, but she’s been on the loose now for…days.”
Search for missing dog still on
When Lewis alerted her neighbors of her predicament through the Nextdoor App, some — like Marcy Perez— joined the search as soon as they could.
“Well, I saw Rachel Lewis, the owner of the dog, post on Nextdoor, and I wish I’d shared it sooner on my own social media because I know a lot of people,” Marcy said.
Another resident, Kenneth Thomas, recalled sighting the missing pooch near the open field that Lewis described.
“I happened to look over there, and I saw a dog barking, and it was going on for like two hours,” he stated.
Thomas said he spotted “Wendy on a sandbar on the water.” He soon discovered she was a missing pet and that her owner was tirelessly searching for her.
He immediately reached out to Wendy’s dog mom with the new information. Thomas told Lewis, “I [have] seen her…I’m looking at that dog through my binoculars right now.”
Unfortunately, the canine wasn’t there when Lewis went to get her.
Given that, Lewis made a post about her missing pet on social media. Numerous people, both friends and strangers, are helping with the search.
“We are not going to give up on this; we’re going to get that dog,” a determined Thomas said.
Hopefully, Lewis will soon be reunited with her missing Shih Tzu puppy.
