November 10, 2003
Lost dog stories can always be counted on to tug at my heartstrings. Like so many others, I am completely captivated when stories about the rescue of lost pets happen to be true.
In our own neighbourhood, dog owners who congregate at College Park were overjoyed when Pebbles, a tiny Yorkshire Terrier was found by her owners.
Every spring come stories of dogs stranded on breakaway ice floes on Canada’s East Coast.
I’ve searched the Internet over for word of Forgea, the dog finally rescued from an abandoned tanker, which had drifted in the Pacific Ocean for 24 days.
I know the two-year-old mixed-breed terrier was brought to Honolulu after being coaxed out of hiding from the bowels of the Indonesian tanker, Insiko 1907. I know that the rescue was a success because the canine appeared before a bevy of news hounds and photographers--decked out in a red flower lei.
But according to Hawaiian rules, Forgea had to be quarantined for a period of 120 days before going to new owners. What happened to Forgea after the media spotlight went elsewhere? Did the dog ever get to lay eyes on his seafaring master again?
At one point during the long and intensive search, helicopter crews dropped their lunches, which included spare ribs and fresh oranges to the stranded dog. Forgea was unintentionally abandoned April 2, 2003 when the Norwegian cruise ship STAR rescued the crew of Insiko.
For nearly three weeks, the tail-wagger survived on little food or water and whatever rainwater fell on the abandoned tanker as it drifted across the Pacific Ocean.
The Indonesian tanker was disabled by a fire on March 13 that killed one crew member and cut off power and communication. The crew was rescued April 2 by a cruise liner south of Hawaii, but the dog, which belonged to the captain, was somehow left behind.
Forgea was lost at sea. Molly, a Pekinese-shi tsu was lost in the forest.
Imagine the heartache of an 80-year-old veterinarian who lost his little dog when she disappeared into the wilderness during a canoeing trip with a friend.
Surely the most poignant part of the story of Molly is the long night two canoeists spent calling out to the dog to no avail.
The leaves were just beginning to turn colour in September, when this sad tale with a happy ending began.
Molly went everywhere with her owner Dr. Carl Seeman, and so was along for the trip when the vet went canoeing with a friend near Dryden, Ont.
"Usually Molly is really good at staying with us, and I didn’t know she was gone until we got to the next portage," said Dr. Seeman.
But no Molly came to the calls of the two canoeists, who only left the area most reluctantly at morning’s light.
Back home, it was hard on the elderly vet who couldn’t forget that his beloved Molly wasn’t there.
He had just about given up all hope when he received a telephone call five weeks later.
A local hunter had spotted Molly, reduced to skin and bones, less than a kilometre from where she went missing. The lonely and loyal shi tsu had returned to the spot where she had last seen her beloved owner. Molly had about a dozen porcupine quills stuck in her head, including one that cut the corner of one eye. But she was alive.
One can only imagine the frantic licking when the little dog was returned to the waiting arms of the person she loves best.
"Molly is resting quite a bit and is just starting to act like her old self," Dr. Seeman reported. While her visits to the wild are not over, she’s not likely to be disappearing again as someone will be watching over her like the proverbial hawk.
Autumn brings a chill to the air, but stories like Molly’s warm the heart.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement