Where is Izzie?

We are encouraged after receiving two possible sighting reports over the past ten days, the fact that people are still looking for Izzie, and that they know where to call when they see a dog who may be Izzie.

New River Valley Magazine is running this advertisement in the January/February issue.  We continue to follow up on possible sightings, to post and replenish Izzie's posters and business cards and check Craigs List, websites for humane societies, rescue groups and the many Lost/Found groups daily.

If you see a poster which has been removed,  needs replacing or is a good location for poster placement, we appreciate you letting us know.  In addition, we are looking for websites which will provide a link to Izzie's blog.  Izzie could be anywhere and we are always grateful for any and all resources to help spread the word.

Another (Older) Sighting In Newport

Since the Friday, October 30th sightings put Izzie in the Newport area, we've been concentrating on that area as far as spreading the word. (No place and no person is actually safe from Izzie's flier or calling card, but Newport has been the focus.) We talked to people, handed out the card, posted the flier - in Newport, at Pandapas Pond, at the Appalachian Trail.

And a call came in Sunday evening, from a family member of someone we spoke with that passed the word on, that she was sighted around October 25th near Clover Hollow Road and Laurel Creek Spring Road. She appeared to be traveling alone.

So, this sighting puts Izzie in Newport five days ahead of when we had previously learned she was there. We are happy to have this information even though it came to us two full weeks after it occurred.

While we would REALLY be thrilled with live, hot sightings by people that see her NOW, we want to get any information, even outdated, about where she's been seen. If we are able to track some kind of pattern, it's possible for us to get ahead of her.

Right now, it seems that her travels aren't a pattern at all, but just one big wandering journey that started on August 1st and is continuing to this day. But we know that there haven't been enough sightings to really give us a pattern. We know only that there have been cases in the past, with other lost dogs, where the searchers had enough sighting information to determine a pattern, and they were able to put a humane trap in the dog's path -- putting an end to the search.

We'd love to do the same. So - calling all past sighters: if you feel that you have seen Izzie and can describe the date and location, it's not too late to make a call.

Sighting Sun Nov 1st

A pair of sightings by one person was called in just moments ago, and they occurred around 10:30am and then around noon yesterday. (By the way, yesterday marked three months since Izzie went missing.) The area where the caller saw the dog is being investigated now. Thanks so much to the caller who stopped what she was doing when she saw the flier to call this in. (For that matter, thanks to everyone that has been doing this all along!)

If this is Izzie, then she was MUCH closer to home yesterday than she has ever been seen! The caller saw the flier while away from a computer, and she is going home now where she can sign on to see more photos of Izzie to compare them to the dog she saw.

The Friday sightings were among the strongest sightings since Izzie went missing, and for her to be there in Newport on Friday around 5 or later, and then be off Prices Fork in Blacksburg, between Heather and Hethwood, by 10:30 on Sunday, she'd have to do a straight shot. But all indications are that Izzie can do it. So we are hopeful!

Stay tuned! And by all means, call if you see Izzie!!!

UPDATE: After investigating this sighting, we are confident that the dog seen is another dog. There were others in the neighborhood that had seen the dog that the caller referred to, and they got closer looks -- close enough to see that the coat was different and that the dog is not Izzie. So, Karen is back in Newport today, continuing to search, call for Izzie, and spread the word.

New Sighting - Today

Renewed hope! But if today's sighting was Izzie, she's spread herself even thinner accross the area, having now popped up around five miles north of most of the areas where we've been concentrating. This sighting was in Newport, and we have put fliers up there. So the people who saw her knew to call us.


The sighters' bad fortune - both being home sick with the flu - was our good fortune in that they were in a place where they could see Izzie. What they saw was actually three dogs; one that looked like Izzie, a Jack Russell and a third that looked like a min pin -- all small dogs of similar size. This is not the first time Izzie has been seen with other dogs.

One of the sighters had seen the JRT by herself several days ago, and that dog may be the same dog that is featured on fliers in Newport for a dog missing since earlier this week. The Jack Russell's home is in an area where Izzie may have been sighted about two months ago. So if Izzie is wandering around in no discernible pattern, as it seems she is, and is returning to some of the same areas over and over, this may be an example of that.

This possible sighting can be seen on the sighting map.

Update:  from canvassing people in the area, we now have two additional sightings in the general area of this sighting! That sighting was from mid-day, and we have another one from a few hours earlier in the morning that was also all three dogs, and a final one from a few hours later that was just Izzie.

3 Sightings!

Finally!!!! More sightings!

Canvassing of the area around where Keisters Branch Road and Nikkel Lane meet, by Karen, have produced three sightings, all within shouting distance, all in the last 24 hours.

Hope abounds!

Oh, a word about Izzie's collar, since one of the sighters didn't call because the collar he saw on the dog didn't match the color of the collar on Izzie's photo . . . In Izzie's photo on her fliers and cards, she is wearing a red collar. When she disappeared, she was wearing a green collar. The color of the collar that the man saw on the dog that looked like Izzie was green.

Having said that, please disregard the collar color anyway! There are any number of ways and reasons why Izzie might now have a different collar or no collar at all. Please just call if you see a dog that could conceivably be Izzie.

Thanks once again for all of your support! It's making a very difficult job just a slightly bit less difficult.

And more sightings!

We are happy to report another couple of Izzie sightings, confirming that she hasn't turned to fairy dust! She's out there! Karen has been able to jump right on each sighting, and to go to the areas and speak with the people that have seen her, and others in the area, some of which have also seen her. And Karen is updating the map with the sightings.

But honestly, I'm having a hard time keeping up with where the girl is going! It looks like she's still moving around a LOT!

So the message for now is -- wherever you are in Blacksburg and the surrounding area -- please be on the look-out for Izzie. Do NOT be surprised if you see her; don't think that a sighting can't happen to you. It can . . . and hopefully yours will be the one that provides the link that is needed to bring Izzie safely home.

Stay tuned; all indications are that there will be more. But, what will it be, and when, and where???

New Sightings! 10/4 & 10/5

Saturday marked nine weeks since Izzie went missing -- the first Saturday in August.

Following a busy weekend packed with new visits and revisits to all sighting areas and feeding stations past and present, and pretty much any place that ever had something going on since Izzie went on the run, there have been a couple of sightings -- one Sunday evening and then earlier today. Karen is checking on the latest sighting as I'm writing this update.

Our travels over the weekend included a visit to a couple that had seen Izzie in August, and they have offered a couple of dog houses they are not using. These will be great complements to feeding stations, so this offer is greatly appreciated and those dog houses will be picked up for this use!

We also found out about the dog we'd been calling Scruffy, who is one dog that Izzie has been seen traveling with. Scruffy is an owned dog named Gypsy that was caught all the way over at the feeding station, on that camera there, a good distance from her home. Meanwhile, another dog that we saw as we were out and about is one that we know to live quite a ways from where we saw him (or her). So knowing that the dogs in this area that Izzie has been seen with are such travelers does make it easy to see how much she must be moving around.

We've received a call from the US postal service regarding the fact that we've been putting fliers in US mail boxes which is, as it turns out, illegal. Mea culpa for this! We won't be putting any more fliers in mailboxes, and we are looking for more ways to make sure that everyone knows who to call if they spot Izzie.

Positive Sighting September 25th

We received a call yesterday morning from a resident who lives off Wake Forest Road in McCoy. The caller saw the flier we posted Monday, which we posted because we'd already recieved a sighting in the general area, for Thursday or Friday (24th or 25th). This caller is certain that she saw Izzie on Friday (25th) at around 3 PM. The dog that she saw was traveling on Wake Forest Road towards Shale Road. It appeared she had a short chain/leash attached to her collar.

While canvassing the area and speaking to neighbors, another resident reported seeing a small black dog in the area at around the same time.

We distributed and posted additional fliers on Wake Forest, Longshop and Whittaker Hollow Roads and are focusing our search efforts in the quadrant bordered by these roads.

If anyone is available to help search please call 540.577.9739.

Friday Update, Weekend Plans and Keeping the Faith With Foxy

We continue to focus our search efforts in the area north of Glade Road. While viewing the map, please note Tuesday's sightings are on page 2. This is alot of ground to cover and sometimes we feel like we're looking for a needle in a haystack. The foliage is beginning to wither with the onset of autumn and it is easier to pick up the wildlife trails which criss-cross the rough terrain.

Thursday evening we ran across the elusive Foxy sitting on the side of Bobcat Lane. We threw chicken in her direction from our vehicle while keeping a respectful distance. Foxy played it cool for about five minutes but the aroma of the freshly-roasted chicken was too much for her to resist! She was soon eating out of my hand and appeared to be enjoying human contact.

We continue to ask for and receive permission to search the properties on Mt. Zion Road that share borders with properties on Bobcat Lane. Again, old logging and mining trails are serving us well. The feeding station is getting alot of action and is replenished daily. Rawhide treats discriminately placed are disappearing at night.

Tuesday Evening's Sighting Report

Izzie was seen crossing Mt Zion Road and running up Welcome Lane around 7 PM.

We were in the area and met the sighter within 20 minutes at the exact location where Izzie crossed Mt Zion. Opus and I walked the nearby area and spoke to several residents on Welcome Road until darkness fell, and then returned to the feeding station on Glade Road and staked out the area until 11:30 PM.

We are returning to the area today.

Karen


Update posted on Karen's Facebook wall late Wednesday afternoon:

Walking, talking, posting quadrant bordered by Glade Rd, Mt. Zion Rd, Old Creek Rd and Buckshot Lane. Another sighting from yesterday at 3:30 PM close to last night's sighting.

(The sighting from yesterday afternoon was called in today.)


Important Update Saturday from Karen: The woman who reported Tuesday's 7 pm sighting called me today. She saw the dog she thought was Izzie again today and after looking at the blog photos realized it was not Izzie.

Do You Recognize This Dog?

This is Izzie's new friend; let's refer to him as "Scruffy" for now. Izzie was sighted with Scruffy on Tuesday, September 8th and twice on September 11th.

We received a phone call from a school bus driver who had seen them traveling together at 6:45 this morning. After he completed his run, this nice man phoned us and returned to the area and helped canvass.

When we arrived, Scruffy was milling around Glade Road near Walnut Springs Farm and eluded us. He crossed Glade Road and ran into the woods on the east side of Bobcat Lane.

After speaking with several people in the area, we found out they have been trying to capture Scruffy for the past 3-4 months to see if there's a collar underneath all that matted fur.

We canvassed the area from 8 AM until 4 PM today and will return frequently hoping to cross paths with Izzie. A feeding station is nearby.

Possible Izzie Sighting September 8

We had another sighting today at around 12:30 of Izzie with a long-coated brown dog. They were running on the side of Glade Road towards town. When the sighter stopped her car, the dogs took off into the woods.

I was about 10 minutes away posting fliers and had Opus and Bittie with me. We drove to the area of the sighting and walked the dogs. They both reacted in the vicinity of the sightings.

We searched the area on foot for around two hours, talked to people, posted more fliers. It's such a large area to cover, and sparsely populated. I'm headed back out there this afternoon.

Also, this morning I was back in the area where Izzie went missing -- reposting fliers in case she is trying to get back there (in light of Saturday's possible sighting which is fairly close to where she went missing).

While out, I met a woman who lives in Northend on property that backs up to Route 460. The woman owns a dog, and she said that he has been barking and staring at the culvert for the past two nights. She's going to keep an extra eye out if the barking continues. She showed me the culvert that runs under 460 and comes out on Redbud Lane. I checked out the culvert from both ends; it's very possible for Izzie to make her way through. This may have been how she got under 460 the night she escaped.

Possible Sighting Sat 9/5

A woman called Sunday evening about 7pm to say that she saw a dog matching Izzie's description on Saturday evening (9/5) around 7:30. The dog she saw was running up Hidden Valley Drive, which is a private driveway off Tom's Creek Road with five home. It's opposite Givens Lane, and about 1/2 mile off of Route 460.

The caller didn't have the flier when she saw the dog, but she recalled having seen one in town. She went back out the next afternoon, Sunday, to get the phone numbers from the flier at the YMCA Thrift Store on North Main.

This location where she saw the running dog is less than a mile from where Izzie went missing. And it's about that same distance to the area where Sunday morning's searching took place. This was well before the tip came in, but it was a good area to search in.

In checking out the sighting, Karen was able to speak with two of the five residents living on Hidden Valley Drive. She made plans to return to the area Monday, Sept 6th, on horseback. A lot of ground can be covered in the fields surrounding Hidden Valley Road and a couple large farms across Glade Road on horseback!

A Chronology of Izzie Sightings, August 10-28

Izzie was sighted yesterday, August 9th off Glade Road. She seems to be trying to find her way home and is 2/3 of the way here.
August 10 at 8:20pm

Izzie is reportedly traveling with another dog. We are focusing our efforts on the quadrant bordered by Glade Road, Shadow Lake Road, Meadowbrook Drive and Tom's Creek Rd.
August 11 at 2:57pm

Another Izzie sighting on Monday, August 10th! Near intersection of Westover Dr. & Glade Road..very close to where she was spotted Sunday. Still hanging out with a medium sized brown dog. Be on the lookout near Heritage and Westover Hills Park.
August 11 at 10:39pm

Izzie sighting Tuesday, August 11th between noon and 2 in the Heritage Comm. Park walking trails. Possible ID on the dog she may be traveling with, a small brown pit mix (intact) who is allowed to roam at will. His home is in a trailer at the back of the trailer court which backs up to the farm at the end of Old Farm Road, and borders national forest land.
August 12 at 9:38pm

Izzie may have crossed over to the south side of Glade Road and may be heading towards home (Foxridge). Possibly traveling in the Boxwood Dr/Linwood Lane neighborhoods towards Old Mill Road.
August 14 at 12:34pm

LATEST POSSIBLE SIGHTING on Saturday around 2 pm resting in a wooded area with a brown dog on Shadow Lake Rd aross the street from the entrance of Shadow Lake Village.
August 16 at 11:25am

Very good sighting report today...didn't get a call until 8 hours after the sighting however it was near the bridge in Heritage Park...same area as Tuesday's sighting and close to the trailer park on Meadow Brook Road where she has been sighted several times. I will camp out at that site all day tomorrow. Today’s sighting was at 10:30am, near the creek.
August 16 at 9:16pm

Received a call yesterday from someone who overhead a conversation about a guy who had picked up a small black dog with white paws who was very skittish. The guy was pumping gas at the Wilco station (now Citgo) on North Main St. (across from Papa John’s). Went there and heavily postered the area around the gas station.
August 22 at 10:30am

Possible Izzie sighting this morning at 7:30 on Price's Fork Road near Hethwood (Foxridge, our home, is in the Hethwood complex). She had made it across busy Price's Fork Road and was sighted on the Hethwood side.
August 27 at 10:53am

More info on this morning's possible sighting...near the intersection of Prices Fork and Plantation Roads by the Carillion clinic lying in a shady spot. Walked, talked and posted area since the sighting...heading back over now.
August 27 at 2:40pm

After an all day canvassing of the vicinity surrounding this morning 's sighting, darkness has fallen and we will resume tomorrow morning at 6:30. Left food near the sighting and there is a water source nearby.
August 27 at 8:41pm

Early this morning we canvassed the vicinity of yesterday's sighting. We received a phone call last night about a possible Izzie sighting, with a brown dog, near the intersection of Shadow Lake and Meadow Brook Roads between 10 and 11 pm on Wednnesday night. The sighters followed the dogs into the Gateway parking lot of Heritage Park (on Meadowbrook Rd) and the dogs ran off into the park.
August 28 at 9:16am

Izzie is Lost!

Izzie, a 10 pound spayed terrier mix, escaped from her caretaker on Givens Lane in Blacksburg, Virginia on the evening of August 1, 2009. She left behind her constant companion, Opus, and her best friend, Bittie.

In the course of an hour, the immediate vicinity was canvassed until nightfall ended the search.

Izzie was sighted in Brookfield Village the day after she went missing. She managed to either cross or follow a culvert under very busy Route 460.

Within 2-3 days she was sighted on several occasions at the Meadow Brook Trailer Court on Meadow Brook Road.

It appears she made friends with one or more dogs who reside within the trailer court and was spotted on three occasions in the area bordered by Glade, Shadow Lake and Meadow Brook Roads traveling with at least one of these dogs, an intact male named Bruce. We contacted Bruce's owner who informed him Animal Control had ordered him to either leash Bruce or keep in inside in accordance with local ordinances.

Two days after Bruce was in lockdown, Izzie was sighted, on two seperate occassions, and appeared to be traveling on her own. Both sightings were in close proximity to each other, one in Heritage Park and one report of her running down the middle of Glade Road. These sightings were on Sunday, August 16th between approximately 10:30am and 2 pm.

Our most recent sighting was on Wednesday, August 26th around 10 pm in the Gateway parking lot (Heritage Park) with a brown dog.

We continue to canvas the area near the most recent sightings while fanning out every day in each direction. Since Izzie has been hanging around the same area for a month, we have no reason to suspect she has wondered too far away.