LETTER: Champ returns

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, January 10, 2012

To the Editor:

Some of your readers may remember Star of Aslan, the pug I flew to Long Beach, Calif., for the Eukanuba Championships. He now has another title to add to his resume. …Survivor!

While on a walk just above our house here on the ranch, “Champ” decided to take a little detour and probably check out a coyote scent. I had all the pugs with me and it’s not unusual for them to sniff around and check out the holes and the cow (droppings) on the way. So I wasn’t worried until he didn’t catch up some time later. I was in a huge pasture not out of sight of where he had been, but he just disappeared. Two hours later I heard coyotes yipping over the hill from where we were. I careened up there on the 4-wheeler, but no Champ.

We searched for days. I notified all neighbors, put it on the radio, and called the sheriff’s office. The nights were down to 15 degrees. With not much water available and no food, how long could a little house dog last?

How could I have lost my little buddy, who followed me around like a shadow and loved his rides to town? I ran out of places to look and called friends to say he was gone. Day seven came. Did he perish in the cold nights? Did he follow a coyote track and run face-to-face with a predator looking for lunch? My thoughts were anguished. Then at 8 a.m. Dec. 16, the phone rang. “I think I have your dog,” the voice said. Not wanting to even hope that it was the right pug, I headed for Treasures. The caller was Toss Witherrite. When I walked in the door, here came Champ, running up to me. He looked at me as if to say, “Didn’t you think I could take care of myself?”

Although dehydrated and with a slight infection, and limping on sore feet, he looked pretty good, for a silly pug. I am sure he had a little angel sitting on his shoulder that whole week! (My thanks again to Toss and Doug, and all those who prayed.) And now Champ wants his own TV reality show – Dog Survivor!

Connie Dunham

Enterprise