Latoya Grindley, Features Writer

Shadow in happier times. - contributed

Many Jamaicans believe that a dog is a man's best friend, and losing one can be quite an emotional roller coaster. Dogs and other animals serve as sources of unconditional love and even comfort. When something happens to that dog, it is almost the same feeling as if something goes wrong with a relative or friend. The publications of missing pets, especially dogs, have grown in frequency with many owners offering rewards for the return of their animals.Newspaper advertisements and posters put up in the vicinity of where the animal once lived are normally the methods used to try and get back the animals. Many people who are not fond of animals or who have none themselves would regard it as a waste of time and money and would not be able to understand the hurt associated with losing a pet.

Businessman and the honorary consul to Ireland, Robert MacMillan, has been advertising for the return of his male Catahoula puppy that went missing some three weeks ago. The dog went missing from the vicinity of West Kings House Road in St Andrew and was only eight weeks old at the time. MacMillan says losing Shadow, as he was affectionately called, has left a void in his life.

Part of a pair

He says Shadow was part of a pair, leaving his brother, Pretty Boy lonely. "I kept the two of them so they could have each other's company. They were inseparable and it just breaks my heart to see one without the other. In the evenings when I get home, Pretty Boy wants to play, but by then, I am so tired because he is used to playing with Shadow." MacMillan says Shadow went missing on what was a normal day with him and the dogs.

"Well, I had gone to the supermarket for a few hours and when I returned, I prepared dinner for them. When I was finished with that, I called them and only Pretty Boy came and then I called out again and no Shadow. A search began and then that was when we realised Shadow was missing."

It is not common to see a man so openly attached or even talk so emotionally about a dog and MacMillan recognises this, as he himself said he grew up in a house where dogs were just dogs and had to keep their distance. However, he says there was a bond created and while he has other dogs, Shadow is still missed.

Uncertainty

What distresses him more is the uncertainty of his whereabouts and his condition. "It is like the woman who had lost her daughter in Aruba, not that I am comparing children with dogs, but the fact is she now knows that her daughter is dead. I don't know if Shadow is alive or if he is being turned into some guard dog and living some life he is not used to. I don't even want to think that he is mistreated."

A $20,000 reward has been offered for the dog's return and according to the owner, no questions will be asked. In the case that the dog has been adopted in a loving home, he says while it is better for him to be treated well, robbing the dog of his original family and taking Shadow away from him is still dishonest.

MacMillan says while he is not certain if Shadow went missing because he strayed, or if he was stolen from home, he is trying hard to remain optimistic that he will find his dog.

Checks with numerous veterinary clinics revealed that it is common for dogs to be reported missing. General manager at the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Pam Lawson, said that, on average, about six dogs are reported missing every week. She said it is mostly the smaller breeds that often go missing. According to her, while at times they are stolen, there are also times when they stray on their own. "These smaller breeds have something like short man complex where they are far braver and bright and also inquisitive, which is usually to their detriment."

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com