Sad News

For those of you following the saga I wanted to give the final update.  Sadly Oz’s body was located yesterday, he had been struck by a car.  It was a heartbreaking end to an already upsetting story. 

Oz, escaped from an Xpen at the OKC Summer classic shows.  He was put out for just a few minutes and while Harry went back into the motorhome for a few minutes and it is believed that  Oz panicked due to an air gun going off at a near by construction site.  The folks in the neighboring RV alerted Harry but it was too late, Oz was already on the run.  There was much searching by the folks at the dog show.  Oz’s former handler Sherri Hurst and her team got posters made and helped with the search along with countless others.  Harry had to leave OKC to go home but Shelly and Ron Shirey took up the lead position locally.  There was press coverage and many local OKC folks on the look out for Oz.

I didn’t get to attend these shows this year so I spent my time working the social media aspect trying to get the word out and Oh how the dog community responded.  There were folks everywhere looking for Oz, volunteering their time, money, equipment and their dogs in an effort to help Harry find his lost boy.  Not just the Corgi Nation but people from all over dogdom.  Facebook spread the word as did as many as 25,000 retweets on twitter it was an amazing show of support.  I wish I had been able to share positive news.

Oz was not my dog but he was very important to me.  I’ve known him since he was a tiny puppy, his littermate is my beloved Banner and he is the sire of Lindy’s litter, Fifi, Rider, Einie and Mandy B.  I was his human rep at the 2010 CWCCA nationals where he was awarded winner’s dog and was in his cheering section when he finished both his Championship and Grand Championship.  A special dog and my heart hurts in his loss.

Oz won the breed at the Rio Grande shows in Albuquerque this past May and Photographer Brenna Spencer was taking candid ringside that day at the groups and on a whim I asked her if she could get some shots of Harry and Oz in the group ring.  I wanted a special photo for Harry since Oz had finished his Grand Championship at these shows.  It is hard for me to believe that this photo represents the last time Harry and Oz were together in the ring. 

I hope Oz will live on in our hearts not just as a memory of a special dog but through his kids.    A special thank you to everyone who supported Harry during this time, especially to the Shirey’s who not only kept the search alive in OKC but laid Oz to rest on their property in Oklahoma.   Gone but not forgotten, rest well special boy.