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Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Charlie is happy to be home. Holding his leash is Dallas Moore, 10. In the background is the rest of the family, Suki, 8 and Rob with Maddy, 6, and Devon, 4.
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Charlie the dog was lost, but now he's found
By Shari Kaplan
For 2 1/2 weeks, Charlie Moore lived life on the lam. His face graced posters tacked up in Los Gatos, Saratoga and Campbell. Dozens of people searched for him for miles, knocking on doors and shining flashlights in dark corners. His trackers even enlisted the help of a search dog and two psychics.
Finally, the elusive fugitive spilled the beans to his whereabouts when he knocked over a garbage can looking for food. Following a phone call from an alert family, he was back in custody.
Charlie couldn't have been happier!
He is not a prison escapee, but rather an 8-month-old black Labrador retriever who happened to be in the wrong places at the wrong times. He belongs to Los Gatans Suki and Rob Moore and their children, Dallas, 10, Madison, 6, and Devon, 4. Charlie is a pedigreed pup born in Suki's native England to a dog owned by her goddaughter's family.
Charlie ventured from the back door of the Moore home in the Alta Vista neighborhood on Nov. 15--likely while workmen were going in and out. The Moores later heard from a neighbor that Charlie was hanging around the street when a truck backed into him. Although not hurt, he apparently panicked and took off, running.
This began 2 1/2 weeks of little rest and much loneliness for both dog and owners. When the Moores realized he was missing, Suki says they saturated their neighborhood and all adjoining neighborhoods with door knocks and questions.
"As I was knocking on doors, total strangers would come out and join me in knocking on other doors," she says with surprise. Over the coming days, they and their supporters--old friends, as well as new-found ones--put up thousands of lost dog posters. The Moores received a handful of "sightings," but some were of other dogs. Others may have been Charlie, but he didn't stay in one place long enough to be found.
"I think part of the problem was everyone thought he was just part of whatever neighborhood he was in at the time," says Suki, who believes the sweet-natured canine may have wandered as far as Sobey Road in Saratoga, according to one of her callers. Sometimes people would call anonymously, she adds, just to say they were praying for Charlie's return.
The Moores also hired Jo Danehy of Half Moon Bay and her search dog, Kelsey, to help find Charlie. Kelsey did pick up his scent, but eventually lost it. After advice from a psychic and tips from Old Town merchants both pointed to Charlie being in the Los Gatos Creek area, the Moores "camped out" until bedtime along the creek, but to no avail.
The family was reunited on Dec. 1, when Los Gatans Judy and Gordon Levin called to say a neighbor was startled by a black dog in her garage and they thought it was Charlie. Although he was skin-and-bones and covered in ticks, the Moores recognized their dog immediately.
"The most important lesson from all of this was to not lose faith, leave no stone unturned and follow every lead, as you never know what you may find. Most importantly, keep pressing on, even if the odds are against you," Suki says.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
