Landfill employees keep lost Toms River dog alive

[WildflowerNJ 136]

(I am so happy they found this sweet dog....the signs were all around when you were driving and I thought of this dog so much...happy ending :heart:)

Landfill employees keep lost Toms River dog alive

Violet rescued, returned to owner after exhaustive search

BY CHELSEA MICHELS • TOMS RIVER BUREAU • FEBRUARY 8, 2010

TOMS RIVER — Terri Zack set out to find her missing dog and ended up finding much more during the search.

Terri Zack of Toms River holds Violet, her 3-year-old German shepherd mix. Violet ran away in November, but was found at Ocean County Landfill. (STAFF PHOTO: CHELSEA MICHELS)

After 3-year-old Violet, a German shepherd mix, ran away in late November, Zack and her family set off on a frantic search, sparing no time or expense to find the missing pup, whom they had adopted merely a month before she ran away.

After weeks of sightings, bone-numbing temperatures and a severe blizzard, Violet was returned home safely Jan. 29 with the help of employees at the Ocean County Landfill and Lost Pets Found of Brick.

"We posted on Craigslist. We hung fliers. We had articles in the paper," Zack said, describing some of the steps she took to find Violet with her boyfriend Donnie Hicks and her daughters, Jenna and Madeleine. "I had no idea how many animal lovers there are out there."

Going above and beyond what most heartbroken pet owners might do, the family's efforts ranged from seeking the aid of a pet psychic to posting hundreds of fliers throughout Toms River and Manchester to spending thousands of dollars to bring in a search-and-rescue team from Texas.

Violet was about to be gassed at a South Carolina animal shelter when she was rescued, Zack said. The family said the dog was being treated for post-traumatic stress she suffered before they adopted her.

After word spread about Violet, Zack said she received calls day and night from people who had sightings or just wanted to offer their support.

Violet ultimately was found at the Ocean County Landfill in Manchester, where she had been fed and kept alive by employees, who were the ones to makes calls connecting Violet with her owners.

John Fink, vice president of operations, said his employees John Zawislak and Scott Machynko started seeing Violet running around, and they would feed and try to catch her. Once they contacted Zack and Lost Pets Found, they would constantly check their humane trap to see if Violet had been caught.

"Everybody here at the landfill is very pleased we could do our small part," said Fink. "It's one of those little things you can do to help."

Zack said the persistent work of the landfill employees and Lost Pets Found, along with the vigilance of the community, was what helped bring Violet home after so many weeks away.

"I want everyone to know it's because all of them that Violet is home safe today," she said. "It takes a village to bring home a mutt."

Asked if she regretted any of the extensive time and money she spent locating her dog, she adamantly said: "Absolutely not. It was money well worth spending, and I learned about my community and how they extend their hearts and prayers."

[Starfish 0]

Awwww I love a happy ending.

[Refugee 7]

What a cute dog! I'm so happy that this story had such a nice ending.