Shannel, The True Survivor

Max and Shannel… Lost and Found.

Here is their story.

I am home with my family and I hear a knock on my door. On the other side is a tearful young woman who was looking for her lost dog. In fact, the dog belonged to her boyfriend that was away serving our country. The dog was frightened from the storm and found a way out of the back yard. I was so moved by her story, her tears that my daughter and I got in the car and started looking for Max. It wasn’t until about 6 hours later that I got the call. Max was found…safe. Few little bumps and bruises here and there but safe and sound. I woke up my daughter to tell her the good news. She was so relieved. It’s wonderful to see her love of nature, her love of animals at 7 years old. So Max go scared… Max ran. Sometimes we find ourselves in the same situation. We get scared, something frightens us and we run. If we’re lucky people who love and care for us will look for us and not stop until they find us. And we, knowing the sound of the voice of those who love us the most will come running home.

Manny flew home from Boston where he is going to school to look for Shannel who ran away from home. Channel is 13 years old and has been Manny’s companion for most of his life. The irony is that she has arthritis so bad that “running” was not an option, walking barely was. But Manny and his mom took such good care of Channel that she started to get better. So during another storm, different from Max’s, she ran too.  Manny called me and asked if I could help. Of course I could. I put Channel’s “missing” poster on my website and Michelle gave Manny tips on how to get her back. She was found, 8 blocks away, in good condition. Imagine your 91 year old grandmother getting lost in a storm… That was Channel.

Manny went so far as to fly home from Boston to find his beloved Channel. That is a love that transcends a pet/human bond. It’s something more… you all know what it is…all of you with a pet that is your family…no really, your FAMILY. Sometimes when YOU are lost, they are there to find YOU. In the way they look at you, they way they love you unconditionally, the way that they make a bad day better just by being there. It’s a different kind of lost and found. We as human’s can get lost down many roads of our lives, something can frighten us and we run and we get twisted and turned around that we can’t find our way back home. Sometimes it takes a Max and a Shannel to help us find our way home.