Scroll down to the bottom of this entry for an update.
Against my better judgment I’m posting what plans are in the works for Buddy and Scruffy, and also I’ll mention some of the issues surrounding the timing of their rescue.
Perhaps it will be clearest if I simply state the facts as I know them.
Realize this is a process with many influences, so plans are subject to change. Here is where things stand right now.
1) Eldad Hagar of the Hope for Paws organization has offered to drive three hours from L.A. to Owl Canyon Campground north of Barstow.
2) Eldad wants to pick up the skittish Scruffy by setting out a humane trap.
3) He does not want to remove Scruffy until he has a placement for him (rescue org. or private). Eldad is working on this today.
4) Eldad does not want to take Buddy without taking Scruffy, too, because Buddy may be Scruffy’s protector in the wild.
5) Owl Canyon Campground is crowded with campers on weekends. A humane trap cannot be productive with lots of people around. This is why Eldad did not drive out to the campground on Saturday to set out the trap.
6) Eldad is an extremely busy person. From the short time I’ve spoken with him via phone, I’ve become aware that his days are filled with rescues. A few days ago he was in the Everglades doing a rescue! He is in the middle of a couple of rescues as I write this (Sunday midday). On Tuesday he is flying to New York. I didn’t ask him why. Maybe more rescues due to the storm? I mention this so everyone knows Eldad is a good guy and he accomplishes what he sets out to do. (And if he doesn’t, he is not to be criticized.)
7) The first plan was for Eldad to come out to Owl Canyon this afternoon (Sunday). However, other rescues he’s involved with have to be attended to right away, so he’s had to change the timing of Buddy’s rescue and Scruffy’s rescue.
8) In our last phone conversation a short while ago, Eldad said he would drive out to Owl Canyon Campground around three o’clock in the morning on Monday. He will set the humane trap for Scruffy. There are no guarantees. He may trap a grey fox, who knows.
9) Eldad plans to take Buddy to an organization in Beverly Hills where a safe future has already been arranged. I don’t know the details. I’ll find this out.
10) In a phone conversation with Eldad on Saturday (when the plan at that time was he would come out today, Sunday afternoon), I told him I would drive up to Owl Canyon to check on Buddy, alert the camp hosts, and inquire whether anyone has seen Scruffy since I saw him a few days ago. Then I would call him, share the info, and wait for him to drive to the campground.
11) I am reluctant to go to Owl Canyon Campground without Eldad’s arrival coinciding with my visit there. Why? Because Buddy will see me and be overjoyed. I do not want Buddy chasing the PTV again. If Buddy sees me again, I want his rescue to be certain and immediate, so that he leaves with someone before I drive out of the campground.
12) Since I’m not driving out today (Sunday) and meeting Eldad at the campground this afternoon, I am going to try to get the camp hosts’ phone numbers from Ranger Jim who lives in the campground I’m staying in now. He probably won’t be allowed to give me the camp hosts’ private numbers, but maybe I can arrange for them to call me. That way I can inform the camp hosts what is going on, enlist their continued help, and relay information about the dogs to Eldad until he can get to Owl Canyon Campground from L.A.
I sincerely appreciate the outpouring of concern for Buddy and Scruffy.
Thank you for the praise you have heaped on me. However, I only did what’s decent and it certainly didn’t involve any sacrifice on my part. (Spike says he could use some recognition for sharing his kibble. Bridget would like to remind everyone that she let Buddy sleep in her bed from the exercise pen.)
If Eldad accomplishes what he intends to do, he and the Hope for Paws organization deserve the praise. He said at one point, “If I can’t trap Scruffy this time, I’ll come back and try again.”
rvsue
UPDATE!
I talk with Ranger Jim Sunday evening. He doesn’t have phone numbers for the camp hosts so I can’t call them.
Eldad calls me at 5:30 Monday morning with a text message.
“I can’t find Buddy.” I immediately call him back and tell him “I’m on my way.” When I arrive at Owl Canyon Campground about 45 minutes later, Buddy still is nowhere to be found. Eldad has put out cooked hamburger and other enticing food for Buddy and Scruffy with no results.
The volunteer camp hosts emerge from their camper. Eldad introduces himself as a rescuer from Los Angeles. Have they seen Buddy or Scruffy?
It seems like I’m the only person who has seen Scruffy at the campground.
As for Buddy, he was the darling of the campers this past weekend, and there were a lot of campers! The camp hosts estimate 100-150 people at the campground throughout the weekend. Buddy worked the crowd. One of the camp hosts overheard someone say that they wanted to keep Buddy, but he didn’t get any details or follow up on that.
I apologize to Eldad for his unproductive trip.
When we spoke Sunday night, I warned him that Buddy has a habit of disappearing for a day, but Eldad came anyway.
The camp hosts are going to let Eldad and me know if Buddy reappears. Eldad said he would come back for Buddy. If Buddy doesn’t reappear, I am absolutely certain that he was taken home by a camper.
It’s not the storybook ending many of us hoped for, but it’s not bad.
Please do understand that Buddy is NOT wandering around the desert looking for water and starving. It is his habit to hide out for a day and then return.
If Buddy should return, Eldad will come back for him, and that’s good. If Buddy doesn’t return, he’s already in a home with someone who wants him, and that’s good. Either way, Buddy’s a lot better off than he was this time last week.
If I don’t hear from the camp hosts within a few days, I’ll call them.
rvsue
rvsue and her canine crew 