At a house in Tennessee, we met him, young, energetic and full of life. He moved to Michigan with us and made our family complete. He helped me with the trash and yard work, helped our older daughter through some emotional challenges, and even helped with the daily house chores.
And what a great travel companion – always enthusiastic, dragging us on walks we ended up enjoying, and just being there when we needed a hug.
He is a small, Shih-Tzu/Bichon Frise mix. We call him Benji.
Then our daughter moved to Ridgeway, so we took him on our next trip and left him with our daughter for a couple days while we traveled further.
We returned to a disaster. Our daughter couldn’t find him after he bolted out the door. We searched and called and searched some more – all the neighbors, all the vast woodlands around the neighborhood, but no sign of him…
Until two weeks later, and here the story takes a dark turn, we found Benji’s harness by the side of the road, a couple miles from our daughter’s place, by the stop sign on Park Rd at Longtown Rd, across the street from the Windmill Restaurant. Someone had unclipped the harness, and took off his tags. We never found the tags.
Now we are always searching FB, shelters, rescues for word of our dear Benji – always on the road talking with neighbors, businesses. And we’re tired, and lonely, and sad our life’s companion has been taken from us.
But there is still hope. We are offering a $500 reward for the safe return of our Benji.
We see the compassion in the eyes of nearly everyone we talk to. Someone out there has seen Benji, or will see him soon. As long as we keep the word out that Benji is missing, needed, and loved, someone will call and let us know.
We must believe that; it’s our only hope.
Thank you.
Michael Morris
Chicago, Illinois
