SAD NEWS ABOUT SKYE

Written by Skye's Mom



There is sad news about Skye. Someone who does yard work for a family on the road behind our road found Skye's body in the low, wild, forested area of the property by Holden Dr, just two fields away from home. She had been there for at least a couple of weeks but we know it is her because she still had on her harness and identification tag. Her body was intact, so we are certain she was not killed by a predator.

This is an area we have walked many, many times with our dogs and Skye would most likely have recognized it. She may have been confused or just too tired to come the rest of the way home, or perhaps she felt she was already home and laid down to rest.

We have been unable to stop crying since we found her. Somehow, I really thought this would have a happy ending, that Skye would finally come home and it just makes me incredibly sad that she got so close to home but not near enough for us to see her again. Robert is beside himself. She loved him so much, he was her favorite person, and she always gave him her best kisses and wags. He loved getting up in the morning to her happy face and taking her outside for a long walk. A long walk with Skye and Toby was the last thing he did at night.

He just can't believe we will never see her again and I feel the same way. With every other pet we have had, we have been with them till the end and held them in our arms as they left us. Skye was alone and I don't think I will ever forgive myself for that--and yes, I know that isn't logical, but right now it is how I feel. She clearly wanted to come home, and spent weeks trying to find us--and she was so close to making it home.

Skye will be buried on our property. All of our animals are buried here, and there are dogwoods marking each dog’s resting place and katsura trees or pussy willows for the cats.

CAN YOU SEARCH FOR SKYE TODAY IN ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN FROM 5-8 PM?

Ann Arbor woman pulls out all the stops to find lost terrier
by Jo Mathis The Ann Arbor News
Saturday June 27, 2009, 6:01 AM

Jo Mathis, The Ann Arbor News

Connie Kerr posted 200 signs of various sizes around Ann Arbor to try to recover her dog Skye. Kerr is pictured here with one of the posters and her other terrier, Toby.

Imagine how you'd feel if your dog - the brown-eyed baby who loves you no matter what - had taken off and was out there, somewhere, vulnerable to cars and coyotes and dognapping.
How far would you go to get her back?

Would you run around tossing your husband's dirty socks in strangers' back yards in case she picks up the scent?

Connie Kerr of Ann Arbor would. And did.

You may have seen a few of the 200 signs of all sizes Kerr has placed around the north side of town, or taken one of her fliers, or seen her out with a flashlight yelling "Skye!"

In fact, she wonders if some people hope the Cairn terrier is found for one reason: "Just so I get the heck out of their neighborhood!" she said with a smile. "They're probably sick of seeing me."

On May 31, little Skye pushed her way out the back door to chase a deer in the back yard. She ran so far, apparently, she lost her way home.

Kerr, a nurse who works part-time at the University of Michigan Medical Center, searched from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day for the first two weeks. So did her husband, Robert.

"But we just couldn't keep up that pace and stay healthy," she said, almost apologetically.

She's still searching several hours every day, posting on the Internet, knocking on doors, hoping every phone call is The One.

Kerr has received eight calls from people who've seen the gray "Toto dog" mostly in the area around Rudolf Steiner School on Newport Road. The last call was Sunday.

But no one's tried to catch her, though she's gentle and good with people.

People have told Kerr that she's been gone so long, it might mean she's happiest on her own.

"No," said Kerr. "She's happiest on a lap."

At 7 a.m. Saturday, the Kerrs grilled a chicken near one of the sightings in case Skye smelled the meat. They've also set out three Havahart live animal traps, along with Skye's dog bed, travel bed, and the bed of their other terrier, Toby. Then there was the night they accompanied a bloodhound on a late-night search by flashlight through the neighborhood around Rudolf Steiner School, all the while hoping the homeowners wouldn't walk out with a shotgun.

The Colonel Potter Cairn Rescue Network has organized a search for Skye from 5 to 8 p.m. today starting at the Rudolph Steiner parking lot. Kerr got Skye from the network two years ago after she'd been neglected by a previous owner.

"I wish I'd taught her to read," Kerr joked. "That way she'd read the signs, know how much we're looking for her, and come home."
If you see Skye, who is gray and wearing a red harness, call Kerr at 734-761-3715.

Then don't let that dog out of your sight until she gets there.

Jo Mathis can be reached at jmathis@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6849.