Family Desperate To Find Missing Pup: 'He's Just A Baby'

EAST HAMPTON, NY — All it took was a few minutes for an East Hampton woman's life to change in a heartbeat — as her beloved pup went missing without a trace.

Tammy, who asked that her last name not be used, said she was at her home on Swamp Road and Two Holes of Water Road in East Hampton on Sunday, March 25 when Sake, a five-and-a-half month old brindle French bulldog, was outside playing with her other dog, Brady, and she headed inside for just a few moments.

Sake is 15 lbs. with a white patch on his chest.

The family has a fenced in property, she said.

Tammy and her husband had been outside marking trees for landscaping; he went inside to get tape and a cup of coffee, only to look outside and see Brady by himself — and Sake nowhere to be found.

Racing into action, the couple looked in the pool and the pond, thinking Sake may have fallen in.

But there was no sign of their beloved pup.

"He was literally gone without a trace," she said. "It's beyond awful."

"Frenchies," she said, typically don't run or go far. "But they'd do anything for a treat," she said.

Sake, she said, is friendly; he barks and whines, but so far, she hasn't heard a sound, even though she's kept the window open, praying for a miracle.

Sake has only been living with the couple for a month.

The loss, however, cuts deep, especially since their first French bulldog died at 13 two years ago and their Tibetan terrier got sick and died recently.

Sake and Brady, she said, love playing together; the pair was outside for literally less than 10 minutes when her husband noticed Sake had gone missing.

"I could hear him calling 'Sake!' and I could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't good, that something wasn't right," she said.

The couple searched frantically, checking the pond, the woods, and every driveway, as well as hung posters, called the police, the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons and other local shelters.

They've combed the area and been touched by a caring community who've reached out to help.

"Everyone in the community has been incredibly supportive — but we've found nothing," she said.

Strangers have helped look and one woman, still hospitalized, even wanted to know what she could do to help bring Sake home. "Everyone is just so kind," Tammy said.

The questions haunt: Did Sake escape under a portion of the fence? While it's not his nature, he's a puppy who has spent most of his life inside or leash-walked, and he may have chased a rabbit, she said.

Another fear is that Sake may have been stolen, she said. He's chipped, so there are prayers that someone finds their precious pup and turns him in safely.

Even his four-legged brother Brady, she said, misses him terribly. "They don't leave each other's sides," Tammy said.

She's frantic with worry, wondering if Sake is warm and safe.

Describing what Sake means to her and her family, Tammy said simply, "Everything — the world. He's just a baby."

If you see Sake, call 347-539-2573 or email tbruno.mccarthy@gmail.com.

Patch courtesy photos.