Desperate LI Family Still Searching For Gigi: 'I'm Just So Lost'

MATTITUCK, NY — This weekend will mark one long, pain-filled month since Gigi, a Long Island veteran's beloved service dog, went missing in Mattituck. And the endless search and days without any sightings or leads have taken a toll on the family who's praying desperately for her safe return.

According to Kathleen Stewart, Gigi is a black Labrador Retriever, just a year and a half old. She was last seen on Saturday, July 15, on Marratooka Lane in Mattituck."She is everything to our family," said Stewart. "It's very hard to put into words because she is more than just a pet. She is also a family member — and service dog for my husband."

On Monday, Day 23 of the quest to #BringGigiHome, Stewart said her daughter Isla and her friend Juliette made and sold bracelets Saturday with Gigi's name on them.

"These two girls have been best friends since first grade," Stewart said. "Over the winter, they started making jewelry together for fun. They call their business the 'Sunshine Sisters.' Since Gigi went missing, Juliette started selling the bracelets she made and asked if she could donate the money for a refund or to get a tracker. This weekend, the girls spend hours making bracelets and set up small stand in front of our house — and sold out in an hour. They kept some of the money to buy supplies, and the rest is for the 'Gigi fund.'"

She added: "To say how proud we all are of them is an understatement."

But despite the rays of hope and optimism, grief blankets the family's home; her husband, Stewart said, is also struggling with Gigi's loss, battling anxiety and PTSD.

"She is everything to our family," said Stewart. "It's very hard to put into words because she is more than just a pet. She is also a family member — and service dog for my husband."

Stewart said her husband, a combat vet, served with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY; he later served at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, NY.

Although Gigi is her husband's service dog, "now I feel as though she was mine, too," Stewart said.

Gigi was last seen wearing her collar and a Seresto flea and tick collar, Stewart said.

"She is stubborn; however, not frightened of people and gravitates to children," Stewart said.
As the days have passed, her family has continued to cling to hope, despite the dearth of any positive signs.

"I'm very sad to say, still no sightings of her," she said. There was just one sighting, on the day Gigi went missing, near her home, but nothing at all since.

The outpouring of love, however, has been very much in evidence, Stewart said, with neighbors, strangers, and friends willing to go to great lengths to share Gigi's story, knock on doors, hang flyers, and contact the media. "The word that she's missing is out there," Stewart said. "Everybody knows who Gigi is. We get stopped on the street, and we don't even know how the people know who we are."

There have been several instances, too, when hopes were dashed; once, a local business posted joyfully that Gigi had been found.

"We got flooded with calls, texts and posts that Gigi was found," Stewart said. "There wasn’t a dry eye in the house; however, that turned out to be a misprint or understanding."

Then, in recent weeks, social media was abuzz as a dog lost in the Westhampton-Hampton Bays area looked much like Gigi. "We knew from the pictures, in our hearts, that it wasn't Gigi," but still, they raced over to check, only to find that the dog's owner had been found.

With so few sightings, the Stewart family believes that someone might have found her.

"At this point, we can only hope someone has her and is loving her enough," Stewart wrote on Facebook this week. "Please, keep her happy and healthy. She loves to swim, eat ice cubes, and is not happy unless she sleeps in a bed. She eats two cups in the morning and two more around 5 p.m. to 6 p.m."

Stewart added that Gigi needs to be active and loves all dogs — although she gets a little too excited during the initial meet and great.

"She has a trampoline she sunbathes on, and her toys don't last long, as she rips them apart. She always steals the kids' stuffed animals and socks and blankets She eats holes in blankets, so beware," she said. "Also, she will swallow socks if she has the chance and puke them up later. She also loves chewing branches, sticks, and pine cones among other things. She digs up everything and makes huge holes in the yard. If you give her a bowl of water, she is sure to knock it over or spill it on the way or another."

Stewart offered a heartfelt plea: "We love her. She is a service dog for a combat veteran who needs her back. We all need her back — she is more than just a beautiful Labrador. Please return her to us safely, no questions asked."

She added: "Reality has set in — and I don’t believe she is lost; I feel as though someone has her and loves her like we do. Please return her to her family — we will help you get a dog just like her. Our kids miss her, her puppy sister, Penny misses her, and our cat Ockie misses her. Her value to us is immeasurable. "

She added: "We need her back."

The family is offering a reward for her safe return for anyone who finds Gigi and can provide proof that’s it reallly her, and that she's safe.

If you see Gigi, call or text 516-443-4902 or 631-377-0846.