Volunteers Rejoice As They Welcome Jazzy, Lost Dog, Home

NORTH FORK, NY - It took a community — and a whole lot of love — to bring Jazzy, a missing Southold dog, home safely Monday.

Tears were flowing freely as the volunteers who've searched tirelessly gathered to meet the little dog who united a town in love.

Ever since Jazzy, a white and tan Norwegian buhund, went missing a week ago Sunday, the outpouring from a concerned community has been overwhelming.

Complete strangers became instant and likely, lifelong friends, sharing a text chain with updates, meeting at sites where Jazzy was spotted, and bringing a trap, food, treats, and hope, even when the dog was at her most evasive.

"I'm completely overwhelmed," said Cathy Weschler, Jazzy's owner, crying, as she hugged her dog Monday. "I couldn't be happier."

She thanked the circle of supporters who've searched day and night. "I lost my dog for awhile, but I made so many new friends."

Jazzy was found in a field between Jasmine and Ackerly Pond Lanes; the trap donated by the North Fork Animal Welfare League was moved on Sunday by Barry Mann, who searched tirelessly with his wife Carol, to put it in spot closer to where she was last seen that morning.

The dog, three years old, looked none the worse for wear; she smelled clean and fresh and was happily surveying the crowd and tilting her head for stroking.

Eric Russell and his wife Sue also were among the rescuers; Sunday night they filled the trap with fragrant chicken, beef and other delicious-smelling fare from their restaurant, Founders Tavern.

"It's amazing how much love we all feel for a dog we'd never even met," said Jennifer Giovanniello-Becker, one of the many who was out looking even in the dark of night.

The list of names of people who opened their hearts is long. Together, they joined together to form a chain of love, including Maribeth Kilcommon, Mickey St. John, Yvette Arce, the Manns, Giovanniello-Becker, the Russells, Wendy Lechner, Michelle Wilinski and her kids, and so many, many more.

"It was a group effort," Barry Mann said Monday; the Manns transported Jazzy in the trap to the North Fork Animal Hospital, where she got a checkup from Dr. Jennifer Cabral.

"I'm so happy this was the outcome," said Donna Goldense of the North Fork Animal Hospital, who also lives on Jasmine Lane and was out searching, too.

Carol Mann said Monday night will be the first she'll be able to sleep soundly in a week. "I couldn't sleep at night knowing she was out there, cold and alone and scared."

Together, the volunteers spent hours searching trails, following pawprints, and sharing stories of the dogs they've loved.

When a text came in of a sighting, volunteers rushed to the spot, some throwing a coat over their bathrobes and others leaving bags of groceries in the SUV, just to help find her.

"This community has so much love," said Mickey St. John. "It makes me so happy to live in a place like Southold."

Barry Mann agreed. "People here care about each other," he said.

One anonymous donor even stepped up with a $500 reward.

And they care about their dogs.

Jazzy led her crowd of supporters on quite an adventure:

She's been spotted on Hortons Lane in Southold, in the Harbor Lights community, then standing in the middle of Main Road near South Harbor Road, on Corey Creek Lane, in Angel Shores, on Main Bayview Road, near Soundview Avenue and the Horton Lighthouse, near Mattabella Vineyards on Route 25, then the Southold American Legion, behind the Southold Marine Center, in the cemetery across from Peanut Alley, and finally, in the field between Ackerly and Jasmine Lanes. On Sunday, she was spotted in the thicket at the end of Jasmine Lane.

"I can't believe she can go so far, so fast," Weschler said last week. "She's been all over town."

The public shared Facebook updates furiously and even formed a "huge" search party near the cemetery across from Peanut Alley, Weschler said.

Others shared tips on Facebook on how to catch Jazzy, including bringing steak, hot dogs and other treats out while they searched.

When her “missing” posters were destroyed in the rain, Academy Printing offered to make new, larger ones, at no cost.

Of the heroes who have turned out to help, Weschler said, “I am so overwhelmed by the community support."

Weschler told Patch that Jazzy, who was adopted from a rescue organization in New Jersey last Thursday, was missing since a week ago Sunday and had no idea how to find her way home — because she didn't know where home was.

“Poor Jazzy had it rough,” Weschler said. Her elderly owner has been very sick in the hospital, and had to surrender the dog. "She’s pretty much been in a kennel for a long time.”

When Weschler and her husband Chris brought Jazzy home, the Norwegian buhund immediately won the hearts of their five children, who range in age from 27 to 11.

Now that she's found, volunteers want to keep Jazzy in their lives. Volunteers are planning a "Jazzy Party," to reunite; the get-together will include treats for Jazzy and lots of love. They also hope to visit, too.

"Mission 'Find Jazzy' complete," a volunteer wrote on the text chain Monday after news broke that Jazzy was found. "Nice teamwork!"