Desperate Search For Lost Dog, Santi, Continues On North Fork

JAMESPORT, NY — The desperate search continues for a lost dog, Santi, who has been missing in Jamesport since just after Thanksgiving.

According to Carrie Kubo, Santi is her daughter Chloe's dog. Santi is a mix of Korean Jindo and German Spitz, about 25 to 28 lbs., 5 years old, and an orange color, with a ring of black fur around his tail. He's very skittish; anyone who sees him should not try to approach him, but instead, call 917-412-5188 or 917-239-5696.

After an initial Patch post last week, there were two additional sightings of Santi, Kubo said. "People are recognizing him from the black ring on his tail," she said.

There have been multiple sightings; Santi was spotted at 7:30 p.m. Friday crossing Main Road next to Shamrock Christmas Tree Farm in Cutchogue. But there have been none in days.

"We are so grateful for the people who have reached out to us," Kubo said. "From the sightings, we think he's moving between Cutchogue and Jamesport but frequently around Main Road."

He went missing right after Thanksgiving from Kubo home on Main Road in Jamesport, near Tuthill Lane and across from Harbes. Carrie said she and her husband Kelvin were saying good-bye to some friends at the front door.

"The front door was open a bit and Santi dashed out," she said. "We started running and driving, going west, the way he'd gone. We couldn't find anything."

They came home to regroup and went back out soon after, driving, and they saw Santi at Harbes on Main Road in Jamesport. "We saw him by the sign so my husband got out and was trying to hold traffic. It was dark," Carrie said. "Another woman, who was going the other way, stopped. Next, Santi ran into the yard of our neighbor, three doors down on Main Road. Since then, we haven't seen him."

They searched for hours, all night, to no avail, Carrie said. There have been other sightings, she said: One by the Christmas tree farm in Cutchogue, another by the old Capitol One building on Main Road in Mattituck, and another on New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck — but that dog had a pink collar and Santi has two — a blue GPS collar and a black collar. Sadly, the battery in the GPS collar was not working, she said.

One woman thought she'd seen a fox; Santi looks like a fox, Carrie said.

Her family has been looking constantly and hanging flyers, she said. The community has turned out in force to help, Carrie said, helping to search.

Teddy Henn of Long Island Lost Dog Search & Rescue has also been out trying to find Santi, she said.

The rain initially made searching difficult but Carrie said on Friday, the found paw prints off of New Suffolk Avenue and sent them to Henn, who will be back on the North Fork Saturday to resume the search.

According to Chloe, she and her boyfriend had discussed getting a dog for a long time and eventually found Santi two years ago.

Santi, she said, "had had bad experiences, that the animal rescue saved him from. It felt like he needed us as much as we needed him. We fell in love with him immediately — he is our first thought and care every day."

Chloe was out of town when Santi ran out, she said. "When we learned he was missing, we were devastated," she said. "My little shadow, the dog who followed me around the house and ran to greet me when I got home, is out there somewhere. And we are so worried."

She thanked those who've rallied to help find Santi. "Everyone has been so kind and helpful," she said.

Carrie added: "He's my daughter's baby. He's had a rough life. But since she's had him for two years, he's really changed. At first, he wouldn't even go near or look at anyone. Now, he's started to relax. It's really heartbreaking."

If you see Santi, call 917-412-5188 or 917-239-5696.