On Sept. 2, Alfred Schaefer, suffering from Alzheimer's, wandered off with five-year-old bichon poodle, Tabitha, in Kansas City, Mo. Kelly Shaefer went looking. "I had a decision to make and it was either get my husband or my dog. I couldn't get both," said Kelly, according to Fox News. Kelly found Alfred during the day, but Tabitha was lost.
Kelly searched everywhere, frantic with worry. She printed more than 300 flyers and put them up all over the neighborhood, hoping for some news of Tabitha.
Seeing the distress of the owners, Fox News correspondent Judy Le ran this report on television reports the American Kennel Club.
Meanwhile Tabitha had been found and rescued by a family who were hopeful of uniting her with her real family.
It was a matter of chance that Tabitha saw the news clip featuring her owners calling out to her, recognized Kelly's voice and immediately perked up when she heard it. Her apparent joy prompted Tabitha's caregivers to call Fox News and the pooch was united with her family.
"We were worried sick. We're just so happy to have her back. She loves watching TV. When we turn it on, she always comes running in to see what's on, which is good because that's probably why she saw us. Her tail started wagging and she got all excited, and the people who had her knew it was Tabitha. Ten minutes later, we got a call saying they had her," Schaefer told The Dodo.
"To me, she's my kid. I love her as much as I love my husband, my boys," Kelly said of Tabitha to Fox News.
According to Kelly, Tabitha calms Alfred, gives him a reason to get up and move and helps him remember.
