New Year. New Blessings.

On New Year's Eve we came home to one less dog in the backyard.  Eloise had been spooked by the fireworks and had pushed her way (collar-less) through a closed and bungee-corded gate.  All we knew at that point is she was gone.

Frantic, we drove the neighborhood and major streets looking for her most of the night.  Lucky for us, there weren't many drivers out, which allowed us to remain hopeful that she was just hiding somewhere waiting for the rockets red glare to settle down.

In the morning, I posted this picture on Instagram, Facebook, and about 40 signs which we hung around the neighborhood and in local businesses.  Thanks to the encouragement of my sister Lisa and good friend Shannon, I also posted a "LOST" add on the community board on Craig's List.  I was hesitant to do so since Ive only heard scary things about Craig's List.

Wouldn't you know I received an email 2 hours later from an anonymous Craig's List reader linking me to a "FOUND" ad she had seen.  She was sure that the picture in the FOUND ad matched our dog in the LOST ad.  She was RIGHT!  

I quickly responded to the FOUND ad and was connected with the sweet young couple who had Eloise.  They lived 30 miles away and agreed to meet us half way at a Starbuck's.  The couple was rewarded, and we were reunited.

What really happened that night:

A lady whom I'll refer to as a "Woman with a Heart of Gold", was driving down Imperial Highway on her was to a New Year's party.  She saw Eloise running up the center of the highway.  She pulled her car over.  Stopped traffic.  Caught Eloise and put her into the backseat.

Woman with a Heart of Gold saved Eloise's life.

Woman with a Heart of Gold then took Eloise to her New Year's festivities where she quickly became the life of the party.  At the end of the evening, she told her friend's "I saved this dog, but I cannot take her home with me."

Enter sweet young couple from Brea, who, already having a Chihuahua Terrier of their own agreed "We'll take her!".  They put Eloise in the back of their car and headed home.

In the morning the young couple took a picture of Eloise and uploaded it to Facebook, specifically the City of La Mirada blog, as well as Craig's List.  

And WAH LAH... we were reunited!

 I am so thankful to every single person who reposted my "Lost Dog" signs on Facebook.  And to friends who drove around looking.  And to the writer of the La Mirada City Blog who called me later to make sure I had found my missing dog.  But most of all to the Woman with the Heart of Gold who saved Eloise's life and the couple who kept her fed, warm, and safe until they found us.

We will NEVER look at a LOST DOG sign the same again.  And in the end it WAS a HAPPY New Year indeed.