Home at last for Mary Margaret
Community rallied to help find boy’s special companion after being lost for 10 days
It was a tough 10 days. When a family’s pet goes missing, it’s stressful for all.
When it’s the missing pet of an 11-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, the stress is far greater.
Liam Whitton was forced to live without his companion dog, Mary Margaret, a one-year-old Boston terrier, after she became lost while being walked May 6 in Pippy Park in the Three Pond Barrens.
The small black dog is now safely home where she belongs after an exhaustive search by friends, neighbours and strangers who took time out of their own lives to join the search.
“I am very happy she is back home,” Liam said Thursday afternoon in his east-end St. John’s living room.
“I didn’t know (she was missing) while we were away on vacation in Jamaica. We were told on Monday after getting home,” he said, referring to himself and his brother, Keith.
Through social media and kindhearted people in and around the city, the Whittons had enough clues to narrow down the search area to a spot near Pritchard’s Path in St. John’s.
Cindy Whitton said more than 1,200 people signed up for the Facebook page, giving feedback and comments on Mary Margaret’s whereabouts, a variety of sightings, well wishes and thoughts and prayers for a happy ending.
“After we narrowed down where she was through the many reports we got on social media, we took Liam and Keith to the area and they called out to her once each – and just like that, she came run- ning out of the woods,” Cindy said.
“The amazing thing is we found her.”
They had an idea they were in the right place before they called the dog’s name, as they could hear Mary Margaret’s tags rattling.
“I can’t believe the good in people’s hearts and the support they showed us as a family. Hundreds of people we have never met,” Cindy said.
Mary Margaret weighs about 15 pounds and has a distinct white stripe on her face and a prominent white chest. She was a little worse for wear, thinner than when she went missing, and she stayed pretty close to Liam and Keith during the interview.
Mary Margaret has an abrasion on her upper left leg and, after being checked out by a veterinarian she was allowed to go home. The Whittons monitored her the entire day, and planned to ease her back onto her regular diet by Thursday night.
“The vet was very impressed at how healthy she was considering she was out there for 10 days,” Cindy said.
Mary Margaret, who the Whittons obtained through a dog breeder in Hamilton, Ont., has been a great addition to the family. They had considered two types of dog, a Boston terrier or a Labrador retriever. Cindy said they were looking for a dog that didn’t bark a lot, lives a long time and is good with children.
They hit the jackpot with Mary Margaret, for whom they can tick all those boxes and more.
“She keeps me calm, keeps me happy. She is such good company,” Liam said. “She even keeps my feet warm sometimes at night. She always waits for me after school when I am getting off the bus.”