Missing Dog Mystery in Highland Springs
Filed Under: Local News
Deb and Rick Coughenour have not seen their family dogs, Patsy and Libby, since the early morning hours of Sunday, December 9th. Like a lot of pet owners in the Geist area, the Coughenours at first chalked up their disappearance to a dog’s nature.
“They would break the invisible fence every once in awhile chasing a rabbit or some other animal, so at first we didn’t think much of it,” Deb explained.
But after eight hours had gone by, the Coughenours became worried and started canvasing the area around their Highland Springs North home. When they returned from their search, they received a peculiar phone call from a friend in Louisville, Ky.
“He told me that his ex-girfriend called, and she said that the breeder we purchased Patsy and Libby from in New Castle knew where our dogs were,” said Deb.
A known Whippet dog breeder in New Castle (name being withheld), was a close friend of the ex-girlfriend that made the call to the Coughenour family friend in Louisville.
Unbeknownst to the Coughenours, Patsy had a chip implanted in her at birth which was traced back to the New Castle breeder to whom it was registered. Lost or missing dogs that are found with these chips can be scanned at any veterinarian or shelter to find their rightful owners.
“I called the breeder and left a message. She called back the following day and basically read my husband (Rick) the riot act. She said someone had picked up our dogs over by Geist Elementary School and complained to her that our dogs run wild around here all the time.”
At the end of the phone call, the breeder told the Coughenours that she did not get the name or the phone number of the lady that called. The whereabouts of Patsy and Libby to this day are still a mystery.
Deb called Hamilton County police to report their missing dogs, and the case was assigned to Hamilton County Police Detective Tom Rodgers. She informed him of the strange phone call and circumstances around the disappearance of their pet Whippet dogs. After a conversation with the breeder, Detective Rodgers decided to file an official report, and his investigation began.
“Things just don’t add up. Hamilton County police have been investigating this for several weeks, and we hope to get some resolution soon,” said Deb.
In the meantime, a cloud of questions and mystery surrounds these two household pets.
- Who picked up Patsy and Libby and had the chip scanned on a Sunday? Veterinary clinics and shelters are generally closed on Sundays. Calls to local clinics and shelters resulted in no leads for police investigators.
- Why was the breeder so upset with the Coughenours when she made the initial call? Generally, if someone can reunite lost pets with their owners, they are excited to help out. The breeder was more or less reprimanding the Coughenours for letting their dogs outside with an invisible fence instead of a chainlink or other restraining fence structure.
- Why didn’t the breeder share the phone number of the mysterious caller? Anyone with a phone has caller ID these days; why didn’t she note the incoming call number and pass that along to the Coughenours? A responsible person in the dog breeding industry would have noted this type of information and passed it along.
- Most importantly, where are Patsy and Libby now? Could they be in the possession of a Geist area resident that has kidnapped them for their own pets? Are they back with the breeder somewhere in New Castle? Is the mysterious caller a real person or was she used to throw the Coughenours off the scent? Did someone really pick them up running around Geist Elementary or was that a hoax, too?
The Coughenour family is asking for anyone with information about their two pets to come forward and help. If you were in the area of Highland Springs North on the morning of December 9th and you saw Patsy and Libby, please contact Deb and Rick at 335-3144 or email toomuchstuff@insightbb.com.
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Mel | Jan 16, 2008 | Reply
The breeder was probably reprimanding the owner for not changing the chip information for their dog. Shouldn’t owners keep better track of their dogs. Invisible fence is not a babysitter.
There is an emergency animal hospital off of Bash road in Castleton that is open 24 hours a day. I know this because I once picked up two bassett hounds that were on the run heading to Sargent Road and 86th Street during rush hour. I didn’t want them to get hit. I ended up at the animal hospital where they scanned both dogs for chips for free. The dogs eventually made it home. But it was delayed because these dog owners also didn’t update the embedded chip in their dogs.
Good luck on your search. From one dog owner to another, I know it’s sad to have them missing. AND..it’s never to late to update their chips. They may still be on the loose and get scanned again.
God’s speed.
mable | Jan 16, 2008 | Reply
1. Not everyone has caller ID - I don’t have it - I cancelled it as nearly every call came thru as unknown…so why should I pay for unknown caller id’s. I could imagine a breeder might not have it due to the extra expense. Alot of breeders don’t have alot of expendable money that many people take for granted in this area.
2. The breeder was probably upset as the person mentioned the dogs were loose alot.
3. I do hope you find your dogs…it is so sad to loose a pet.
Diane | Jan 16, 2008 | Reply
We, too, lost our dog in the Geist area many years ago (actually it was the vet, whom I won’t name, that lost her)…..luckily, after two weeks of searching/putting out flyers, someone called and we found her. The only comment I have, though, is that NOT EVERYONE has Caller ID….we DON’T. It costs $$ and we’re on a budget, so along with Call Waiting, etc. we just don’t pay extra. I certainly hope your pets turn up and someone out there with a conscience will make the CALL!!!
Marianne | Jan 17, 2008 | Reply
This is just an FYI and no way implies any wrong-doing on any dog-lovers out there. I’ve been told by many canine rescue organizations that invisible fences are not safe for pets because not only do the pets get out, but should a coyote or other wild animal come onto your property, your pet cannot get away and can be killed by your own kindness. So, please think about your pet being cornered by a wild animal before you decide to have the expense of an invisible fence.
DAC | Jan 18, 2008 | Reply
I have to agree with those above. An invisible fence is not a good option. Many prey driven dogs will break out to give chase. Also, it does not protect your dog. I work for a shelter and we beg pet owners to have their animals micro chipped and keep it up to date.
Laslty, the owners should contact all local shelters to report the animals missing so that they can post pictures and be on the look out for the dogs coming in as strays.
Chrsitine Laney | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply
Hi. I’m so very sorry to hear about your missing “children”. That can be devastating. My husband and I do a little bit of rescue on the side. In doing so we have come across numerous lost/found pet websites I thought I would pass along. To post them on all sites, certainly could not hurt. Also, please post them at www.indypaws.com. It is full of animal lovers and people willing to help in any way they can. Also, I’m sure you have already been told this but please check with local police, county police (obviously already done), postal workers in your neighborhood, school bus drivers, trash pick-up persons, local children waiting at bus stops, signs and fliers everywhere! My baby, Teddy, (we have four) went missing once and was gone for six days. Between my sister and I we passed out and put up over 300 fliers. He finally came home. The vet seems to think someone had him and was afraid with all the exposure from the fliers, ad’s, etc., that would someone recognize him so they let him go and he came home. Those were six of the worst days of my life. I wish you all the luck in the world in finding these two. They look healthy and happy! Never give up hope!
You might consider an ad in ALL the local newspapers including the surrounding counties also, especially New Castle!
Here is the lost/found websites:
www.petfinder.com (most popular)
www.indypaws.com
http://www.k911.com/
http://www.lostandfound.com/
http://www.fidofinder.com/
http://dogdetective.com/
http://www.terrificpets.com/missing_dogs/
http://www.missingpet.net/
http://www.lostapet.org/
http://www.lostpetsos.org/
http://www.1888pets911.org/index.php
www.lostyourpet.net
Christine Laney, Danville Indiana