A year ago, Pam and her family moved to Cottage Grove, Oregon to start a family farm. Besides the beautiful scenery they quickly realized the town is full of beautiful people.
Once their garden and baby chicks were growing, they recognized an important farm ingredient was missing, a dog.
They found a handsome two-year-old Bernese Mountain dog, Clif Ford, who was gentle with children, other dogs, and small animals. A few days into his arrival, he broke his leash and ran off.
“I have had dogs for 70 years; this was my first experience of losing one,” said Pam.
“He shot out of the yard like an arrow, across a busy road and vanished into the woods. My vantage point didn’t allow me to see which way he went. I was scared because he wasn’t here long enough to know this was his home.
I took off in one direction and my friend another along the trails. I met a neighbor, Anna, on her bike. Luckily, she is a bona fide dog-lover and posted Clif Ford’s flight alert on the ‘What's Going On in Cottage Grove, Oregon’ Facebook page. Within minutes, even during this world-wide pandemic, people responded that they were helping to look for Clif Ford.”
This missing dog’s previous owner was notified and arrived with a dog that Clif Ford knew. The Facebook page attested that many others had joined in the dog-hunt as people, from 35 minutes away, arrived and began searching.
“A small army of people, many I have never met, spent three days searching for Clif Ford,” said Pam. “Anna and her Mom rode the bike trail; Jim and Michael kept a look out while jogging with their dogs. We notified our vet and groomer, and Steve our computer expert soon had 180 shares/likes/sad faces on his Lost Dog Facebook post. We contacted the Cottage Grove Sentinel newspaper, neighbors, strangers, police, county sheriff and put flyers up all over town. KNND radio station
broadcasted announcements. So many people were looking for Clif Ford. Areas that had been searched were rechecked. Logical places and not so logical places were scoured.”
Three days later, they double-checked their property again, venturing into nooks and crannies; anywhere an 80-pound dog could hide. Their lives were on hold.
Clif Ford must have heard his old dog friend. Pam couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw him skipping with a bounce through the grass, broken leash in tow towards the other dog. He appeared none the worse for the ordeal, but Pam and her crew were worn out!
What a happy reunion! Hugs, kisses, big dog bones, and water. Facebook posts were updated, everyone celebrated Clif Ford’s return.
“Clif Ford’s story is about; the goodness of people, the love of strangers, and the value of community,” said Pam. “We saw first-hand, the generosity and concern of so many people for a dog they didn’t know. This has been an illustration of ‘Little deeds of kindness, Little acts of love’ touching lives making Cottage Grove home. In the end the terror of losing Clif Ford reaffirmed the goodness of humanity. We have met many new friends who helped in his search. The intrinsic value of a
community and goodness of people have never touched us more closely. We love Cottage Grove, its people and our SoulShine Family Farm.”
A poem taught to Pam by her grandmother by Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney is her life’s mantra.
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean,
And the great big land.
Little deeds of kindness,
Little acts of love,
Make the world we live in,
Like the heaven above.
The concern and support shown by so many new friends have touched me deeply. It is good to be reminded of how things we do can mean so much to someone else. Thank you, Cottage Grove!”
What about Pam’s four-year old granddaughter, HaDassah? The child is thrilled that Mr. Ford is home and spends hours brushing him. She wants him to know that she loves him as much as he loves her.
