The children’s song, "Found a Peanut," fueled Rossi to search for her lost ten-year-old dog, Peanut. She is a sad-eyed Dachshund mix recently rescued from “death row”. Three weeks earlier, what started off as a routine walk turned into a nightmare for her and her new family.
The temperature was 25' F when Rossi’s father took Peanut and her dog-brother, Teeger, out for their walk. At the bark park, when he let the dogs off leash, Peanut bolted across the park, over a four-lane road, and up the mountainside.
Her father phoned and told her the upsetting news, so she left work and searched until midnight. Overnight, it snowed six inches. Poor Peanut, an emotionally shattered, skittish, small, short-haired Californian rescue, was lost in the worst of conditions for survival.
“LOST” flyers went up and family and friends donned winter clothes, boots, and gloves. They searched everyday - missing work, meals, and sleep.
On day five, at 10 p.m., a woman phoned saying she had seen their posters and just saw Peanut running.
“The sighting gave us hope,” said Rossi. “Peanut was surviving one of our coldest winters on record!” The search team headed over and searched hours before calling it quits.
The next morning, it snowed again, leaving them hopeful because the snow would mark Peanut’s paw prints, but they only saw the threats of raccoon and coyote prints. “It was so cold,” said Rossi. “We would search, go home, make tea, warm up, dry our coats and head back out.”
The next day they purchased brighter flashlights, warmer snow boots, base layers, and thicker gloves to withstand the cold.
Poor Teeger had become depressed, stopped eating and playing with his toys.
Day eight: A second “Peanut” sighting at 10 p.m. She was traveling towards Rossi’s father’s home, only four blocks away, but she had the four-lane road blocking her path.
“We placed her bed and some of my clothes,” said Rossi, “in the locations where she was seen. We folded the clothes and checked to see if she had made a bed. Each night we set up a new area with hot chicken and a kennel. Nothing! The police also kept a lookout for Peanut.”
Everyone was losing hope for the tiny dog’s survival. Then I had a dream that Peanut looked me directly in the face. I phoned Rossi in the morning and said, “I think Peanut is alive!” When I told her where I lived, she said, “Peanut was spotted on your street last night!”
“I tried to keep my game face on,” said Rossi, “but I lost ten pounds in tears! Peanut is all I thought about. People kept saying, “Don't give up, Christmas miracles do happen.”
On day 18, Rossi’s phone rang. “My heart fluttered” said Rossi. “I just knew this person had good news.”
And she did! The caller discovered a small-shivering scared dog hiding in her back yard. She carried Peanut inside for warmth and phoned declaring, “I found a Peanut!”.
“It was three days before Christmas,” said Rossi. “Our shattered family was back in one piece. Teeger was so excited to see Peanut that he couldn’t stop wagging his tail. They cuddled up in Peanut’s bed together and did not leave each other’s side. Peanut had lost weight, but she was overweight prior to her winter’s journey. On the bright side, the first time we rescued her she was so frail that I pushed her in a pet buggy, but now her cardio is stronger, and she walks for longer periods.
Miracles do happen. Merry Christmas.”
