Missing - Reward

VERY FRIENDLY, but probably scared.

Call name Errol

Jonette Jones holds a sign with Irish Wolfhounds Caesar (on the left), and one of Errol's sons, Pharaoh (on the right), while searching for Errol in the Meridian area last week. (photo by Amber Holmes, published in The Meridian Star)

Destiny and Errol were driving home from visiting family, traveling west on I-20 when they were involved in a car accident around 2 pm (central time) on July 4, 2008. The car rolled several times and came to rest at mile marker 154 -155 on the east bound side of I-20, near Meridian MS. Errol escaped and ran east and into the woods. Destiny was taken to the hospital.

It's very possible that Errol is injured. Local officials, radio and news stations have been contacted. If anyone lives near this area or knows of anyone that might be able to help please have them contact Donna Hinkle at 870-703-3118 (cell).

Errol is a 4 year old cream (near white in color), recently neutered and microchipped with Avid.

Errol is a member of the Steppin'wolf clan, breeder Jonette Jones and Donna Hinkle, Destiny is Donna's daughter.
 

Other contact people:  Jonette Jones 870-722-6966 or 870-703-2598

PRINTABLE COLOR POSTER - PDF or WORD

PRINTABLE B&W POSTER - PDF

UPDATES - latest first

5/20/2009 - update from Roberta:

Some of you have recently asked Jonette or me about Errol.   That is just so kind of you to remember him and to remember his family.  

It's now over ten months since Errol fled from that awful car accident with his young owner, Destiny Burge, and disappeared into the nearby woods. Thereafter, there were occasional sightings, pawprints and food taken in one location, but in recent months, no definitive evidence of where he is or has been.   The last sighting was three months ago.     

He has not been forgotten, but his people just don't know where to look any more and so are not trekking six or seven hours each way back and forth to Meridian, Mississippi.    In Meridian are Donna Harrison and Linda Lee, still keeping their eyes and ears open for any sign of Errol and driving around and looking regularly just in case.....  

Jonette is going to keep up the ads in the local Meridian paper, The Impact, and I just sent an update post to the K9AmberAlert list, fwiw.   Dogs have been found after longer absences than this.   One never knows when someone might have heard or seen something.  

Larry Emory is planning to go to Meridian in a few weeks to pick up the trap from Donna Harrison's garage.    It will be kept where it can be retrieved for any other IW people who need it (hopefully none, but stuff happens).   The bank account with the reward and expense money will be maintained for the time being.  

On the positive side,  Destiny has pretty much recovered from her physical injuries and is getting back to showing the Steppin'wolf dogs, something she does extremely well, her mother's daughter (that would be Donna Hinkle).   She just showed Brogan (Steppin'wolf Quantum Leap), who belongs to Larry and Linda Emory, to BOB at the Shreveport KC show.   She is also planning to handle VeVe (Steppin'wolf C'est La Vie), who is Errol's daughter at the forthcoming Texarkana shows.   VeVe looks just like her missing Da.    It's a measure of how well Destiny is dealing with losing her beloved Errol that she has become so fond of his daughter.    

To all of you who so generously helped to look for Errol, his family can never thank you enough.   Perhaps their prayers for finding him will be answered eventually.   Perhaps if I keep ringing my bells, somewhere he will hear them.  

3/4/2009 - It has been eight months today that the accident happened and Errol disappeared.  Some good news was reported this morning by Jonette: Linda, one of Errol's volunteer searchers in Meridian, reported that someone has seen Errol several times in the last couple of weeks.  Errol is apparently living in the woods on one side of Highway 19, and comes out to play with a Lab belonging to one of the neighbors. People who have seen him there have tried to coax him in, but he is not inclined to come to anyone.  The area is wooded with houses.  The neighbor who reported seeing him will keep a lookout and call when he sees Errol. Linda will also go to the neighborhood and hand out flyers, and let them know one of their neighbors has seen Errol in their area.

2/11/2009 - Errol's MYSPACE page, constructed by a friend.

1/10/2009 - Errol was sighted running across Highway 19.

1/4/2009 - Errol was sighted around Old Wire Road, on the other side  of Highway 19.

12/6/2008 - The custom-designed trap has been put in place. Errol's footprints were seen in the area two days ago. The trap will not be set Sunday night, or again during the week unless there is someone who can check it early before the crews come in to work at the pit at 5 a.m.  The trap is 36 inches wide, 42 inches tall and 72 inches long and designed with an adjustable weight-bearing function - the door won't close if a much lighter-weight dog (or animal) enters.

11/14/2008 - Errol was seen Friday morning by Mrs. James, the nice older lady who has been looking out for him. He was near her property on George Butler Road.

10/14/2008 - Errol was again sighted this afternoon near Mrs. James' home, just where he
showed up last week and also on the same day of the week.  Mrs. James called Donna Harrison, but even though Lisa Fisher was actually in the area searching at the time and Donna rushed over, neither of them caught up with him before he ran off into the woods.

10/12/2008 - WTOK Newscenter 11 in Meridian has a brief report by reporter Lindsey Brown about the continuing efforts to find Errol.  Read the article Search Continues For Errol, and there is also a form there to post your comments.

10/8/2008 - New B&W flier - click on PDF link above to print

10/7/2008 - Errol sighting! Mrs. James, who saw Errol several weeks ago, reported that she saw him trotting down the road in the vicinity of the George Butler/Long Creek roads this afternoon.

9/20/2008 - Errol is still at large and still in the area. There is now a team of three local searchers. Yesterday fresh footprints which appear to be Errol's were seen at one of the feeding stations. Jonette and Destiny will go to Meridian for several days beginning the first weekend in October.

8/30/2008 - Errol is still at large, still in the area. This weekend Destiny and other members of his family and extended family will travel to Meridian again.

8/15/2008 - Where Errol has been (mapped by Destiny):

8/10/2008 - Telltale signs...   Photo taken by Pam Adams.

8/8/2008 - ERROL SIGHTED THIS MORNING! He is still in the vicinity of the dirt pit. Jonette will go to Meridian next Wednesday, bringing Destiny for the first time (the hospital gave permission for the trip) and they can stay for 6 days.

8/4/2008 - ERROL SIGHTING TODAY!!  Post from Jonette, who is in Meridian: "Pam Adams, the woman with the horse, saw him at 5:05 AM this morning at the end of George Butler Rd about 1/8th of a mile before it intersects with Long Creek Rd. He was trotting down the road but went into the woods. Apparently he loves the woods these days. She said his legs are caked with red dirt but his body not so much. He looks healthy. I missed him by about 15 minutes."

8/1/2008 - ERROL SIGHTED!!  He was laying in the shade in the backyard of someone's home. The homeowner did not go out for fear of spooking him, but had one of the flyers and called Donna Harrison. Errol left for the woods before Donna arrived, but at least this is a new fix on his whereabouts - The sighting today was on Long Creek Road between George Butler Road and Bolen Long Creek Road. He was on his way back toward the Lakeview Golf Course area, where he has also been sighted in the past. Here is a snapshot from Google Earth of the above locations mentioned.

7/27/2008 - WTOK-TV in Meridian posted another update on Errol. Thank you, reporter Lindsey Brown! See the story HERE and also read the comments by IW owners from all over the world.

7/24/2008 - Errol was mentioned in the 2DogsDaily email today. Thank you, Erich and The Big Dog (Luke) for keeping Errol in your hearts!

7/23/2008 - News story in The Meridian Star this morning - "Errol’s family still has hope he’ll be found" by Steve Gillespie, managing editor.

7/22/2008 - NEW LOCAL CONTACT is Donna Harrison: Home - 601-482-3203; cell - 601-692-3735.

7/19/2008 - Errol has not been sighted since Thursday, but he has been so consistently
sighted in one area that there's no reason to think he's anywhere else. As well, the area has dogs fed outside, other loose dogs to hang with, and suitable prey.
    
Jonette is in Meridian now for the weekend, 870-703-2598.

Local contact in Meridian: Sharon Moore at 601-626-8697 (home) and 601-513-5424 (cell).

Destiny is in the hospital again.

Contributions to the fund for Errol's searching and reward expenses are still welcomed. Contact Larry Emory, who is acting as banker for the fund.

lwemory@dishmail.net

Larry Emory
123 Watson Lane
Lonoke, AR 72086

7/14/08 - ERROL SIGHTING TODAY AT 9:30 AM central time! 
The following is a post from from Jonette:
     He's been seen!!! Not thirty minutes ago about 1/4 of a mile from the site of the sighting close to Carmel Church on 19S. 
     There is a big red dirt pit that is several miles across and surrounded by woods. they have a dirt business operating out of there. Amber and Luke will tell you that I have had a feeling about this spot from the time I got there. 
     I went there twice a day morning and night, and left one of his toys and blankets there at the edge of the dirt pit just at the edge of the woods in a shady spot. People are on their way there now. Larry Emory from the Little Rock area that has Errol's son Twister is on his way as well. The man that saw him told me he had seen him there last week as well but didn't know about the missing dog. (No matter how many flyers or how much publicity there are always people you miss). Yesterday they had the access to the dirt pit road blocked off and Amber and I had to hike in, But when we left, I taped one of Errol's flyers to the ropes they had blocking the road and this man had Errol's flyer. Like so many people in this area he told me, "I don't want the re-ward lady, I just want you to find your dog. "
     Sharon Moore is on her way with food, water, cookies, and a digital camera. Cross your fingers, pray, think positive.

7/13/08 - As of today, Sharon Moore in Meridian is the local contact in case of sightings or any other compelling information leading to finding Errol. Her numbers are: 601-626-8697 (home) and 601-513-5424 (cell). Please pass this on to anyone searching there or who knows someone searching there.

The Steppin'wolf family member who came to Meridian this weekend with her two IW's to help look for Errol is Toni Adkins Riepl. She has one of Errol's sons and another IW bred by Teresa Kuntz . Together they gave many folks in Meridian their first look at the real deal.

7/12/08 - Story on NewsCenter 11 WTOK-TV - "Other Wolf Hounds Brought In To Find Errol" (Note: to play the broadcast, scroll down the list under the video screen on the right side of the story to "Lost Dog Latest")

7/11/08 - Luke Robinson is in Meridian to help look for Errol - see the story in The Meridian Star this morning by Steve Gillespie, "Still Looking".

7/10/08 - Another story in The Meridian Star by Steve Gillespie this morning: "Errol Sighting Reported".  The Yahoo Groups list for Luke Robinson (2DogsDaily@yahoogroups.com), written by Erich Trapp, is also reporting about Errol.

7/9/08 -  MORE NEWS!  Luke Robinson and his two Great Pyrenees, Hudson and Murphy, are on their way to Meridian to help. Luke and his dogs are walking from Austin,TX to Boston, MA to raise funds to finance the first ever nationwide epidemiological canine cancer study. He hopes he and his dogs' presence in Meridian will help raise local interest in finding Errol. His blog has a story on Errol: "Can You Help Find Errol?"  His website: 2 Dogs, 2000 Miles.
 

7/9/08 - Errol has been sighted!  Errol was seen at 7:30 a.m. Central time, on South Highway 19, Meridian, MS, near the Carmel Church (Carmel Baptist Church 1847 Hwy 19 South, Meridian, MS, 601-482-476. He appeared to be okay and was running with a couple of other dogs. There is a Great Dane bitch in heat nearby, which the informant thinks is the attraction. (Errol was only recently altered.) Contacts: 870-703-3118 (Donna) 501-626-9247 (Amber) 870-793-2598 (Jonette)

7/8/08 - News story in The Meridian Star by Steve Gillespie - "Errol's Destiny Is Calling" and a report on NewsCenter 11 WTOK-TV - "Teenager Holds Out Hope to Find Her Dog"

7/7/08 - Additional info: Errol was wearing a brand-new collar, hunter-orange in color.

7/6/08 - The search area has shifted. A police officer at the scene of the accident saw Errol run into the east bound land woods area, not the west as was first thought. Those woods open up into a small neighborhood and then on to a five acre lake with hiking and jogging trails all around it - Bonita lake, east of I-20 around exit 154A. about a mile or so from the interstate.

7/5/08 - Errol was last sighted last night at 7:30 PM near the Wal-Mart store on Route 20 in Meridian.