MONROE - Have you seen him?
From Monroe to Footville, more than 90 signs appeared this week asking for information on the whereabouts of Nigel the dog.
Nigel, a brindle 9-month-old German shepherd-pit bull mix, went missing from a residence on Smock Valley Road in the Town of Monroe after a thunderstorm the night of March 15.
Nigel's owner, Ryan Haugh, 41, said the dog is naturally skittish and panicked in response to the wind and thunder. Nigel and a second dog broke free of their enclosure during the storm and fled.
"The one dog came back," Haugh said. "But the other one didn't."
Haugh has owned Nigel for only three months. He adopted the dog in December from A & S Rescue in Antioch, Illinois, who raised Nigel from his infancy.
Without any sightings of Nigel yet reported, last weekend Haugh enlisted the aid of Lost Pet Professionals, a nationwide team of private investigators trained in finding missing animals that is based in Nebraska.
The team designed and distributed the signs around Monroe depicting Nigel and are collaborating with A & S Rescue to manage reports.
Karin TarQwyn, founder of Lost Pet Professionals, said a missing period of 15 days is not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle. More worrisome, she said, is the lack of any confirmed contact with Nigel within that time.
Because of this, TarQwyn said, the search radius for Nigel has expanded to about 40 miles from Haugh's residence.
TarQwyn said that although sometimes people are hesitant to search for a missing pit bull - the breed is often mischaracterized as being naturally aggressive - Nigel's age and mixed-breed status make him appear harmless.
"The community has been great," TarQwyn said. "There have been a lot of sympathizers calling and asking if we've found him yet."
Any information in Nigel's case is important, TarQwyn said. Even if a dog is reported that is not actually Nigel, the information can give trackers a new area to search.
Anyone with information about Nigel's whereabouts is encouraged to contact K & P Rescue at (847) 404-5070 or Haugh at (608) 293-2312.
From Monroe to Footville, more than 90 signs appeared this week asking for information on the whereabouts of Nigel the dog.
Nigel, a brindle 9-month-old German shepherd-pit bull mix, went missing from a residence on Smock Valley Road in the Town of Monroe after a thunderstorm the night of March 15.
Nigel's owner, Ryan Haugh, 41, said the dog is naturally skittish and panicked in response to the wind and thunder. Nigel and a second dog broke free of their enclosure during the storm and fled.
"The one dog came back," Haugh said. "But the other one didn't."
Haugh has owned Nigel for only three months. He adopted the dog in December from A & S Rescue in Antioch, Illinois, who raised Nigel from his infancy.
Without any sightings of Nigel yet reported, last weekend Haugh enlisted the aid of Lost Pet Professionals, a nationwide team of private investigators trained in finding missing animals that is based in Nebraska.
The team designed and distributed the signs around Monroe depicting Nigel and are collaborating with A & S Rescue to manage reports.
Karin TarQwyn, founder of Lost Pet Professionals, said a missing period of 15 days is not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle. More worrisome, she said, is the lack of any confirmed contact with Nigel within that time.
Because of this, TarQwyn said, the search radius for Nigel has expanded to about 40 miles from Haugh's residence.
TarQwyn said that although sometimes people are hesitant to search for a missing pit bull - the breed is often mischaracterized as being naturally aggressive - Nigel's age and mixed-breed status make him appear harmless.
"The community has been great," TarQwyn said. "There have been a lot of sympathizers calling and asking if we've found him yet."
Any information in Nigel's case is important, TarQwyn said. Even if a dog is reported that is not actually Nigel, the information can give trackers a new area to search.
Anyone with information about Nigel's whereabouts is encouraged to contact K & P Rescue at (847) 404-5070 or Haugh at (608) 293-2312.