Why was Jill wandering loose?

I had two calls over the weekend that disturbed me. I was contacted by the Paulding County Animal Control and Home Again informing me that a dog registered to me was at the shelter. I know the dog and I did have her for several months. It is a bit of a story.

In late 2004 through to June 2005 I was caring for my late sister. During that time I had to have my 16 year old Bichon put to sleep. Muffet was suffering grand mal seizures and the cause was unknown. For his sake I made the decision to have him put to sleep because my time needed to be spent with my dying sister. I felt horrible about it, but still believe it was best for Muffet.

After my sister passed away, I felt the need for a canine companion. I went to the local shelter and fell in love with Jill. She was 10 months old and very friendly. I wanted a dog her size because my son's girlfriend had a dog she had adopted that was about 45 pounds. Jill was about the same size and age. The fit was perfect.

For months Jill and Shannon's dog Jack got along wonderfully. Jack was a female inspite of the name. In late 2005 something changed in the dogs' relationship and Jill attacked Jack inflicting several bites in Jack's legs. We thought at first that it was a display of dominance and the matter had been settled. Jack was now submissive to Jill, but Jilly continued to be aggressive toward Jack. I also have severe arthritis in my hands and arms and had to use a Gentle Leader to control Jill. She really was too much for me to handle on my own. In late 2005 I made the very hard decision to find Jill a new home.

I advertised her on Craigslist and LiveDeal, but did not have any takers. After about 8 weeks of trying to find her a home, I felt I had no choice but to take Jill back to the shelter where I had adopted her. I took along her flea and heartworm medicine. I also wrote a letter to potential adopters about Jill and what a wonderful dog she was. I did stress that she needed to be in a home where she was the only dog. I cried as I signed over the dog that I loved.

I received a call from the shelter in less than 24 hours. A family was adopting Jill! They came to my home to pick up Jill's crate. I was thrilled to meet them and felt this was the family for Jill. They even called a few months later to tell me that Jill was doing well and how the whole family loved her.

Now I have had these calls about Jill being picked up by animal control. It distresses me terribly. I don't have a phone number and can't even remember the name of the family who adopted Jill. I can only hope that they are looking for her. I wonder if I should go and claim her myself, but I still have other dogs and the arthritis is worse. I can only hope that this family loved Jill as much as I did and are looking for her.