I get woken up by my brother this am, urging me to post this on my blog and then wished me a happy birthday :) Let's work feverishly in getting words out to your deaf fellows and hearing allies in bringing Clyde back home safely.
To deaf and hearing members of the Deaf community (as well as animal lovers who are not part of the Deaf community) in Mississippi and its neighboring state if where Clyde lives is near the border of another state, please flood as many shelters with a call and email them a picture of Clyde so that whoever drops her off there will not get euthanized. Some Southern states and Midwestern states, animals get euthanized quicker and their usual method is to gas them to death but more quickly when finding out an animal is deaf. Print this flyer and pass around and send via email as well. Read the article with picture and information below:
This is a copy of the flier Helen Margiotta and friends are circulating in hopes of finding Clyde.
From the newsroom of the Sun Herald, Gulport, Mississippi, Saturday, January 5, 2008 .....Article from the newspaper can be found on this link
Deaf dog needs help to get home
By CREE CANTRELL
SUN HERALD
GULFPORT -- It's hard enough to lose a pet, but Helen Margiotta has a bond with her beagle, Clyde, that transcends the typical pet/person relationship. Both Margiotta and Clyde are deaf.
Margiotta adopted Clyde last winter after a close friend found him abandoned, flea-covered and starving.
Since then Helen and Clyde have developed a special relationship.
"She has even been working to teach Clyde some sign language so the two can better communicate," said friend Laura Lambert of Gulfport, who is helping Margiotta in her search for Clyde.
Margiotta first noticed Clyde was missing from her Perry Street yard on New Year's Eve after leaving the dog outside while she went out to run a few errands.
"Helen never leaves Clyde outside," Lambert said. "Our best guess is that he climbed the fence or possibly that someone let him out of the yard."
Clyde does have a collar, but the tags are not attached. Margiotta and friends have been combing the neighborhood, putting up fliers and checking the animal shelters.
Clyde was last officially seen after his disappearance near his home across from Gulfport High School off Courthouse Road, and a possible sighting was reported in the Hardy Court Shopping Center area.
People who may spot Clyde are urged to remember he is deaf and unable to respond to audible communication such as yelling, clapping or whistling.
If you have any information on Clyde's whereabouts, contact Margiotta, who uses a Telecommunication Device for the Deaf, at 896-4305. The TDD line will ring a number of times and then beep as if reaching a fax line. The incoming telephone number is then sent to Margiotta, and she returns the call through an interpretive operator. Or people with information could contact Lambert at 343-1235.
Original
Sound Off
I am working on behalf of a friend, Helen Margiotta of Gulfport, trying to help her find "Clyde." He somehow escaped her Perry Street yard on the afternoon of New Year's Eve wearing his collar, but unfortunately without his identifying tags. Helen adopted Clyde last year after he was found abandoned in a rural area, emaciated and flea-ridden. Helen took unusually good care of Clyde, working tirelessly teaching him signals because he is stone deaf and misses most of the cues most pets get from humans and their surroundings. She has a special bond and purpose with Clyde also because Helen is also deaf!...
© 2008 Sun Herald. All Rights Reserved.
