A trucking couple needs your help finding their lost dog. Billy and Tina Smith, OOIDA members from Muldrow, OK, lost their dog Harley when he wandered away from the Smith’s truck Feb. 18, 2003, at Pharo’s Truck Stop in Shippensburg, PA.
“I had my two blue heelers on the truck as I always do,” Billy Smith said. “It was cold and my door didn’t shut all the way, I guess, and they got out.
About 15 miles down the road, Smith went to give his dogs a treat, but they weren’t in the truck. The Smiths turned around and went back to Pharo’s and searched for about 10 hours before finding the female, Queenie. But Harley was nowhere to be found. They placed flyers up and down Interstate 81, but still no Harley.
According to Smith, the dog was spotted at a rest area in California in April 2003. A man in Tennessee told Tina Smith that he saw Harley being walked by a trucker who said he got the dog from another trucker in Alabama. The trucker called the dog Harley. At that time, Harley was still wearing his Harley Davidson collar.
Harley was born Oct. 23, 2002, and raised in the Smiths’ truck. He is a blue heeler, also known as an Australian cattle dog, with a black spot on his back. The Smiths say Harley is very friendly, and will come to most anyone when called.
The Smiths are offering a reward for Harley’s safe return. If you spot Harley, call local police and ask them to take possession of the dog and contact the Smiths’ veterinarian, Matthew Singer at (479) 996-4127.
--by René Tankersley, feature editor
René Tankersley can be reached at rene_tankersley@landlinemag.com.
