Money no object for owner of lost dog

Shawn DeAmicis went to new heights — about 400 feet to be exact — and went a little lighter in the wallet to find one four-legged friend.

The journey for young Casey began Nov. 16. DeAmicis dropped off his 3-year-old chow/shepherd mix at his friend’s home in the 2400 block of South Elmwood Avenue before he left to visit his ailing mother in Massachusetts.

The friend, who watches dogs as part of her income, declined to be named for this story to avoid any possible loss of business. She had dogsat for Casey numerous times before without a problem. She said she left Casey and her other two dogs on leashes in her backyard that morning as she went inside for a minute.

By the time she went back outside, Casey had wrangled herself free from her collar, jumped over the 4-foot chain link fence and was free to roam the streets of Berwyn.

“I freaked out,” the dog-sitter said. “Making that phone call (to Shawn) was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

She got in touch with Shawn and let him know the news, but could not believe Casey was capable of such a feat.

“Things happen pretty quick, and I wouldn’t have guessed looking at the fence that it would be possible,” DeAmicis said. “She’s quick and athletic.”

DeAmicis took the earliest flight he could out of Massachusetts the following day and returned to Berwyn to try and find his dog.

During the next few days, DeAmicis and many other nearby friends and searched high and low for Casey. They posted on the missing pet search Web site findtoto.org. Along with the online lost dog advertisement, the site called more than 20,000 residents within a two-mile radius of Tina’s home informing them a dog had been lost in their area, and offered a $3,000 reward to whomever found Casey.

DeAmicis said he received more than 25 tips from the calls, including one who told him they believed Casey had been struck by a car and killed in Berwyn during the weekend, and another from the Riverside Police Department, who found a dog that resembled Casey but was not DeAmicis’.

“I’ve become connected to the dog ...  it’s part of the family,” DeAmicis said. “I couldn’t sleep and wanted to do everything humanly possible to retrieve her and get her back to safety.”

With no luck on the ground, DeAmicis took to the sky Nov. 19. He chartered a helicopter for $500 an hour and searched from the air in a small, purple helicopter that traveled around the Berwyn, North Riverside and Riverside area.

“He got us to within about 400 feet so we had a good look,” DeAmicis said. “We covered everything a couple times with four sets of eyes up there.”

DeAmicis was discouraged after no sight of Casey from the air but did not give up on his search, looking through the weekend for Casey. He said he had looked into the idea of bringing a professional dog searcher in from Nebraska to bring Casey back home before good news struck.

A week after Casey jumped the fence, DeAmicis received a call late in the night Nov. 23 from an Oak Park man who saw a flyer regarding the lost dog. He said a family in the 800 block of South Lombard Avenue was taking care of Casey for the past day after she had been brought to the home by a friend.

Somehow, Casey had made it north of the Eisenhower Expressway but was headed home soon.
“As soon as he e-mailed me the pictures of her, I knew it was her,” DeAmicis said.

DeAmicis traveled from his home in Chicago to Oak Park that night to get her back. He stuck to his word and offered those who found Casey the $3,000 reward, but was turned down.

“They were dog lovers, and they were happy to have her back with me,” DeAmicis said.

Casey had lost a few pounds but showed no health issues after her week-long journey through the western suburbs. DeAmicis said Casey was hungry and happy to be home with her owner and brother, Curtis, a 10-year-old shepherd mix who DeAmicis said was depressed and would not eat while Casey was gone.

DeAmicis said Casey will continue to return to Berwyn to be watched by her dog-sitter, who said there may be one difference.

“I didn’t think she could have pulled off what she did,” the dog-sitter said. “I’m going to have to get a higher fence.”