Lost dog's return Ray Helbig sat outside the Maunalani Nursing and Rehabilitation Center last Saturday thinking there was no hope of finding Maizie, who had been missing since June 28.
makes early
b-day gift
Owner Virginia Rose says it's
a miracle that Maizie is backBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comThe 4-year-old terrier mix and her owner Virginia "Missy" Rose regularly visited Helbig's wife and the other Maunalani residents as part of the Hawaiian Humane Society's pet therapy program.
Her disappearance left Helbig and the residents brokenhearted.
As Helbig sat near the facility's front door, Rose walked up to him, told him she had a birthday present for him, then headed back into the parking lot.
She returned with Maizie, who had a ribbon around her neck with a "Happy Birthday" balloon.
"It was a total surprise to everybody," Helbig said. "I couldn't believe it."
The birthday surprise was one day early. Still, Helbig was thrilled to see her.
Maizie weighs 4 1/2 pounds more than she did when Helbig last saw her.
But he immediately knew it was Maizie.
"Her head looks smaller because her body is wide," he said.Rose calls Maizie's return a miracle. "And I don't use that word lightly," she said.
Rose received few leads to help her locate Maizie in the days after her story appeared in the Star-Bulletin on July 14.
Then on July 22, Rose said, a woman called her and told her a co-worker might have Maizie.
Rose and Maizie were reunited five days later.
Rose said the family who had Maizie was reluctant to return her because the family's five children had grown attached to her.
Rose is still not sure how the family got Maizie.
Rose's first and only contact with the people who had Maizie was last Friday when they returned the dog to her at the Kaahumanu School yard and collected the $1,000 cash reward.
The Hawaiian Humane Society intervened to facilitate Maizie's return.