Rutgers service dog found after being missing for two days
Donations are being accepted to pay for the dog’s medical bills
A Rutgers Companion Animal Club service dog was found alive in Edison with injuries after being missing for two days.
The one-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback ran out of his foster house after being scared by fireworks on Jan. 1. He does not have a microchip. His handlers lost sight of him as he ran towards Buccleuch Park.
“I was nervous about it sleeping and all the commotion it was just after 12 on New Year’s Eve and there were fireworks going off, “said 20-year-old SEBS student Nicole Sadori; his foster and trainer.
President of the club, Angela Diekhaus, 21, senior in SAS, posted on the club’s Facebook group page, “URGENT. Moe is missing. He was last seen near Richardson/Huntington St in New Brunswick… He is wearing his collar with his service dog in training tag on it.”
The members posted flyers across campus and had several search parties over the weekend. Janice Wolfe, the founder of Merlin’s Kids, contacted CBS News to expand the search.
After the story aired on both CBS and Fios 1, a couple saw Moe on the NJ transit railroad tracks in Edison. They immediately contacted Diekhaus.
“He was unable to walk and up right next to the train tracks, so Janice Wolfe called in the Edison Fire Department to help us get him through the fencing surrounding the tracks,” Diekhaus said.
Moe had to be rescued by the Edison Fire Department. They cut a hole in a fence to rescue him. He had multiple cuts in his paws, dehydrated, and was shaken up.
He is now being treated at the Garden State Veterinary Services and is in stable condition expected to recover. The club is accepting donations to pay Moe’s medical bills.
“We could tell the second we saw him that his goofy, loving personality was still there and strong,” Diekhaus said.
Left to right: Angela Diekhaus, Janice Wolfe, Brittany Cuellar, Arianna Hampton and Nicole Sadori surrounding Moe
“Moe’s purpose is to be a service dog for a Rutgers student who is a veteran. He will be assisting him with PTSD and mobility issues,” said Diekhaus. “We are hoping that his paws make a full recovery and after lots of love and plenty of naps he will be back to his full self.”
The Rutgers Companion Animal Club, a student-run organization at Rutgers University, fosters dogs training with Merlin’s Kids. Merlin’s Kids rescues shelters dogs to become service dogs for veterans and disabled children. Rutgers is fostering 11 dogs, who all live with students on campus to complete their training.