After he disappeared without a trace and with no signs of him anywhere in the days after he went missing, the Mittnacht/Johnson family was beginning to lose hope that their pug, Eddie Johnson, would return home.
“We were devastated and starting to give up hope. That morning I was talking with my husband about starting to put away Eddie’s things,” Anne Mittnacht said.
But on Saturday, May 22, 10 days after he first disappeared, Eddie was spotted on the families’s Westminster Avenue front porch.
“A neighbor was driving by our house and they said that they thought they saw Eddie outside our house,” Mittnacht said. “We had left a crate out there and sure enough we opened the front door and there he was.”
Despite the fact that he was missing for ten days, Mittnacht reports that he looked well fed and like he “went on vacation for the week.”
“He literally looks like he went to a luxurious spa for the week,” Mittnacht said.
Eddie’s disappearance started by fluke circumstances. Typically he goes to daycare during the week with his older brother George, a golden retriever. However, Eddie who is 9 months old, had recently received a vaccination for Lyme disease and was staying home for the day. Mittnacht said she had left Eddie out in their enclosed yard, but 20 minutes later, she noticed that Eddie was gone.
“The gate blew open while I was inside and Eddie wandered out. If George had been home, they both would have stayed in the yard, as George does not leave the yard and Eddie does not leave George” Mittnacht said.
Eddie though was gone, and despite the best efforts of friends, neighbors and volunteers, there was no sign of him anywhere over the coming days.
“I reached out to Missing Dogs Massachusetts, and Cindy from Missing Dogs came to our house within 30 minutes. She told us how to search for Eddie outside and said we should hang up as many signs as possible. Missing Dogs Mass was with us every step of the way- they are absolutely remarkable.” Mittnacht said “we were also blown away by the support we received from neighbors and from members of Facebook groups who were following story… complete strangers printed and hung flyers. The outpouring of support helped us to stay hopeful.
Despite so many people looking for Eddie, there was no sign of him anywhere. The family believes that somebody saw Eddie wandering around the neighborhood and brought him home with them. The fact that he appears to be well-taken care of during his time missing, having gained weight and kept a well-maintained coat, would also suggest he wasn’t wandering around Arlington for 10 days.
“We think that someone picked him up, as there was only one sighting of him after he wandered out of the back- A high schooler reported that he saw Eddie sitting on our front porch. We were told that the signs might convince whomever took him to bring him home, so we hung hundreds of them,” Mittnacht said.
If Eddie was indeed kidnapped, it appears that the efforts to convince the person to return Eddie were successful.
Mittnacht wrote on the Facebook Group, A-DOG, Arlington (MA) Dog Owners Group “Honestly, we can’t believe that he is home, and are absolutely beside ourselves with joy, relief and gratitude. THANK YOU to all of you who helped us to spread the word! We will never forget it!” Says Mittnacht, “He rested his head on my foot while I was doing dishes last night. Life is good.”
Mittnacht also encourages readers to rip down any signs so that other people searching for a lost pet have a chance to post if they need to.
