The Abduction Of Koda
“ FYI Koda is missing. Hopefully I get him back by Monday. If not, we will have to cancel training for Mon.”
I read the email on a Friday evening. It was the time of year when you really begin to notice the sun has been setting earlier. I called Linda for more detail but she did not pick up. Claire and I were doing errands and happened to be close to Koda’s neighborhood. We drove around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his bright white shepherd coat before the sun finally set. His neighborhood was dangerously close to high traffic roads. We continued to canvas the area for a time before deciding to wait for a return call from Linda and getting more information.
“I can call u in about 20 mi”
Linda called back later with an update. She had contacted the Humane Society and the County Animal Control. Nextdoor, Craigslist, Facebook had all been given Koda’s information and picture. She had contacted local veterinary offices and feed stores. She signed onto the website Lost My Doggie who contacted local vets, shelters and rescue groups. They will even put out an “Amber Alert” to neighbors. The next step was to knock on doors. It turns out Koda had cruised his neighborhood on several previous occasions, once landing him in doggie jail for two days. The man across the street reported his cat “sits in the front window sunning most of the day. Every time he sees Koda outside or walking by the cat growls, hisses and his fur stays raised for about half an hour.“Koda has not been by here. Apollo’s fur is not ruffled.” On another outing Koda had discovered a large expensive pet bird perched in an open garage and tried to collar it. This neighbor reported, “I checked the garage. No bird feathers.” Finally, Linda got in her car and drove about calling his name. Koda was nowhere to be found.
“No luck yet.”
The minutes and hours of Friday night stretched into an eternity but Saturday’s dawn finally arrived. Koda was still missing. “Spending hours worrying about Koda being lost is really nerve racking.” How could Koda have escaped? The gate had been latched. The fence was intact with “no loose boards… or holes dug under.” What is the best way to proceed after checking updates for new arrivals at the shelters? Could there be another explanation for the “lunkhead” being gone? There were too many questions and too many imagined and unthinkable outcomes.
“Being on speaking terms with my neighbors helped set me on the right path.”
Perhaps a neighbor’s security system had captured a glimpse of Koda on an excursion through his community. Linda’s next door neighbor had such a security system but she was not home. Later that Saturday morning, the neighbor across the street asked Linda if the family had bought a new van. Linda’s first reaction was “he better not have.” The neighbor continued, “there had been a van driving up and down the street and parked in front of the house for a while.” That information was very worrisome but her description of the van was not immediately helpful. Linda waited several more excruciating hours until the next door neighbor arrived home that evening. Together, they scanned the neighbor’s security footage. There was no image of Koda gadding about the neighborhood but there was a van driving by. The visual triggered Linda’s memory. She recognized the van as belonging to the nephew of a person she knew. She had met him once. This nephew was known to have a chronic drug problem.
“Koda is not lost, he was taken.”
It is now Saturday night. With a bit of detective work, Linda tracks down the address of the nephew. He was last known to have lived in Ukiah, sixty one miles north. Shortly, Linda was in her car and racing north on 101 through the darkness. It is a long, lonely drive but there is now at least a possibility of recovering Koda. Linda located the address and knocked on the door. A woman opened the door. She happened to be the girlfriend of the nephew. He is not here, the girlfriend informs Linda but he had shown up earlier. “He seemed wasted and I told him to leave.” She also said “he wanted me to watch a dog for him.” The girlfriend figured he probably went to Clearlake. Linda is at once extremely happy, incredibly weary and deeply frustrated. To come so close only to be disappointed! But now she has proof of Koda being alive and his general whereabouts. There is renewed hope in spite of the setback. It is 1 a.m. and Linda turns back the way she came and drives once more into the darkness.
“Now I have to have a plan. ”
On Sunday morning Linda calls the police to report a stolen dog and offers her video evidence. She goes down to the station and fills out a report. Dogs are considered property under CA law. If a stolen dog is worth more than $950 the crime is considered Grand Theft rather than Petty Theft. Coda qualified for a Grand Theft classification. At another time, Linda had mentioned that Koda had a “suitable for framing” AKC pedigree extending back three generations. Linda mused that if Koda knew of his fine family background and substantial purchase price, “He would aspire to behave in a manner appropriate of such breeding.” She continued, “I write this as Koda sits licking his butt.” At any rate, the police officer said that someone will be in touch to follow up on Koda’s disappearance.
“So move to plan B.”
Linda says she fully supports the men and women in blue but she is also practical. “A stolen dog does not warrant a massive response from law enforcement. It is not the same as a missing 3 year old girl.” But “when your dog has been taken and you know by whom, it is impossible to sit back and wait... Time is ticking and you want action.” I met Linda at the Park And Ride under Highway 12. She said she had formulated a plan. I offered to accompany her but she flatly said, ”No.” I handed her five $20 bills and said, “at least let me help the cause by filling up the gas tank.”
“Team Koda”
In the past, Linda had worked closely with a family as a caretaker. She took excellent care of both parents, seeing the husband through hospice. Their son had noted the level of care and had told Linda that if she ever needed anything to let him know. Linda had picked up that Jack had “street smarts and experience.” She called Jack and asked if he could help get her dog back. He showed up almost immediately with Bull, another “streetwise” guy. Linda kindly included me as the “money man” of the group. The human contingent of “Team Koda” was now complete with four members. Once again, Linda headed north on 101 towards Clearlake, this time accompanied by Jack and Bull, determined to rescue the team’s namesake.
“Slight detour to Ukiah”
Linda knew that Koda was somewhere in the vicinity of Clearlake but not the exact location. “Team Koda” exited 101 in Ukiah and Linda returned to the nephew’s house. Hopefully, the girlfriend could provide an address. She didn’t answer the door immediately and Linda began to worry she may not be at home. Finally, she opened the door. “She seems a bit perturbed that I am standing at the door. After a seemingly endless back and forth and a lightening of our funds… She agreed to call her boyfriend.” She asked him “if he still wanted her to watch the dog and offer(ed) him a few bucks. She told him to stay where he was and she would come to Clearlake.”
“Next Stop, Clearlake”
Linda stopped briefly to pick up some coffee. From the back seat, Bull suggests something stronger, “like Jack Daniels.” Linda offers him a Monster energy drink, instead. “Alcohol can wait till we complete our mission. All the delays are done, now we can get moving.” The three members of “Team Koda” set a course for Clearlake. The girlfriend’s directions lead them off the paved road. “We actually ended up on a dirt path in the middle of nowhere. Keep out, no trespassing and beware of dog signs lined the dusty path of a road.” Linda drove slowly by “broken down trailers and yards with cars and trucks propped up on cinder blocks,” without wheels. One driveway had a vicious looking dog chained at its entrance. On and on they drove down the dusty path. Linda began to feel that the reality she knew had ended where they had turned off the pavement. The directions from the girlfriend weren’t entirely clear so Linda pulls over where a couple guys are leaning against a broken down truck. Bull says, “the guy with the beard has a knife at the very least.”
“Bull and I will take care of this"
Jack and Bull parlayed with the two fellows and Jack handed them a sizable joint for their help. The nephew was down another dirt driveway “off the dirt road, behind three ramshackle trailers… and broken down chain link fencing.” As they continue up the dirt path, Linda starts to tell Jack, “how we should do this.” Jack “politely” tells Linda to shut up and listen. “First of all we’re not picking your dog up from the dog sitter. This guy is a drug addict, possibly, or probably a drug dealer and who knows what kind of other criminal activity he is involved in. We don't know if he's high on drugs, passed out from being high on drugs or how many other people are in the building with him.” Linda is defiant and angry, “This is my dog and I will do what I need to get him back. You don’t know my dog.” Bull informs Linda from the back seat that he “knows what a white shepherd looks like. How many white shepherd dogs do you think this guy has in there?” Jack ends the conversation, “Bull and I will take care of this- you will remain in the car- no ifs, ands or buts about it. We don't know what to expect in there. You asked for help, we are here. We can handle this. I promise we will get him. Just stay here and stay put!”
“Operation Team Koda”
Very little detail is known of what went down during the “Operation.” For Linda, remaining in the car was yet another forever to endure as she waited for Jack and Bull. She began to realize that the situation she was in could possibly be a very dangerous one. Eventually, Jack and Bull emerge, Bull carrying Koda. Distressed that Koda may be hurt or worse, Linda gets out of the car and races to him. “My heart sank to my toes,” she later described what she had felt. Linda was instructed “sharply” to get back into the car and drive. Once back on the paved road, Jack took the wheel. In the back seat, Koda manages to weakly wag his tail and lick Linda’s hand. Linda is informed that she does not have to worry about that ”low life” coming near her again. She asked if they had put the Fear of God in him, attempting a bit of humor. “No,” was the matter of fact reply, “We put the fear of hell in him.” Jack stated that Koda was “disoriented, weak and wobbly on his feet” and that was why he had been carried out. A few more details would eventually emerge but for now Linda needed to get Koda to a veterinarian.
“Vet Checked Out Koda”
Linda googled veterinary clinics in the area and not surprisingly, none are open on Sunday. She makes some calls and finds a veterinarian willing to see Koda. The vet asked Linda if Koda had ingested any toxins. She proceeded to fill him in on what happened. The vet put Koda on an IV and proceeded to do blood work. There is another long wait but eventually, the veterinarian says Koda can go home. He would need to see his regular vet the next day. Koda also was required to be monitored “for seizures, diarrhea, disorientation, vomiting, etc. The Doctor said he might exhibit signs of aggression.” It turned out Koda had “concentrations of Meth, Hydrocodone and Benzodiazepine.” The vet said it was “good that Koda was a larger dog.” “Team Koda” headed south on 101. Koda was not out of the woods medically but he was out of the Clearlake hellhole. And in good time. Linda didn’t dare imagine what condition Koda would be in if he had not been found for several more days. Or worse, had he not been found at all. All she thought was, I have him back, Koda is going home.
“I’ve told you everything you need to know”
Linda learned only a few more particulars of “Operation Team Koda” as they came to light in the days after rescue. Koda had been attached to a rope, which apparently he had chewed through. Then he was chained. There were some wounds on the nephew that looked like they had been inflicted by a dog. The nephew may have received the injuries from Koda before Koda was subdued. There were two other people in the room when Jack and Bull entered. (I am not sure if this included the nephew). Words were exchanged and there was a confrontation. Later, Jack told Linda, “that’s about all you’re going to get.” “We got your dog back and from what you tell me he appears to be well. Please be happy with that and take care of yourself.”
“Looks like there will be a good ending”
For a couple days after his return, Koda did experience periodic seizures. One of his eyes twitched constantly. On Wednesday, we met to resume training, Koda was reserved and did not wag his tail in his usual enthusiastic greeting. Linda received the results of Koda’s tests. “Creatinine was a bit high and one of his liver tests was a little low. The vet said they should return to normal over time.” And that’s what happened to Koda’s old self, as well. He returned to normal. Koda is a very resilient pup.The police followed up on Tuesday and were told that Koda had made his way home. Life was pretty much back to normal by the week’s end. Linda had organized a successful rescue. “Team Koda” had disbanded. I would never speak to or meet half the team Linda had assembled on such short notice. They silently returned to wherever they had come. I knew I could never qualify as a first stringer on such a team but I was extremely proud to be considered a member of “Team Koda.”
“Thank you for being a member of Team Koda!!!!”