Zepplin has been missing from Blandford for two weeks.(Submitted photo)
BLANDFORD – Karen Mehl of Blandford contacted The Westfield News on Tuesday, in hopes of widening the search for her missing Great Dane, Zepplin. “It will be two weeks Wednesday and I don’t know what else to do but poster the world looking for my baby,” Mehl said of Zepplin, who she raised from a puppy.
Zepplin is a 4-year-old neutered male Blue Merle Great Dane, weighing 140 pounds, with an ID chip. On Wednesday, June 28, Mehl was outside working in the barn with Zepplin and Zelda, her 4-1/2 year old Blue Great Dane. Zelda went indoors, and Zepplin wandered off, which Mehl didn’t think anything of until it got dark and he hadn’t returned. She’s been searching for him ever since.
Mehl said her property is 75 acres, bordered by 1200 acres of woods behind her house. She said Zepplin was recently injured when he fell off a ledge behind her house and broke his rear left ankle, requiring three pins in it. That time, their other dog, Zelda, alerted his owners to help him. This time, the family took Zelda out for days, begging her to find him. Mehl said she followed his scent and took them everywhere, with no success.
The search then began in earnest. Mehl contacted Home again and Missing Dogs of Massachusetts. She said Marianne Monier of Missing Dogs was fantastic, organizing ten field volunteers, including family, friends and people from the area, for a search on the property on July 2.
Photo of Zepplin from the posters. Mehl said he is more grey than black. (Submitted photo)
Mehl also hired Packleader Pettrackers who brought search dogs from Rhode Island on July 3. She said the group did track his scent from her property, through two more neighboring properties for three hours until they had to stop due to the heat. The tracking team cost $550, Mehl said, which her 19-year-old twins paid for out of their savings. One daughter joined the Pettrackers on their search, as did Blandford Animal Control Officer Joanne Grybosh, who said most of the search was on a vertical climb with no paths.
“Joanne has been a Godsend, searching the woods since day one. I can’t imagine anybody doing more,” Mehl said. Grybosh, who has been involved with animal welfare and rescue for decades, said she wished all pet owners did as much as Mehl to find their missing animals.
Mehl said she paid another $350 on July 7 to a service that promised robo calls in a 7-mile radius and thousands of Google ad views, although she said she doesn’t know one person who received a call, and hasn’t been able to find any postings online from them.
Mehl said she has now spent thousands on posters, ink and tape papering all of the hilltowns, and is now working her way into Westfield, Easthampton and Holyoke. She mentioned that Staples in Westfield has been super, with one employee donating copies out of her own pocket.
Karen Mehl. (Photo by Amy Porter)
She has gotten some calls, but they’ve led her to other Great Danes. She said she didn’t realize how many were out there. She also got a call from the area of the Whippernon Country Club in Russell, where a big dog had been seen, and some chicks were killed. The family gave her permission to set up a trail cam she rented for $250 and camp out for a night, but they had no luck. She also was loaned a satellite cam from Missing Dogs of Massachusetts.
She said Monier of Missing Dogs has told her that dogs can live a long time in the woods this time of year eating deer scat, which is rich in nutrients. She said by now Zepplin has gone into survival mode, which will make him more leery of being approached. Mehl said if anyone does see Zepplin, they should not call out or chase him, but should sit quietly, wait for him to approach, and give him treats. She also hopes that if someone does see him, they will put out food so that he will keep coming back, and give her a call at 413-537-7012.
Besides exhausting her resources, Zepplin’s disappearance has taken a toll on Mehl’s health, causing a lot of sleepless nights. She said the worst part is not knowing. “Even if he’s gone, we just need to know. The not knowing is awful – it haunts you,” Mehl said.
