This tale (tail) has a very happy ending
Thank you Barrington Officer Byrne and other concerned citizens!
We give thanks from the bottom of our hearts to a trusted local officer in our community and other concerned citizens, who gave from their hearts to assist us in a time of need.
Our 6½-year-old American Shepherd "Luna" is terrified of lightning and thunder. We have never been able to move her past those fears, so all we can do is get her quickly to the basement or another quiet spot when Nature brings its aerial bombardment.
Last Friday night we weren't so lucky, and Luna was outside when a storm came upon us. Terrified, she ran.
It was a night without sleep for her and for us, with many prayers to keep our beloved four-legged partner out of harm's way.
When morning came we continued the search through Barrington Hills, and notified police in Barrington Hills, Fox River Grove and Barrington.
Thirty minutes after calling Barrington we got a call from their police dispatcher, telling us a dog meeting Luna's description had been reported by a citizen who saw a confused and bedraggled dog - nearly four miles from our home, but only a few hundred meters from my office.
How she found her way toward my office seems to be a miracle - part of the unspoken communication that exists between man and animals.
Office Byrne got there first. He spotted Luna behind the Barn of Barrington and was waiting there patiently for us. But before we got there Luna got spooked by a jogger and the search began again.
Based on information from joggers and neighbors, Officer Byrne took my wife to Beese Park where many times she has cheered our grandson at soccer matches. Unfortunately, this was a dead end.
Total strangers on foot and in cars stopped what they were doing and helped cordon off the general area where she might be found.
Officer Byrne agreed to continue the search in his squad car while we headed for my office to check one more time.
Only a few hundred feet from my office she responded to my whistles and bounded from the brush with a definite smile on her traumatized face.
At a time that too often our men in blue who watch over and try to protect us receive negative attention, we would like to publicly thank Officer Byrne and all those unnamed citizens who took the time to join in the search and helped us find one of man's best friends - our Luna.
Chet and Eve Perry
Barrington Hills