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July 25 , 2008

Search for Dog Lands in Reston

By Leslie Perales Observer Staff Writer

A North Carolina couple is continuing to search for its beloved family pet, which has reportedly been seen in Reston, Centreville and Manassas. Jeddah, a 4-year-old female dog who resembles an Ibizan or Pharaoh hound, was reported missing from her crate at Dulles International Airport on July 10.

The dog was scheduled to travel with her owner John Weisner to Saudi Arabia, but just before he boarded his plane, Weisner was told by United Airlines staff that Jeddah had escaped her travel crate. Since then, John and Ronia Weisner have stayed in Northern Virginia, searching for Jeddah with the help of dozens of volunteers. Jeddah had previously traveled with her owners without any problems, Ronia Weisner said.

The search for Jeddah moved into Reston last weekend, and resident Lisa Qualls helped in the search. "I care very much about animals especially, and I'm a vegan activist," said Qualls, who learned about the search through an e-mail. "When I saw the Web site and that they had a search going on that night, I decided to go and help look." Qualls said she and about 15 volunteers, including a news crew and a woman with a tracking dog, searched for Jeddah near Lake Audubon, but they did not locate the dog.

Ronia Weisner said volunteers have been distributing fliers throughout Reston and Centreville and they are also trying to cover Manassas. She said they received about five reports of people seeing Jeddah in Centreville on Monday. "We're trying to cover north and south, not knowing where she's going from there," she said. They also received two more calls from the Reston area on Tuesday morning, but they are not sure if those were actual sightings of Jeddah, Ronia Weisner said.

Volunteer handlers with professional tracking dogs are needed and Ronia Weisner said they also need people to help monitor feeding stations that have been set up in the area. The Weisners have been frequently updating the status of the search through Twitter, an online service that allows people to communicate though message updates. On Wednesday, the search expanded to include Manassas, Woodbridge and areas south of there, according to the Web site, www.helpfindjeddah.com.

The Weisners and United Airlines are each offering a $2,500 reward for Jeddah's safe return. Ronia Weisner said if someone sees Jeddah, he or she should not chase or yell at the dog. "At this point, it will scare her," Ronia Weisner said. If Jeddah is seen, she should be spoken to in a calm voice and offered food.