Many Try To Help Sheltie,
But It's Best Just To Call Milo

A lost and anxious Sheltie dog that has been spotted throughout the Randolph-Brookfield area for two weeks remains at large, Randolph animal control officer Milo Cutler reported Tuesday.

Although the handsome herding dog has been exhibiting some unusual behavior—running away from would-be rescuers and then stopping to spin in tight circles—it is not rabid, Cutler said.

Local sheltie breeders Mitch and Jennifer Moore of Braintree, who are assisting Culter in trying to capture the dog, noted that spinning is typical of Shetland sheepdogs.

Cutler this week urged residents not to try to catch, chase, or feed this dog, as all those good-intentioned efforts are interfering with her attempts to trap it. If you see it, she said, give her a call at 431-3880—and just keep driving.

She suspects the "very pretty dog," which has no collar, was abandoned by its owner.

"Shelties, when in unfamiliar territory—they just run," Cutler added.

The dog has been seen over a wide area, ranging from the Randolph-Bethel border to Pond Village in Brookfield.

Friday evening, as the snowstorm began, it was on Route 66, shying away from several people who had stopped their vehicles and tried to coax the dog off the road. Instead it ran onto the on-ramp for I-89 northbound, where it again started to spin.

Dozens of people along the ridge road from the Osha farm north to the Brookfield border have seen the Sheltie and tried to help. The Moores spent three hours on Sunday alone trying to coax it into captivity, Jennifer said.

She was able at one point to get it to eat from her hand, she noted, but was not able to secure it.

Moore and Cutler both discouraged people from feeding the dog. When it gets really hungry, it will be easier to catch with a box trap, they noted.

The dog was last seen on Hebard Hill Road, said Cutler, who has asked anyone seeing to dog to contact her at 431-3880 with information.

Moore said the dog has apparently been well-treated. When it is caught, a home will be sought here, or alternatively it will be sent to a Sheltie rescue shelter that will check it out and prepare it for a new home.