Help Bring Roper Home

05/31/2024

Apex, NC

This past Monday marked 1 year to the day since Roper went missing. I have not kept things updated on this site like I should have, but will be honest that sometimes the whole situation is very overwhelming and I do not know what direction to go in. Plus, the end of 2023 was busy with holidays, work and Roper's birthday came and went during that time as well.

I continue to watch lost and found posts, as well as checking the websites and shelters. Some new small sign posters have gone up. I still have a little over 100 almost ready to be posted, and have the supplies to redo the large posters as well. I have gone to look at deceased animals on the sides of the roads when notified about it possibly being a dog or having the right colored fur. Believe it or not, I am grateful for everyone who has contacted about such a situation. So far, it has been deer or a coyote, not Roper.

I want to thank everyone who has rallied behind the Help Bring Roper Home drive in so many ways. There are folks who passed out postcards with Roper's photo and information. Folks who continue to look for her whenever they are out and about. Folks who will text me just to see if we have located her. Folks who share her information through FaceBook and NextDoor. Folks who send out emails to vet offices, just as a reminder that she is still missing. Folks who have taken her flyer to businesses as well. Folks who have contributed financially to make some of this happen. Y'all .... you don't know how much this means to me.

I believe that she is still alive and is in someone's home at the current time. This is based on the July sighting where she was wearing a red collar, not the one she was wearing when she went missing. I just don't have any inkling as to her location. However, I continue to hope and pray that eventually she will show up at a vet's office and be identified through her microchip. Or that the person/family that currently has her will do the right thing and return her. Or, that a friend or family member will realize who Roper is and will reach out to me.

I am sure there are people out there who do not understand why I am so invested in trying to get my girl home. I have said it before & will say it again that with all of my dogs, I make a lifetime commitment to them. They are cared for and a part of my life until they die. A piece of my heart is invested with all the dogs that I have owned over my lifetime. It is no different for Roper. She is the first thing on my mind each morning and the last thing on my mind at night. It feels like a failure on my part to know that I cannot live up to that commitment, since she is missing.

So, where do I go from here? I plan on doing another FB ad. I am just not sure what area I should hit or what should be said. Suggestions are welcomed. I have also already spoken with my friend who has been so very diligent in contacting vet offices with information about Roper. As soon as I rewrite the letter, she will once again contact those offices. As stated above, I do have small posters that can still be put out, plus have the materials to make more larger posters. Where the large posters are concerned, if there is anyone out there whose property is next to a well traveled road, and they would be willing to "host" a Roper poster, please contact me. I have discovered that just placing them on the road or at intersections may not be the best use of the signs. Folks will pull up signs and toss them, especially at intersections. The mowing machines maintaining the shoulders of the road will cut them down in a heartbeat. I figure that if someone is "hosting" a sign, it will stand a better chance to be around for a few months.

Over the past few months I have made some posts, mainly on NextDoor in defense of owners who are currently looking for lost pets. Some people seem to believe that there is some major failure on the part of the owners, because they themselves have never lost a pet. I am here to tell you, that even to the best of us, it can happen in the blink of an eye. No amount of Apple Airtags or similar products will keep it from happening. These products, plus ID tags, rabies tags and even microchips can become absolutely useless "if" the person who finds your animal decides to keep him/her. All that I am asking through my posts is that folks in general have a little mercy in your hearts for those who are anxiously looking for their pets. Please give them the benefit of the doubt and help them, when you can.

I am going to wrap up this long missive now. Thank you so much for reading all the way through. Thank you for your continued prayers for Roper and for your continued help in searching for her. I am humbled by your caring and blessed in so many ways.

Rebecca

10/28/2023

Over half of the 2500+ cards have been put in the hands of volunteers who will pass them out at Halloween and/or to neighbors and businesses. Thank you so much to everyone who helped deliver them, those who came to my house to pick up their cards and who will be passing them out!

I still have more cards available. These can be used at events, given to small businesses, vets, neighbors, etc. Just let me know if you are interested and how many you need.

One volunteer has made arrangements with the main office that overseas the American To***co Trail to where flyers/cards can be passed out at the New Hill Olive Chapel Rd location during the race tomorrow. Is there anyone local who would be willing to do that?

Thank you all for your help, prayers and continued support in the search to bring Roper back home!

Rebecca

10/25/2023

The cards arrived today & I am so very pleased with how they look! Been spending part of the afternoon counting them out & putting them in 50 card bundles. Tomorrow will be spent putting together the "orders" I have gotten and getting them out to those wonderful folks.

The cards will be great to hand out to trick or treaters, but also to folks in your neighborhood, or at work or to area businesses. If you are interested in some, let me know. I have quite a few of them here. ;-) If you don't live local and still would be willing to pass some out, let me know. I can certainly mail some out to you.

Thank you all for being a part of this process of bringing Roper back home.

Rebecca

10/20/2023

The handout cards have been ordered & should be here the first part (hopefully) of next week. I am looking for folks who would be interested in doing the following things:

1) Pass cards out with their Halloween candy to trick or treaters. If you can send me a message with where you live (housing/townhouse/apartment development or street) and about how many cards you think would be needed, then I can start mapping out what areas will be covered.

2) Pass out cards at local events. Again, send me a message on the number you need. I have a list of local places that I can send to you if you are willing to do this.

3) Just want to have some on hand to give to folks? Let me know.

4) Live farther away from me, another state perhaps, and want to pass them out where you live, let me know.

If I need to reprint, I can do that. Just wanted to thank everyone who has given to the financial cause to Help Bring Roper Home. It is because of your generosity that this first larger campaign can take place.

Thank you to everyone who is willing to help pass the cards out! Every card that goes out helps get the word out to folks who may not be on any sort of social media.

I have attached a screenshot of the card (front and back). Being a screenshot, the words look a little fuzzy to me, but in actuality, the words will be clear on the finished product. I figure they do this so you can't use it to print your own cards.

Another thank you goes to Jane Ferraro for creating the mask and deleting all the background stuff on the full body shot. This is so much of a group effort! You will never know just how much I appreciate it all.

Rebecca

10/15/2023

Update! I am getting ready to order the cards. Now I need people who might be willing to pass them out with their Halloween candy. If you can help, please send me a note and give me an idea of how many to get to you. Also need to know if you are in a development, which one. Thank you all so very, very much!!!

One suggestion that has come to me is the possibility of the handout of flyers or cards about Roper to be given in conjunction with Halloween candy. Is there anyone who would be willing to do this at their home?

Please send me a message on if you would be willing to help and how many you would need.

Thanks so much!

Rebecca

10/14/2023

Has anyone out there heard of this organization - Pet Amber Alert?

They offer some poster, phone call service options or a combo of both for a price. If you know anything about them, please comment and let me know. Thanks!

Rebecca

Choose from three alert options: Poster Alert We Distribute a Lost Pet Poster to Vets, Shelters, Hospitals, Animal Control + How it Works Local Pet Businesses in the area receive your poster immediately. When someone finds a lost pet they will take it to a local Vet, Animal Shelter, Rescue Group, An...

10/11/2023

For those of you who want to skip right past this post, that is okay. I am talking about expenses and totally understand if you do so. 🙂

I have been asked by several folks whether or not I had looked into mailings, ads and other venues for getting the word out about Roper. I am pasting in info from the main things that I found as other options to what we are already doing. To be perfectly honest, I can't make heads or tails on the USPS option to mail to routes, so if there is anyone who likes a challenge and can explain it to me in a way that I can understand, I might be open to that option as well.

Here goes .....
My last FB ad was at a cost of $70 for 7 days. You set your amount to spend and it goes from there. I opted to spend up to $10 per day, covering a 15 mile radius. You do get to target more or less a specific area and group of people, which I did.

PawBoost offers this service:
FB ads, Instagram ads
20 miles for 7 days $100
15 miles for 7 days $78
10 miles for 7 days $45
added Instagram alert for $50 on top of the FB ad

Looked up quickly what some of the lost pet mailings/postcards cost and came up with these:

24 Pet Connect & Pet Harbor
We’ll print, address and mail
500 for $499.00 USD
1000 for $749.00 USD
2000 for $1,299.00 USD
3000 for $1,749.00 USD

Lost Pet Cards
STANDARD PRICE LIST
1,000 (minimum) postcards: 65 cents per card / $650 total
2,000 (or more) postcards: 60 cents per card / $1,200 total
3,000 (or more) postcards: 55 cents per card / $1,650 total

On top of all of these things, I would certainly need help in determining how many based on possible population of this area or targeted area (any takers??).

Which brings me to my next point, I was also approached about the possibility of setting up a Go Fund Me page for helping with some of Roper's expenses going forward. This is a little out of my comfort zone, so I agreed to it with the stipulation that I would not have oversight or direct access to the funds. As needed and with furnished receipts, I would be able to request reimbursement for some of these options that I currently cannot finance on my own. There also might be the possibility of needing to help pay out a reward amount for her safe return. I can do up to a certain amount out of my own pocket, but if it goes higher, then I would need help. Laura Dykstra is overseeing the Go Fund Me campaign and has also stated that any remaining funds would go towards another ES in need. I am all for that!

Thank you all for your support of prayers, help of any kind, kindness shown towards this situation and more. You will never know just how much each and every one of you have uplifted me during this time.

Rebecca

Friends of Roper are joining together, to Help Bring Roper Home. She could be an… Laura Dykstra needs your support for Help Bring Roper Home. North Carolina

10/10/2023

The question has been asked if Roper has any distinctive markings that would help identify her quickly. I am adding photos below with captions describing what I hope you will be able to see. I am not sharing everything that makes her distinctive just because I need to hold on to a few things for whenever she is found as proof that she is my dog (above and beyond the microchip aspect).

Anyway, here goes .....
On the front part of her body, her white markings are not symmetrical. Front right leg is basically fully white, left front leg is white up to the ankle.

You should be able to see her "beauty" mark on the left side of her muzzle, plus the lighter sable ticking spots on the top of her muzzle and the single dot in the blaze.

She is also beginning to get some white hairs in her eyebrow area.

Thank you!
Rebecca

10/06/2023

One thing that has been suggested to me was the possibility of folks going door to door with flyers, asking the residents if they have seen Roper.

Maybe we could use this post thread to brainstorm ideas on what can logistically be done and/or what you would be willing to do/help with in order to help bring Roper back home.

Whatever is done is not going to be able to be handled by one person. I will need your help no matter what.

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Rebecca

10/02/2023

Here is your "feel good" story of the day ...

I was outside a few minutes ago picking tomatoes and received a call. After confirming that our dog was missing, the first thing she said was we don't have news about your dog, but we needed to call you. She went on to say that they see Roper's posters going to and from school each day. Her 6 year old son was in the car with her listening to the call, and he was concerned about Roper. In fact, he had memorized my phone number so they could call and see what her status currently is. He wanted me to know that he hoped we got her back soon. I don't know about you, but tears were in my eyes at that point. God bless the children and their parents who are willing to make calls based on the child's concern and memorized phone number.

09/28/2023

Still Missing, still looking ....

09/26/2023

Just began a 3rd FB ad campaign which should also hit Instagram. If it comes across your feed (local peeps), it will be most appreciated if you would share it. Thanks!