Interest in Blue Jeans doesn't fade

People come from far, near to find lost dog from La.

Helping in the search is Diana Glass and Fallon, a kennel mate of Blue Jeans, and David Gillette, who found the dog's leash and collar. (WENDY MAEDA/GLOBE STAFF)

READING - They came from Dartmouth, Connecticut, even Louisiana, because Blue Jeans shouldn't have to go through this again.

The Australian cattle dog, rescued from certain death on the streets of Louisiana less than a year ago, was on her way to a new home Saturday when she fled the vehicle she was in near woods in this town, apparently panicked by the long drive and her new surroundings.

She remains lost, leaving only subtle evidence of her whereabouts: brief appearances in neighborhoods and the discovery of her leash and collar, the one she had when she left Louisiana.

An extensive effort is underway to find her, one that has brought together her former foster owner from Louisiana, a couple from Connecticut who adopted Blue Jeans's old kennel friend months ago and hopes their dog has the tracking skills to find her, and a family from Massachusetts longing to reunite with the dog they never really got a chance to know.

It is an effort that that has captured the attention of people in the dog rescue realm and the people of Reading.

"Almost everyone in Reading knows about this," said Natasha Colaco-Burge, who helped adopt Blue Jeans and has posted fliers throughout town about the missing dog.

"Everyone's been so concerned, genuinely, and they want to help as much as they can," she said.

Colaco-Burge first picked up Blue Jeans at a transfer point in New Hampshire, where a transportation company had brought her from Jerry's Jungle Rescue & Rehab, a kennel in Tickfaw, La. Colaco-Burge found the dog at the kennel through Petfinder.com and thought she would be a perfect gift for her parents. The dog had to go through New Hampshire because of interstate commerce laws.

Colaco-Burge and her family stopped at her home in Reading to give Blue Jeans a chance to stretch and do her dog business before continuing the trip to her parents' home in Dartmouth.

But when they opened the car door, Blue Jeans jumped out before they could grab her leash, and she fled into the woods. They spent hours looking for her, using flashlights when it got dark. A police officer also spent hours searching.

This was not the best way to start the adoption process, they knew. Colaco-Burge's mother, Ana, wondered what the people in Louisiana would think of them for losing a dog they had for only a few hours.

So they called the kennel.

What happened next is the type of storyline made for an Animal Planet television series. Tiffany Mosley, owner of the Louisiana kennel, posted missing dog reports with agencies throughout Massachusetts. One woman from a group called Toy Poodle Rescue donated a plane ticket for Mosley to fly to Massachusetts to help in the search, because of her familiarity with the dog.

Mosley contacted Steve Glass from Connecticut, who four months ago adopted Fallon, a black-mouth cur dog - the same type of dog as the one from the movie "Old Yeller" - that used to socialize with Blue Jeans. Glass offered to help in the search, thinking that if any dog could help track Blue Jeans it would be Fallon.

The widespread support has somewhat amazed Mosley, 31, who opened her foster shelter in April 2007 to house the dogs she rescued from shelters or the streets. She wouldn't find such support in Louisiana, she said.

"Where I live, people shoot strays that come in their yard and people dump their puppies," she said. "I didn't know this was possible anywhere. People don't do this where I'm from."

But she would do it, with the same care she's had for the 127 dogs that have been adopted through her shelter since it opened. It's that concern for her dogs that brought her 1,538 miles to Boston in search of Blue Jeans.

"It's pretty amazing when people come that far to search for a lost dog," Glass said. But he said the trip also gave Mosley a chance to meet the people who are now caring for her pets, far from the streets of Louisiana, where one can see more stray dogs than dogs on a leash.

Louisiana has so many strays they are often euthanized, Mosley said. Blue Jeans was days from being put down before Mosley brought her to the kennel. That's why she thought it was important to find Blue Jeans; because Blue Jeans had a home.

Some people in Reading said they spotted the dog. One neighbor found Blue Jeans's leash and harness, which were wet and muddy. Because of that, Mosley thought the dog must have gone through mud or a swamp area, so the search party went to Timberneck Swamp.

On Wednesday night, they borrowed humane traps from animal protection groups . It would be better than chasing the dog, Mosley said. She believes she is still fearful of people.

"I thought she would come to me. She honestly would come to me if she saw me," Mosley said. "But she's hiding. She's hiding from everyone."

Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.