                                ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996                 TAG: 9605200050
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: A-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Above

LOST DOGGIE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO

IT'S A MYSTERY how the lost pup from Washington state ended up in Roanoke.

If only dogs could talk.

If only a 6-year-old pug named "Pugsy," could explain how he got from Fort Lewis, an Army post in the state of Washington, to Roanoke.

"I wish he could tell me," said Al Alexander, director of the Roanoke Valley SPCA shelter. "It's one great big mystery."

An animal control officer brought Pugsy to the SPCA shelter three weeks ago. The dog was wearing tags that told shelter staff where he'd received his last rabies shots - Fort Lewis.

Alexander discovered, after calling the Fort Lewis veterinarian, that the dog belonged to Randy Fair, an Army enlistee who had been transferred to Germany a year ago. But neither the vet nor the Department of the Army in Washington, D.C., would tell Alexander where Fair was stationed in Germany.

This week, Alexander contacted the office of U.S. Sen. John Warner, R-Va. Warner's staff tracked down Fair at an Army post in Frankfurt.

Fair told them that he'd left the dog in the care of friends at Fort Lewis, Alexander said. As far as Fair knew, Pugsy still was under their care.

Warner's staff "said [Fair] was in shock," Alexander said. "He wondered how in the world his dog got to Roanoke, Va. He didn't even know where Roanoke was."

The SPCA is planning to send Pugsy to Frankfurt. A Vinton veterinarian is arranging fees and shots for overseas travel. A Roanoke pet store is donating an animal carrier.

"There's one little glitch," Alexander said. "His little air fare is $432."

"If anyone wants to help Pugsy get home, I'd sure appreciate it," Alexander said. "My only concern is getting these two back together."

The SPCA has set up a "Pugsy" fund. Anyone who wants to donate should mail their contributions to: The Roanoke Valley SPCA, P.O. Box 11863, Attn: "Pugsy", Roanoke, Va. 24022. Call 981-1077 for more information.

LENGTH: Short :   46 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  Pugsy\Will see owner soon. color.

by CNB