THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 5, 1995 TAG: 9506030029
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Colummn
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
I JUST THOUGHT you'd like to know that the case of Dory's Duplicate Dogs has been solved.
Remember how Dory Nissen, mother of two children, lost the family dog and brought home another that looked just like it by mistake?
Yes, the imposter ate the same food as Gunther, her white German Shepherd. It slept in Gunther's spot in the bedroom without being told. And the white dog seemed to be a dead ringer for the family pet.
Then, after assuming that the dog in their house was the family's longtime friend, Dory was startled two weeks later. Someone phoned from the pound to tell Dory that Gunther had been found.
When Dory drove to the pound, she found it was, indeed, Gunther. No doubt about it. He was even wearing the collar with his name on it.
Great. But who owned the other white dog that was also about 14 months old and weighed 90 pounds? I wrote a column about the lookalike dogs that ran in the newspaper on Saturday, May 27 with a photo.
The following Tuesday, Dory received a call from Cherilyn Sundberg and Scott Stewart who live in the Chimney Hill section of Virginia Beach.
They told Dory about their dog, Lance. Lance had been missing for two weeks, and the photo in the newspaper looked just like him, they said. They described a faint black spot behind Lance's right shoulder. And a few of the dog's habits.
``When I went home into the room where the dog was and said `Lance!' his ears rose, and he came right to me,'' Dory said. And, sure enough, the dog had a faint black spot behind the right shoulder, although she had to look carefully to find it.
Cherilyn said the dog had roamed away after she and Scott left it with a friend for several weeks - while they moved from Yorktown to a condominium in Virginia Beach. Lance strayed from the friend's house. Dory found the dog walking beside a road a few days later.
Although four others phoned to claim the dog, Dory has no doubt that Cherilyn and Scott are the owners.
On Thursday of last week, Lance's owners were reunited with their pet at the Nissen home. But, after seeing the large yard and sizeable home, they changed their minds about keeping Lance.
``We didn't think the condominium was large enough for Lance,'' Cherilyn said. ``And the dogs do get along well together.''
They decided to let Dory and her family keep Lance.
When I drove out to see the dogs on Thursday, I couldn't tell them apart, even though Cherilyn says Lance is part wolf. Dory said the folks at Virginia Beach Animal Control - and her veterinarian - told her male dogs don't usually get along when not raised together.
``But they do,'' she insisted. ``They sleep side-by-side in our bedroom. And they enjoy romping around the house and chasing each other around our large deck.''
Cherilyn left the Nissen house with a tear in her eye after saying goodbye to Lance. ``I have to think about what's best for the dog,'' she said.
Dory reminded her that she and Scott have visiting rights. It seemed to help. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
RICHARD L. DUNSTON/Staff
Cherilyn Sundberg of Virginia Beach recognized her dog, Lance, from
the newspaper.
by CNB