December 17, 2004

Home for the holidays

Miraculous reunion provides ‘best Christmas present ever’

By Bea Baechle
Editor

When Evergreen resident Cecilia MacNair-Correa first spotted the little caramel-colored Dachshund waddling down the middle of Yerba Buena Road on a hot August day, little did she know of the pivotal role she and her family would play in a heartwarming Christmas reunion.

Cecilia MacNair (center) found a lost Dachshund in the summer. Her family’s search for a Christmas tree at Barone’s Christmas Tree Lot ended in a conversation with her husband Bob Correa (left), her son Sean and owner Stan Barone. Sheryl Barone holds her beloved “Shammie” or “Baby Girl” in her arms.

Cecilia had just exited Highway 101 when she noticed the dog, looking tired and confused, on this busy street. She pulled over and waited for traffic to clear before approaching the dog, picking her up and carrying her out of harm’s way.

“I looked around but couldn’t see anyone searching for a dog, so I put the little dog into my car and drove home,” said Cecilia, who owns a Jack Russell dog named King Arthur. The Dachshund eagerly devoured some of King Arthur’s dog food and lapped up a bowl of water before curling up by the fireplace.

When Cecilia’s 10-year-old son Sean came home from James F. Smith Elementary School, he got all excited about owning another dog, but his mom explained what had transpired and her plan to try to find the owners of this lost dog.

They began by visiting two local veterinary offices and leaving a flyer with a description of the dog and their telephone number. Next, they stopped at a local pet store and left another flyer. They even drove up and down Yerba Buena Road where Cecilia had found the dog to see if anyone had posted a flyer, to no avail.

One of the family
“As the weeks passed by, we kept hoping someone would call, but no one did,” recalled Cecilia. “So we assumed since no one called to claim this great little doggie, we now had an addition to the family household.

“We knew that whoever owned this dog had taken very good care of her and spoiled her,” continued Cecilia. “We took her to the vet, had her checked over and gave her the new name Baby Girl. The dog took to us immediately.”

In turn, Cecilia, her husband Bob Correa and particularly their son Sean grew to love the little wiener dog, which was definitely becoming a part of the family.

“Baby Girl would bark whenever she had to go outside to do her duty or do a little dance and bark when her water container was empty,” said Cecilia. “When we were watching TV she would always want to get up on the couch and sit next to us. One of the best sights was when we would go somewhere and come back home, she would wiggle back and forth with excitement when she saw us coming through the front door.”

She followed Sean everywhere, and at night, a particular growl signaled Baby Girl’s request for Sean to pick her up and place her on his bed because her short, stubby legs couldn’t jump that high. Once up there, she would crawl under his covers and fall asleep at Sean’s feet.

Christmas season arrives
The months flew by, and it was time for the family to go look for a Christmas tree.

“We normally get our tree from a friend’s tree lot, but this year, we decided to look around,” explained Cecilia. “We were on the way to a specific lot, when I told Bob, ‘Let’s stop here at Barone’s Tree Lot.’ [on White Road between Tully and Marten]. We got out and finally found a tree we liked. We were about to pay for the tree when my son told the lot owner that we had two dogs—a Jack Russell and a Dachshund.”

The tree lot owner Stan Barone replied, “We had a Dachshund dog too, but he got lost about five or six months ago.”

Cecilia remarked, “That’s about the time we found our Dachshund dog.” Stan immediately asked where they had found her, and much too his surprise, it was within three or four miles of where he had lost his dog.

He asked for a description of Baby Girl, and the family grew excited that maybe, just maybe, they had finally found the owner of the dog they had rescued. Stan asked the family if they would go get Baby Girl to determine if it really was his dog.

They returned with Baby Girl, but Stan couldn’t positively identify her. The dog had belonged to his in-laws before joining the Barone family when the elder couple passed away four years ago. Stan asked if they could follow his son to his home to show his wife Sheryl the dog.

A grateful family rejoices
“On Dec. 12, my husband called me from our Christmas tree lot to tell me that our sons were coming home a little early with the ‘best Christmas gift ever.’ My mind raced trying to figure out what it could be and why it was being delivered so soon,” said Sheryl.

“In my wildest dreams, I never would have guessed the wonderful surprise that awaited me,” she continued. “When the boys arrived, accompanied with strangers, I was a little confused. But soon I couldn’t believe my eyes—Shammie girl was home! Part of me was in shock and the other on the edge of passing out, and then I began to cry. It truly was the best present I could ever ask for.”

Sheryl noted that the “strangers,” were not that at all, “they were Shammie’s new loving family and now a great and cherished extension to our very own. Our little girl was home, and she looked so healthy, happy and well taken care of. You could see that she was found and loved by a wonderful family, and we are eternally thankful for that.”

The little dog barreled into the familiar house and started running around the couch and kitchen. “As you can imagine, it was a Kodak moment,” said Cecilia. “There were tears of joy as Mrs. Barone reached down and hugged her dog.”

Coincidence, luck or a miracle?
“It was the eve of what would have been my Mom’s birthday, and our family was blessed with our very own Christmas miracle,” said Sheryl, noting that Shammie holds a special place in her heart as a loving memory of her mom and the only “girl” in a family of three sons.

“What made Bob, Cecilia and their son Sean come into our Christmas tree lot that night?” asks Sheryl. “What made Cecilia suddenly decide to go to our lot instead of the one they were originally directed toward? Then, what persuaded them to stand by the fire, converse about pets with my husband? To bring up dogs and talk about our dog that was lost and theirs, which was saved from Highway 101?”

For Sheryl, so many factors of this reunion cannot be justified or rationally explained. For instance, Shammie is the dog’s official name because she was born on St. Patrick’s Day. Yet her second father called the dog his ‘Baby Girl,’ which coincidentally, Bob, Cecilia and Sean had named her.

“Some may say coincidence, others luck, but I truly believe it was a miracle!” said Sheryl. “A miracle guided by the comforting hand of my Mom’s and Jim’s spirits and the angels of heaven. We are truly blessed and grateful for this wonderful present that could never be replaced or forgotten.

“She is a wonderful dog and she brings a great deal of warmth and comfort to our family,” concluded Sheryl. “The miraculous event of Dec. 12 will forever be cherished in our family.”

As for Sean, he’s clear about one thing. “I don’t want any Christmas presents, I just want another dog like Baby Girl.”