Press release:
Many of our readers have seen posters like this (see attached) around town in Asheville, Canton, and other localities. A 16-year-old female blue heeler dog named Eben has been missing since August 1st. Her owner, Barbie Angell of Asheville, may also be familiar. Barbie is a local poet, artist, and entertainer known for her clever insights and fashion statements featuring lots of tulle and stripes. Those who know Angell say that she is nearly always upbeat and full of encouragement for others, but now she is sad, worried, and desperate to find her missing dog.
Angell has gone to extraordinary measures to locate her beloved Eben, a dog she picked out of the litter at two days old. In addition to distributing fliers and daily posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, this determined dog owner has enlisted the help from friends, colleagues, and even strangers who are touched by Angell’s un-ending devotion and desire to find her elderly dog.
Efforts to help Angell find her missing dog have stretched beyond the local community. People from as far as Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and beyond have assisted via GoFundMe donations and by sharing Angell’s Facebook and Twitter posts. Hundreds of people have come together to help Angell in her search for Eben. The donations are being used to pay for scent-tracking dogs which, over the past few weeks, have directed the search to the areas of Academy St. in Canton, which is about a mile from Angell’s home.
According to Angell, a “bad series of circumstances” allowed Eben to escape from her fenced yard. Over three weeks later, Angell is not giving up, and the ongoing support from the community is overwhelming. Angell says, “People I’d never met, complete strangers, are coming out to walk with me, conducting their own searches, passing out fliers and contacting local shelters and pet hospitals,” Folks have driven from as far away as Marshall and Old Fort, and several communities in between.
Much of the search has focused on Academy St. in Canton, an area where the tracking dogs followed Eben’s scent. Recent sightings in that area suggest that Eben may have been taken in by a well-intended stranger, who might think Eben was abandoned. Angell and her team of helpers have followed up on several leads, but Eben still remains at large.
Angell asks that people in Canton, NC search their property for Eben, who was wearing a green collar. She may be trapped, injured, or hiding and since she doesn’t bark, she could be under your shed and you wouldn’t know.
She weighs about 40 lbs, perhaps less now that she has been without food. Her coat is a bluish-grey, and her legs are a reddish color. Unlike most blue heelers, Eben has a full tail. Frail and elderly, Eben’s gait is slow, as her legs are stiff, she has frequent falls, and is slow to rise from sitting or lying down. Eben may startle easily, as she has lost much of her vision and hearing from old age.
If you think you see Eben, please take a photo with your phone and contact Barbie Angell at 828.808.9080 as soon as possible. Angell says, “I’m not going to give up. I will find her.”
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