Welcome Post-Gazette readers!

We'd like to thank Guy Costa, head of the Department of Public Works, for clarifying his department's interpretation of the posting ordinance--that it doesn't apply to lost pet fliers.

We'd also like to thank City Council President Doug Shields and Councilman Bill Peduto (and their staffs, especially Dan Gilman, Chief of Staff for Councilman Peduto) for working with us to amend the city ordinance on posting fliers. They've been looking into clarifying that the ban doesn't apply to fliers about lost pets, missing children, and crime reports. Apparently the original ordinance was meant to apply to for-profit and political advertising.

Thanks also to the volunteers from Animal Friends and the animal advocates who contacted the City Council on our behalf. We really appreciate your efforts.

Here is the full scoop on Mochi. Please help in the search and forward this to everyone you know in the City of Pittsburgh. We need all the help we can get. Thanks! :)

$REWARD$

LOST DOG: Black and tan Shiba Inu, lost in Shadyside Friday June 6th, 2008 at 6 p.m. She was 2.5 years old when lost, mostly black with tan legs and tan facial markings. She is small, about 17 lbs., and she sheds a lot. She may or may not approach strangers--she seems to be afraid of men more than women. She is non-aggressive and very shy. She is attracted to other dogs and to grassy areas and parks. She was up-to-date on shots when lost, but she does not have a microchip. According to the last sightings, she is no longer wearing her collar/tags.

Her name is Mochi (MOH-CHEE) or Angel (her previous name). She does not come when called. It is better to crouch down, offer her food (cheese or wet dog food) and wait quietly for her to approach you. If you approach her, she may bolt (she is very fast).

LAST SEEN: 2/25/09 (Wednesday) At 5:00 p.m., Mochi was seen standing in the driveway entrance of the Frick Park Environmental Center. She was seen by multiple people who were in the parking lot. She disappeared into the woods. She was very lean but readily identifiable by the mask design of her face and by her size (17 lbs.). Apparently she is still hunting and scavenging in Frick Park, and she survived the winter.

ALSO SEEN (SIGHTINGS): Within a half hour of being gone on 6/6/08, she was seen on Fifth Avenue by three separate parties--one saw her running in traffic "chasing cars" toward Oakland. Another saw her crossing Fifth Avenue near Wilkins, going toward Squirrel Hill (this is also toward a nearby dog park on Dunmoyle).

6/07/08 (Saturday) She was seen on Darlington St. in Squirrel Hill during the day, between Wightman St. and Murray Ave., hiding in a yard behind some hedges. She ran over toward Bartlett St. in the same block and would not come when called. She backed away from the people who saw her. This location is near Schenley Park.

6/09/08 (Monday) Mochi was seen in Regent Square at 1 p.m., on Mifflin Avenue closest to Forbes Avenue and Peebles Street.  She looked "calm but confused," and she was not wearing her collar.  She was accompanied by another, smaller dog that did have a collar.  She let the woman who saw her pet her.  This location is near Frick Park.

6/16/08 (Monday) In Shadyside at 7:30 a.m., Mochi was at the cross streets of Howe Street and Osterburg Way hiding in a rosebush. The caller called out, "Mochi!" and she wagged her tail. She then ran away down Osterberg Way (a trash alley) toward Fifth Avenue. She looked dirty but healthy (no collar or tags). This location is near Negley and Fifth Avenues and multiple parks.

6/16 – 19/08 (Mon. - Thurs.) One (early) morning between 6/16 and 6/19, Mochi was seen on Stratton Lane (an alley) behind 6100 Walnut Street. This location is between Emerson Street and S Highland Avenue, two blocks from the intersection of Fifth and Shady Avenues in Shadyside.

6/17/08 (Tuesday) At 7:55 p.m., Mochi was spotted 50 feet from the entrance of St. Bede's Activity Center, at the corner of Edgerton and S Dallas in Point Breeze. She may have been headed toward Shadyside to scavenge, or back to Frick Park.

6/21/08 (Saturday) At 5:00 p.m., Mochi was in Squirrel Hill on Forbes Avenue near Shady Avenue, just walking around. She walked by the Bagel Factory, the Record Exchange, and Orr's Jewelers. According to the source, no one attempted to stop her. It was noted that she did respond (by looking over) to both of her names, Angel and Mochi.

6/22/08 (Sunday) At 2:45 p.m., Mochi was seen crossing Penn Avenue at Pennwood Avenue in Wilkinsburg, just west of the railroad overpass. She headed southwest on Pennwood toward Regent Square and the area she was seen on 6/9/08. (She was likely headed back toward Frick Park.) She looked “confused” but otherwise unhurt.

6/28/08 (Saturday) At 6:00 p.m., Mochi was seen in someone’s backyard near the playground on Hobart Street (between Murray Avenue and Wightman Street) in Squirrel Hill. The source stated she looked healthy. She was followed for half an hour along Hobart Street to the intersection of Hobart Street, Bartlett, and Panther Hollow Road (the big four-way intersection in Schenley Park). She traveled mainly in people's yards. This is third time in three weeks that she was seen on a Saturday evening between five and six o’clock in Squirrel Hill.

7/19/08 (Saturday) At 12:30 p.m. Mochi was POSSIBLY seen in Universal Memorial Park in Penn Hills The caller stated they saw a small dog, mostly black with tan legs, running by the baseball field in the rear section of the park. The dog looked healthy but had no collar. WE NOW THINK THIS SIGHTING WAS OF ANOTHER DOG, since we had a trap there for a week with no result.

7/28/08 (Monday) At 6:00 p.m., Mochi was seen at the head of the Upper and Lower Panther Hollow Trails in Schenley Park. This is the trail which begins near the Bartlett St. playground and the intersection of Bartlett Street and Panther Hollow Road. Just inside where the woods begin, there is a trash can and a sign that reads "Panther Hollow." She was seen by two people at that spot. She was described as a small, black dog with white facial markings and very matted, dirty fur. She had a groundhog in her mouth, and she appeared to be heading into the woods for dinner. This is the same place where she was seen on June 28th, 2008 at the end of a half-hour chase.

WHERE TO LOOK / WHAT TO DO: Mochi has been seen all over the city, so if you are within one mile of Shadyside or two miles of Frick Park (especially the northern part), keep your eyes open; she could be anywhere. Look in alleys, yards and especially in/near wooded areas. She is often hiding in bushes and hedges, and she has been seen in yards with water features like ponds and low-lying bird baths. The yards she is seen in are typically near TRASH alleys and other food sources. Especially look during dawn and dusk, or during the afternoon.

IF YOU SEE HER:

Mochi is afraid of people. Frightened dogs are best approached by crouching and facing sideways. You may call to her softly using her name, but try to stay still and offer her food if at all possible (especially cheese). Try not to make too much direct eye contact, and do not approach her unless she approaches you first. She is very fast, and she will probably run off if approached.

CONTACT: If you have any information--even if you just see her--please call Nicole ANY time, 412-519-4956. Thank you for your help!

***NEWS & UPDATES***

POSTING FLIERS: As of July 9, 2008, Guy Costa at the Pittsburgh Public Works has confirmed that we can re-post our signs! Thanks!!! :)

We had been posting fliers in the neighborhoods where Mochi was seen, but on June 24, 2008 we got a call from the Pittsburgh Public Works warning us that we would be fined $300 per flier if we did not take them all down within two days. We were warned that inspectors would take pictures of and/or tear down every flier they could find, and that we would be asked to appear in court to pay the related fines. We were also told that there is an ordinance against posting anything on poles or city property, and that no permits regarding posting are granted. In response, we did tear down all of our fliers.

In an amazing development, the July 9th Post-Gazette article about this story reported that we were mistakenly singled out. We can again post our signs! Thanks to everyone at the City Council and the Department of Public Works for helping us try to find our dog!

SCAM PHONE CALLS

We have received scam phone calls as a result of someone seeing our fliers or ads. If anyone hears of someone doing this, you should report their behavior to the police as we have done. The details of these *awful* calls are here.

EXTRA, EXTRA!!

The Post-Gazette featured an article on July 9, 2008 about our struggle to post fliers and tell everyone about Mochi!
Here is the link: Lost dog signs turn out to be fine, not a big fine

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FLIERS

Here are black and white or color fliers for posting. (PDF)

MAPS

Click HERE for a map of Shadyside that has the trash alleys and routes we walked Mochi marked on it in yellow and blue (1.96 MB, PDF).

Click HERE for a map of Frick Park (2.18 MB, PDF).

Click HERE for a map of Point Breeze (172 KB, PDF).

Click HERE for a map of Schenley Park (1.10 MB, JPEG).

Below is a map of sightings (it may take a moment to load).

If anyone needs different file formats or more information (or if you have any suggestions), please call 412-519-4956.

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This page was last updated February 28, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.