As exceptionally cold weather persists in the Chicago area, volunteers at a west suburban animal shelter are frantically searching for a missing foster pup that’s been on the run for nearly five days.
Joanie, a 3-year-old golden retriever mix, was rescued and brought to the United States from Beirut, Lebanon, with the help of several Chicago area rescue groups. She was being transported to her foster home Saturday when she escaped, according to Julie Schulte, a volunteer with the Magnificent Mutts Rescue in Hillside.
Schulte said Joanie is not accustomed to the Chicago climate and as the city continues to dip into dangerously low temps, concern for the dog’s well-being grows.
“It is a life and death situation for poor Joanie,” Schulte said. "It's just a dangerous situation."
Joanie was last spotted around 3 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of South Lambert and Butterfield Roads south of the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. She is wearing a collar and dragging a 6-foot leash.
Joanie is extremely timid and anyone who finds her should not call her or chase her because it could cause her to run in fear, according to a Facebook post from Magnificent Mutts Rescue.
"She's absolutely terrified," Schulte said. "She's running and she's running fast."
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The shelter believes when Joanie is not running, she is hiding under porches and decks and in bushes.
Anyone with information on Joanie’s whereabouts is asked to call 630-836-5328.
