A Christmas miracle was awaited in the life of Ashley Morgan and her family this year, after their dog named Mr. Pickles went missing, however, thanks to the efforts of the local community the dog is now safely at home.
“Mr. Pickles is a 6-year-old miniature schnauzer that she has owned since the time he was a puppy. He will be 7 by April. He was named for Morgan’s youngest daughter, who was just 4 in the year at that time. It was three weeks ago that she realized that he was missing.
“I was terrified and scared that coyotes would have killed him. We put up a Facebook message and quickly received messages from people who claimed to have observed him on the road near our home this was a different story from the man. We learned that an outsider was picking him up by a vehicle. This is why Facebook is awesome because it has been shared so numerous times. The meteorologist James Spann shared it in Birmingham,” Morgan said.
She was tempted to make a decision on the spur of the moment by posting a post on Facebook and watching what would happen.
“Sometimes it does work however, sometimes it doesn’t work when you share information such as this. I figured it would be worth a an attempt to locate him so that we could possibly find him. The couple who picked him up was very nice and that I believed that he’d be well taken by them. It was around 10 or 11 in the evening And you’re also worried about him in the cold, if you don’t want to be devoured by coyotes. It was likely to be the three-fourth day before the man was gone.”
Morgan offered a reward of $500 in exchange for Mr. Pickles’ safe return.
“Once we made the offer We had someone message us to inform us of the location of where the man was. He was right in town and he was worth $500 reward to bring him back. The couple took him to Wendy’s drive-thru before dropping his off.” She said.
When she first heard about the message from him she was not sure whether it was real or not.
“I was skeptical initially because I had received two messages prior to that. They claimed to have him, but those proved to be frauds. I was concerned that this could be a fraud, so I informed them that I would not talk to them and instead contact my husband. He contacted them and they informed him of where he was, but they did not want him visit their home. They were looking to meet elsewhere And the next thing I can remember is that Justin forwards me an photo with Mr. Pickles.”
According to Morgan the man, According to Morgan. Pickles was found near Holmes Pecan Company’s old address located on East Watson Street in Andalusia.
“Our dogs have chipped and we’ve contacted the girls at the shelter to ensure it was Mr. Pickles. I recognized that it is Mr. Pickles as soon as the photo was released. They were very helpful to assist, in addition, The Andalusia Police Department went too to make sure that everything was on the upwards and down. When you offer an individual $500 to purchase an animal, you want to be sure that it’s an animal and not someone who is receiving your cash. They accepted the reward and handed me the dog,” she said.
Morgan said that the reunion of her and her husband was a joy. Pickles made for an thrilling moment.
“I am so glad to see him come back, even though he was aware that the dangers. My son is mine and as with children, when they are misbehaving it is thrilled to are able to bring them back when they are missing. My children were content and could rest again.”
The people in the community contacted her frequently throughout the time the man was absent due to the post on Facebook going viral.
“I was contacted each day to inquire if we were able to locate him. The wanted to find out which region he could be located in, so that they could look for him. We assumed he was from Birmingham since that’s the city where the people who spotted the man were. I’m very happy that we managed to bring him back, and am happy to be able to welcome him at home. He’s asleep in his chair as was his child who seemed delighted to meet him as they feel lonely when they’re not together,” Morgan said.
The family went to take the Mr. Pickles for a bath and haircut upon his return to make certain he was fresh and clean.
“The people who discovered him had cleaned him up and taken good care of him. They did not abuse the man, and his body was clean when he was returned.”
Morgan was extremely grateful to the efforts of the community for their assistance in finding Mr. Pickles and ultimately getting him back in good health and safety.
“When he was missing, the community showed that they cared by willingly offered to assist. After announcing a reward of $400 initially, one person wrote me a message and suggested to increase it to $500, as he was willing to pay the additional $100. He was not even familiar with me, so I paid it without asking the money, but it did show that he was thinking enough of the dog to give and accept the reward. The whole community as well as the Covington County region are eager to assist each other, particularly during the season of Christmas. He’s ready to wait for Santa Claus to come see him,” she said.
Ashley as well as Justin Morgan are the parents of two daughters: Avery, 14, and Ashlyn 11.
The article HOLIDAY DILL LIGHT Morgan the dog of their family Mr. Pickles found safe in the home of his family to be returned for Christmas was first published at The Andalusia Star-News.
