From today's Chicago Tribune on line:
September 19, 2007
When Tom Finley's dog disappeared earlier this month, he was certain that 12-year-old Reba was taken because someone believed he couldn't care for her. Many people know that Finley, who totes Reba around town in a trailer hooked to his bicycle, is occasionally homeless.
The Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago has stepped in to try to reunite Finley and his blond pooch by offering the 30-pound canine a lifetime of free veterinary care.
"In this case, we'd like to help little Reba get home to Tom," said Dr. Gene Mueller, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society.
The last time Finley, 69, saw Reba she was outside a McDonald's at South Franklin Street and West Jackson Boulevard on Sept. 7, he said. Just as he always does when he purchases coffee or doughnuts, Finley left the lame husky/terrier mix outside in her cart. With hip dysplasia and incontinence, Reba never tries to leave the trailer, Finley said.
If he gets her back, Finley promised he will never let Reba out of his sight again.
"She's not going to be by herself one second," he said. "No more."
Finley has been living in a studio apartment on the North Side for about four months, he said. Receiving about $600 a month from Social Security, he has been able to scrape together the $550 rent. Inside, he's got Reba's medicine and a 50-pound bag of food.
"She's got a big, fluffy bed waiting for her," Finley added.
Mueller said the Anti-Cruelty Society learned Reba was missing from posters on street lamps, media reports and a daily posting on Craigslist. Numerous city residents have vouched for Finley and asked the society to help.
Finley and his dog have been a "fixture downtown for numerous years," Mueller said. "It's clear that he has a very special relationship with Reba."
The Anti-Cruelty Society offers veterinary care to the pets of low-incomes families throughout the city for reduced prices, Mueller said. Since the 1920s, it has run a charity veterinary clinic through donations. It has seven veterinarians on staff.
If people need help providing food for their pets, the society can help them with that as well, he said.
None of the three large shelters in the city had seen Reba as of Tuesday afternoon, Mueller said. Whoever has Reba can contact the Anti-Cruelty Society, located at 157 W. Grand Ave, with no questions asked, he said. The society will even arrange to pick up the dog. Call 312-644-8338.
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