Update on the yorkie at the Melbourne shelter that looked like Bengi:

He was adopted out before my friend got there....to an older couple. they returned him later because he seemed sick. He had bites all over him. The shelter says he's between 6-9 yrs old. I'm sure this is him. that would make since. Its a treacherous stretch from Kissimmee to melbourne. I don't know what kind of bites they were but he's going to a rescue that can take more personal care of him than the shelter. :-(
SO sad!!!

Poor baby. :(. Maybe the rescue will be more willing to let you see him than the shelter was.

I don't understand why an animal shelter wouldn't let a person interested in a dog see it? Maybe they do things differently in Florida but I've never heard of any shelter turning someone away. Especially if it would lead to the poor dog reuniting with it's family. That just isn't right.

Do you know what rescue?
How did a rescue get him and not your friend after he was returned?
Just wondering about the poor little guy. So sad :(

A toe nail could have got broke or torn off. Especially if not attached to a toe.

I'm going to call the shelter tomorrow and try to find out what rescue is taking him. Maybe we can get more pictures then. I know a few of you are still thinking this could be Bengi, so maybe with more pictures that could be confirmed.

Ellie I think that's a good idea. It sounds like the shelter wasn't 100% helpful so I think it wouldn't hurt to double check. I pray that it works out for you in finding him.

We want it to be Bengi for YOU....I know this must be so hard. False hopes make it sting even more. Please don't lose faith just yet :(

yes Carmen, false hope is very painful; each time there is a chance that a yorkie could be Bengi and it's not is like a dagger in my chest :(

I honestly can not imagine how you must feel. :(. I am just so sorry. :(

My friend went to help and take photos but he was already adopted. After he was returned, he needed immediate medical attention so the shelter arranged for a rescue to TRY to save his life. If this is Bengi, he's been lost and alone trying to defend his life in a dense and scary central Florida wilderness with alligator, vermin, and snake infested swampland, not to mention Mosquitos ... That is what Florida is in cold wet rain. My little 5 lb furbaby wouldn't make it out alive. For this cute little guy to do so, I would have been waiting at the door to see his face, and given him love no matter what. That photo of him... Is taken 5 seconds after the shelter checks him in. Not cleaned, scared, hungry, and alone..bitten all night every night by who bows what.

I almost wish I'd not been contacted about this rescue as it has deeply torn my heart to shreds to know that his potential momma 'was too busy' this weekend to be 'bothered' when she is only 2 hours away.

Please don't start a flame war on me for stating my opinion. But I'm devastated that this boy may lose his battle with the elements over a 2 hour car ride. My furbabies are safe and warm next to me. Where is this little boy?

I still beg you to call the shelter and find out where they moved him. No one has heard from you.

OP, you asked for help. I gave my advice.

Ellie81 posted that her toddler was ill and started running a fever. No mom is going to leave her sick child who could require emergency care to drive 2 hours away until that baby is better, even if the father is there. A fever in a young toddler isn't rare but it is nothing to take your ease over and go off hours away during the illness since fevers spiking very high in young baby's can happen at any time and urgent emergent care often required. What if she got to that shelter and found out her child was in ICU or something and maybe now she's got car trouble out on the road, it starts pouring rain and traffic crawls, she has a wreck or a wreck up ahead slows things down for hours. As as mom, you take no chances with your child and you do not leave them sick - you always worry about the worst and have to be there to be your baby's comforter and caregiver and advocate for them should that fever spike and the little one wind up in the hospital. I wouldn't leave my child or let my husband leave us when our baby was sick and running fever. No way.

Besides, Ellie81 said without the toenail and the dark nose, the ear hair, there were indicators that to her said this wasn't Bengi. She knows her own dog's look and never said with any certainty "That is Bengi" on any thread and she knew his look best. And even if it were Bengi for sure, her baby is sick - could get far sicker -and needs her now. She can still make contact with the new shelter.

When my son was a toddler, he got a cold, ran fever which suddenly dangerously spiked, wouldn't come down and wound up in ICU fighting for his life with mononucleosis and raging out of his head at times his fever went so high. If I'd been out of town when he was taken into the E.R. so very ill, I never would have forgiven myself. Very few children with colds and fever end up like little Danny did but you always have to consider what might happen with a baby running a fever and always, always, always be there for your child. Your child is your heart.

:thumbup: I think we all want the OP to be reunited with Bengi, and it would be great if this was him...but it is not determined to be him at this time either. I would be ripped to shreds emotionally if I thought it was 'my' Yorkie and my child was ill, but then again, both my children had febrile seizures as toddlers, and my youngest child quit breathing twice during those seizures and required resusitation...so I can understand and respect Ellie's difficult choice.

This is such a difficult time. I'm still clinging to the thought that Bengi will somehow find his way back to his family. {{{Hugs}}}:thumbup:

Oh, how horrible. Danny's case was very rare the doctors told us and they just couldn't get his temp down that night we rushed him into the nearest hospital who had him transported to Childrens Medical Center. I prayed he would make it to the E.R. in that ambulance. Of course until testing was done and time passed, the docs didn't know what was wrong with him. They gave him ice baths, IV's, so many meds for support, fever reduction, etc., and often he would awaken through the night and just rage out of his head until they sedated him. The docs were fearing brain or cord infection and it was so scary Jimmy and I just sat and held onto each little hand and prayed and prayed. He was IH 10 days and a shell of himself when we brought him home. It was awful and started as a cold. Every cold he had after that was terrifying for a while!

Were you there in the room when yours stopped breathing? I can't imagine the terror if you were! I imagine that aged you a good 5 years per child! Kids are so fragile when gravely ill.

Ellie81 is in a terrible situation and I pray that her baby gets well and Bengi can come home very soon. I was reading a story on Home Again website today about a dog gone for weeks and then being found.

This is a very difficult situation, I may be out of line, but I cant help but wonder the situation at home :(

that poor little yorkie, I hope that it is Benji so he can go home and get the care that he needs/ if it is not benji he still needs a home /

I'm on pins and needles. I pray this is Benji

I just wanted to point out that the below post was posted last night (Saturday).

We are all so emotionally tied up in this and I know we all just want Ellie to have Bengi back. She's torn apart and the businesses that should be helping her are doing the opposite. From out of town - it's got to be gut wrenching.

Thank you all of you that are able to understand my situation. My daughter is much better today. But going back to that post i made yesterday asking not to judge me and stuff, well, i knew why i was writing that. Not all of you understand; it hurts when somebody says that I was "too busy to be bothered" to go and see this yorkie. You see, because he was taken in an area full of people from all around the country, Bengi could well be anywhere. That's why we are looking for him on craigslist and shelters from all Florida and nearby states. There is a high probability another yorkie that resembles Bengi will appear and he may also be far. I can just takr the car and travel hours and hours without putting the facts into consderation. I have to weight the facts in this situation, i cannot just follow my emotions, even though it's very hard to do this. That's why i come to you guys; if i see a little boy that's not in my area maybe a willing fellow yorkietalker can check him out and i know i can trust you. Unfortunatelly in this case, Angel was no able to see him nor take pictures, so I had to rely on the people at the shelter. I will not however take the word of somebody with a nasty attitude, but if sonebody seems like their care, i have to believe what they say. And this one in Melvourne wasnt 2 hours away, it was more than 2and a half, plus stops ( i have babies!) And thrn coming back... so 6 hours total in the car. I can't do that if there are many reasons to believe he's not him.

Ellie, Many of us here understand what you're saying and understand the stress and pain your going through. ;)
I'm so happy to your little girl is feeling much better today. There's nothing worse than the fear of having a sick child!
Continuing to pray for you, your family and Bengi that all you will be reunited soon! Keep the faith. :)

I think most of us understand not being able to travel with babies easily or leave the home base when a young one is ill, expecting that child to spend long hours in a moving car and all that can involve with car sickness, fretfulness, fever maybe coming back and being quite a way from the pediatrician. Even when a sick child is better, most Moms don't want them to spend a big part of their day bumping along in a car or at various rest stops or roadside cafe restrooms for changings, meals, clean-up. When small childrens' interests vs. those of a lost, possibly very ill dog that might be ours, have to be weighed, one makes certain judgments about priorities. While many of us doglovers won't agree with your decisions, others will, but in the end, it is your decision to make.

Myself, if that fever was very low-grade, falling steadily, the child really better & my mom-gut said the baby was on the mend, I might hurry-hire a nurse/
shanghai a friend, grab meds, ice, make my kids as comfortable as possible in the backseat and hie out, but I'm an extreme OT doglover idiot. If that baby was still fretful, fever up one time, down the next, red-eyed, nauseous, coughing some and not looking right, I'd have to stay home and watch that baby and die a slow death inside over that little dog's possibly being my Yorkie boy and losing him.

So alike :eek: but I may just go anyway if my mom or motherinlaw were around then again i would probably take them along and go... but im a bit extreme :(

Ellie I hope and pray for you to be reunited with Benji daily. I understand that not all of us can drop everything and run check 2 hours away. It breaks my heart that you are going through this. Laddy was gone for 2 hours recently and I was terrified I would not ever see him again. I cannot imagine what you are going through. God bless you and continued prayers that God will send His angels to bring Benji home.

oh no! but I would have gone anyway If I knew that was indeed Bengi; I would have found a way; I am an extreme dog lover as well. But I don't believe it's him, that's why I didn't go.
Many of you kept saying that it might still be him cause of this or that, I could have still gone cause some of you were pushing a little, but it was too much for me to go just for that reason.

Ok I also wanted to give an update:
-I called the shelter and found out what rescue org has this yorkie now; I'm sending them an email to see if they can provide me with more pictures of him
- I also contacted the person that posted about this other yorkie that you couldn;t see his face on the picture and after trying real hard (could he was very suspicious of people trying to claim the dog if it wasn't theirs) he send me a picture of his face and it wasn't Bengi.

We are all in this with you, praying and hoping all will be well.

I just feel so much better knowing that little guy is at a rescue now. Whew! Thanks for that update and I sure hope they can get you some more pics. Of course, I still pray it's Bengi, but I also believe the Mom knows if there is reason to think it is her child or not.

I understand the other people's suspicions but it's so frustrating when people feel that way..I mean, how else is the REAL person going to identify their pup?

Sorry that 2nd one wasn't Bengi either!! :( I'm glad they worked with you to find out for sure though!

Still praying, as always...hang in there, Ellie!

My prayers for a safe return of precious Benji. Lord, please hold this dog and allow Ellie to get there and reuinite them. In the power of the name of Jesus I pray that little Benji would go home with Ellie soon as possible. Make this favor happen for Ellie. Thank-you for your faithfulness and answer to our prayers.

Yeah, I feel the same way about those people who don't trust others. I mean, I know that yorkies are a desirable breed, but if they make it that hard for people to identify their babies they are never gonna find the owner! and they don't need to do all that cause when that pup sees its true owner for the first time he is gonna know it's the real owner, that pup is gonna jump off the walls!!!!

Amen!!! please God!!!