This Christmas, Leif Perri's mother says he wants one thing above all else — for God to find his missing dog, Otto, and give the dog to Santa so he and family can have the pup back for the holidays.
Otto, a red 4-year-old short-haired dachshund, was abused as a puppy until he was rescued then adopted by the Perri family in 2010. The still-skittish dog went missing on Oct. 12, Leif's fifth birthday.
After nearly two months of searching door-to-door, putting up fliers and using social media to help find their dog, the Perri's took an a huge step.
On Friday, after crowd sourcing to raise nearly $1,000 to cover the cost, they put up a 50-foot billboard on Orange Boulevard overlooking State Road 46 in Sanford.
"We'd pretty much done everything to spread the word because he's been missing so long," said Ingrid Perri, Leif's mother. "We finally rented a billboard. We felt like it would really get some attention."
And then the billboard company, Beech Outdoor Advertising, seemed to feel the holiday spirit. They gave the family a second billboard, this one digital overlooking Interstate 4 in Seminole County with the words "OTTO – LOST IN LAKE MARY" along with the family's phone number displayed for thousands of residents and visitors to see.
"It's tough to tell the kids we don't know exactly when he'll be home," Ingrid Perri said. "But we're hoping to get him back in time for Christmas."
Otto ran away when a table fell as Leif's parents clean up their backyard after his party. He weighs about 14 pounds and the fur on his nose sticks up like a mohawk. Because he was abused as a puppy, he gets a little nervous around loud noises and people, especially men.
If you've seen this pup, his family misses him. Call Ingrid at 407-491-6491.
dstennett@tribune.com or 407-420-5447
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-missing-dog-billboard-christmas-20131207,0,2529292.story
Otto, a red 4-year-old short-haired dachshund, was abused as a puppy until he was rescued then adopted by the Perri family in 2010. The still-skittish dog went missing on Oct. 12, Leif's fifth birthday.
After nearly two months of searching door-to-door, putting up fliers and using social media to help find their dog, the Perri's took an a huge step.
On Friday, after crowd sourcing to raise nearly $1,000 to cover the cost, they put up a 50-foot billboard on Orange Boulevard overlooking State Road 46 in Sanford.
"We'd pretty much done everything to spread the word because he's been missing so long," said Ingrid Perri, Leif's mother. "We finally rented a billboard. We felt like it would really get some attention."
And then the billboard company, Beech Outdoor Advertising, seemed to feel the holiday spirit. They gave the family a second billboard, this one digital overlooking Interstate 4 in Seminole County with the words "OTTO – LOST IN LAKE MARY" along with the family's phone number displayed for thousands of residents and visitors to see.
"It's tough to tell the kids we don't know exactly when he'll be home," Ingrid Perri said. "But we're hoping to get him back in time for Christmas."
Otto ran away when a table fell as Leif's parents clean up their backyard after his party. He weighs about 14 pounds and the fur on his nose sticks up like a mohawk. Because he was abused as a puppy, he gets a little nervous around loud noises and people, especially men.
If you've seen this pup, his family misses him. Call Ingrid at 407-491-6491.
dstennett@tribune.com or 407-420-5447
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-missing-dog-billboard-christmas-20131207,0,2529292.story
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