Search still on for missing dog

Burton Ridge: More than two months after a miniature Australian shepherd named Autumn went missing from a Burton Ridge home, neighbors are still helping with the search efforts. “Everybody has rallied,” said Cynthia Bye, Autumn’s owner. “Every one of them wants so badly for us to find that dog.” On Sept. 24, Bye left Autumn and Brook, her other mini Australian shepherd, at home while she went to work. A contractor spent the day working on the outside of her home. “My biggest concern was that they were going to nip at the worker,” Bye said. But the contractor left the back gate open, and Autumn ran off. In the effort to find her dog, Bye paid for an automated telephone message to reach 2,500 residents surrounding the area and hired an animal tracker. Friends, co-workers and neighbors have all helped by putting up 200 large neon signs. She is offering a $1,000 reward for the safe return of her dog. “We have saturated the area,” she said. “We’ve spent $2,500 trying to find her.” Autumn is an adult female, but because she is a miniature, she weighs about 16 pounds and stands about 16 inches off the ground. She was last spotted near the Motel 6 on Northeast Chaklov Drive near Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard. Bye said she is confident her dog is still alive and that she will find her. “We’re not giving up. There’s been wilder stories of dogs being found.” Anyone who sees Autumn is asked to call Bye at 360-281-6928.