Is This The Most Expensive Missing Dog In The World?

What’s the true price tag on man’s — or woman’s — best friend?

To one owner, it’s at least $35,000. And counting.

Georgetown resident Janet Mihalyfi has spent that much money and a year of her life searching for her missing 5-year-old mixed breed, Havoc.

Mihalyfi refuses to give up looking for her dog that went missing just more than a year ago, on Nov. 9, 2013.

Mihalyfi was walking Havoc and his sister, Raze, at 7 in the morning at the Dalecarlia Reservoir on the border of the District and Bethesda, MD, for the first time. The day was hot. Mihalyfi let the dogs off of their leashes to get a drink at the nearby river. When a deer ran by and went through a hole in the fence, the two dogs followed. When the owner called for them, Raze returned but Havoc did not.

How does one woman spend $35,000 a year on the search for a dog? The top expenses:

• Flyers: New ones are hung around D.C. every one or two weeks in locations with lots of traffic and areas where Havoc has been confirmed to have been spotted. There have been three different flyers featuring alternative colors and pictures of the dog since he has gone missing.
  
• Dog Trackers: Three dogs are brought in every few weeks to two months to sniff out the areas where Havoc sightings have been reported. The dogs sniff his scent to follow the path of where he has been.
• Feed Stations: Eight stations are set up in areas around the District where Havoc’s presence has been confirmed by the dog trackers. Dry food is refilled every day and if Havoc is caught on camera at a station, hot dogs or ground beef are added to the dish.
• Critter Cameras: One camera is arranged at each of the eight feed stations; the cameras are motion and heat sensitive, attached to trees or fences, and are located at knee level and aimed at the ground to get animal pictures. Five have been stolen over the past year but were all replaced by Mihalyfi.

So why hasn’t the owner given up on her search that has already cost her one year and 35-grand?

“Why would I give up if I keep getting sightings?” Mihalyfi said to Patch. “People who give up aren’t going to get sightings.”

Mihalyfi adopted Havoc when she was living in Boston and then moved to The Palisades, D.C. After Havoc went missing, she moved to Georgetown to be closer to his wandering locations.

Volunteers help post flyers and five people refill the feeding stations every day.

Mihalyfi says that she receives a report of a sighting of the 50-pound dog with mostly black fur and tan paws and spots around his eyes at least every three weeks. When someone calls saying they’ve seen Havoc, she asks various questions about his appearance. If the description sounds like her dog, Mihalyfi emails that person a lineup of six dogs, one of which is Havoc. If the tip checks out, the dog trackers are called into action.

Only about 30 to 40 percent of the calls, she believes, have turned out to actually be Havoc.

In the beginning, Havoc was not afraid of people but now he is likely to run away if approached. He does not know the D.C. area well since it was his first time at the Dalecarlia Reservoir when he went missing.

The dog trackers that are used to check on Havoc sighting calls have shown that he is still in the area.

“I’m lucky that he hasn’t veered far,” Mihalyfi said. “He’s only wandered four or five miles from when he first went missing.”

Mihalyfi says that the best thing to do if someone spots her dog is to call her right away. Havoc may be lured with food but is very afraid.

A reward is being offered for his return.

Anyone who spots Havoc should call his owner at 248-755-7594.

For more information, visit the Bring Havoc Home website or Facebook

Photo Credit: BringHavocHome.com

See Also:

Rescue Workers Unite to Save Trapped Dog

Middletown Patch Readers Help Reunite Owner and Lost Pooch