Dogs Lost in the Heart of Hurricane Sandy

Update at 9:14 a.m. Tuesday: The dogs were safely returned.

A Ridgewood woman and her family are distraught after their two basset hounds escaped from a Mastin Place backyard Monday as gusts from Huricane Sandy ripped limbs from trees across the county.

"I let my two dogs out in the back yard for their final run of the night," Jeanne Johnson told Patch Monday night. "It was dark and I didn't see that the fence was down. They've run away."

Johnson said she grabbed the flashlight and ventured outside with neighbors, but the extreme elements — winds gusts up to 75 mph and trees crashing onto electrified wires and homes — forced them back indoors.

"We went in my car but the downed trees and powerlines stopped us," an emotional Johnson told Patch. "I just pray my dogs are safe! Hopefully [they're] under someone's patio or something."

The weather is expected to worsen overnight, officials say.

The basset hounds are named Mango and Finn, she said. Johnson believes the dogs are in the area of Walnut Street. Their phone number is in their collars.

If you have seen either dog please contact Jeanne Johnson at 201-851-3262 or e-mail her at jeannehope@yahoo.com.

"I'm just sick," Johnson said. "My kids are too."

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