Homer's Owners Keep Searching For Missing Dog In Haymarket Area

HAYMARKET/GAINESVILLE, VA — The owners of Homer, a 16-month-old whippet who escaped from a car in Haymarket on the way to his new home in Ashburn, are still looking for the dog, almost three weeks after he went missing.

Katy Scheuerman and her husband were on their home from picking up Homer from a breeder in Charlottesville on Oct. 18 when they stopped to get gas in Haymarket. Homer was getting back into the car when he heard a truck make a loud noise that spooked him. He wiggled so frantically in response to the noise that he shook himself out of his collar and bolted from the car.

Scheuerman and her husband Tim followed Homer — Tim on foot and Katy in their car — into Haymarket Village and then into a residential neighborhood. They eventually lost sight of him when he went into some woods.

They believe Homer could still be in the Parks at Piedmont development in the Gainesville area north of Interstate 66. The last sighting of Homer was on Thursday, Oct. 22 just off Heathcote Boulevard in Gainesville between Old Carolina Road and Catharpin Road.

Between Sunday, Oct. 18 and Thursday, Oct. 22, there were several visual sightings of Homer, along with homeowners seeing him on their home security cameras. Since Oct. 22, there have been no sightings of the dog.

The Scheuermans have placed humane traps in the community to try to catch Homer. Food is placed inside a cage into which a dog is lured.

"There was one area where he was frequenting the first couple of nights, so we set a trap there," Scheuerman told Patch. "And we actually caught him on video camera right at the trap. But he did not go in."

Many people who live in the community have helped the Scheuermans try to find Homer. People have volunteered to help them set up the traps. The couple is working with Found Inc., a professional pet tracking company based in Virginia to find Homer.

"People in the neighborhoods have been so great and gracious to us to help us," Scheuerman said. "They basically said, 'You have free rein of our yards. Do what you need to do.'"

Newly adopted dogs pose a special problem because they have not yet bonded with their new family. The Scheuermans had adopted Homer less than two hours earlier in Charlottesville before he got spooked in the Haymarket area and ran away.

With the days getting colder, Scheuerman said she and her husband are hoping someone found Homer and took him into their home. If that happened, they are hoping the person will see their fliers or information on social media and give them a call or turn him over to a local veterinary clinic.

The Scheuermans are offering a reward for Homer's safe return — no questions asked. Contact Tim or Katy Scheuerman at 571-278-7029 or 703-593-4244 if you spot Homer.