News Release

August 6, 2004
Contact: Abigail Smith
Dir. of Development & Marketing
Phone: (603) 772-2921 ext. 106

For Immediate Release

Stratham, NH -
Runaway Dog missing for 2+ Months

For more than 80 days a dog has been on the run in the Candia, NH area. Since May 17th the dog's owner, along with staff at the NHSPCA, have been trying to capture Sam, a 2 ½ year old neutered male Golden Retriever. Help is needed from the community to bring this dog home to safety.

On May 17, 2004, Steve Sprowl, Animal Cruelty Investigator for the NHSPCA, received a phone call from Dennis Sklarski. Three or four days prior to the call for help Mr. Sklarski was walking with his dog Sam outside his place of business at Birchwood Plaza in Candia, NH. Mr. Sklarski fell in the parking lot, dropping the flexi-leash Sam was attached to, sending the dog off and running. Although volunteers and staff at the NHSPCA have spent more than 80 hours trying to help Mr. Sklarski capture Sam, he is still on the loose today.

Sam was an abused dog that Mr. Sklarski adopted from a Memphis, TN Golden Retriever Rescue organization only three weeks before he ran away. He is timid, scared and skittish-making him difficult to catch.

On May 29th a team of 28 rescue staff and volunteers from the NHSPCA searched the woods in Candia. Although Sam was spotted, he eluded capture. Since then Sam has been spotted in Candia, Auburn, Deerfield and Raymond. The most recent sighting was a week ago in the area of Rt. 102 in Raymond. Sam was heading toward Chester. The dog seems to be using the walking/hiking trails in the area to move from town to town, and is often running the woods in the area.

Sam weighs approximately 65 lbs. and is wearing a full harness. He has on a red collar and there is about a foot of leash still trailing behind him. There is a Memphis, TN Rescue tag on the collar, as well as a green Deerfield, NH tag.

The New Hampshire SPCA is asking for help from area residents to bring Sam to safety. If anyone sees the dog they are asked to call owner Dennis Sklarski or Steve Sprowl at the NHSPCA immediately. We ask that anyone who spots Sam DO NOT CHASE HIM, but to call right away to the numbers below.
Dennis Sklarski, owner: 603 483-8030 (work), 603 463-7435 (home), 603 370-0671 (cell)
Steve Sprowl, Animal Cruelty Investigator: 603 772-2921, ext. 111(office) 603 674-9836 (cell)

The New Hampshire SPCA is a community resource center which provides animal adoption, education, investigation and sheltering services in a professional and compassionate way. The Adoption Center is open from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and closed on Wednesdays. For more information about making a donation to the New Hampshire SPCA please call (603) 772-2921 ext. 106 or visit www.nhspca.org.

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