KCs Story-Lost Dog Returned, Special To Family

My family is originally from Independence. My older brothers moved to Chanute and both of them started their families there. Of course my mom wanted to follow to be close to her grandchildren. She, my little brother and I moved to Chanute around 2001. In 2002 my brother’s dog had a litter of dachshunds. My mom had picked out the one she thought she was in love with and my dad chose another. The one my mom picked out changed in looks dramatically. He got this almost weird shorter face and this really bad overbite. You could see his teeth from all angles. It was almost one of those "he's so ugly he's cute" deals. Anyway, to keep the story going, my mom traded my dad dogs.

My parents had been divorced and living in separate homes but were the best of friends I have ever seen. My dad remained in Independence and now had a new best friend he named K. C. after the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mid 2003 my mom became ill and wasn't able to do much. She had gone to different doctors with the biggest complaint of her back hurting tremendously. My dad left everything he owned except K. C. and moved to Chanute to be any help he could to my mom.

In November of that year she was diagnosed with lung/liver cancer. This was the hardest thing my dad had faced in his lifetime and talking to us kids didn't make things better for him. He didn't want to scare us more then we already were. He and K. C. had always been best buds, fishing partners and roommates. So of course as silly as it may sound he turned to his "ugly" dog K. C. That dog was the one thing he could say anything too.

We lost my mom just four months later in March of 05. We all came together to help one another, but no one helped my dad get thru that more then K. C.

My dad and K. C. both remained in Chanute. In April 2009 my dad moved back to Independence, feeling it was time to start again. After a week of being back, the apartment he was in had a water leak. His landlord and the insurance adjuster went into his apartment while my dad was at work and by mistake they didn't get the door latched shut when they left.

My dad came home that evening to find his door open and his one best friend in the world missing. The first thing he did was walk the apartment and every street around him, looking in alleys, under dumpsters and behind everything in sight.

called me crying so hard I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I was able to hear him say that K. C. got out and was gone. He went to AWOL the next day and did a walk thru, but K. C. wasn't there. He posted up a missing dog flyer on their bulletin board. That night I don't think he slept at all and having just moved to Independence and started a new job he couldn't miss work.

I called everyone in Independence that day I could think of asking if they had seen him or knew of anyone else to call. A lady at the radio station in independence told me about a station out of Coffeyville that has "open air" from 9:00am-10:00am Monday thru Friday so I made that phone call trying to get the word out. She also is the one that told me about Critter Corner. I posted an ad on there and got a response from Charlene asking some questions that I had not thought of to put on my ad. That very same day, the manager of the Pet Shop in Independence went to post a found ad on Critter Corner for K.C. because someone had found him and brought him into the Pet Shop, and she found my lost ad.

Critter Corner saved the dog that saved my dad. When K. C. got out he didn't have his tags on him so we had no way of linking K. C. to my dad. Critter Corner made that possible and brought those two very special people back together.

I just have to say thank you for me and my dad, for all you do to find lost pets and bring them back to their owners. You truly are a blessing to us!!!!