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The mini sheltie's running away when the family moved has left the 13-year-old flustered.
By KENT FISCHER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 9, 2002
HUDSON -- Laddy always seems to know when Anthony Garton is in trouble. He runs in circles, barking, whenever Anthony has a seizure. Once, when Anthony fell out of bed, it was Laddy who opened the bedroom door and alerted the boy's mom.
But now, it's Laddy who is in trouble, and Anthony's mom Shelley doesn't know what to do.
Laddy, a 6-year-old sheltie, ran off last week as the Gartons moved into a new home. And Anthony, who has cerebral palsy, is thoroughly flustered.
Anthony, 13, must use a wheelchair. He doesn't speak and can't care for himself. Laddy was his constant companion. In the days after Laddy ran off, Anthony stopped eating. At Hudson High School, Anthony was withdrawn, and he chewed his fingers and fidgeted.
"He wouldn't even take his pudding, and that's his favorite," Shelley Garton said. "He's not himself. He's not eating. He doesn't laugh. He doesn't smile."
Laddy sports a blazing mane of white fur. His snout is light brown, while his body is black. He wears a red collar with new county tags. Neighbors last saw Laddy on Saturday, near Lancer Road and Boland Avenue in Shady Hills. They couldn't catch him.
"We looked and looked until it was dark," she said.
Garton bought Laddy when he was just eight weeks old. She had heard that pets can be therapeutic for disabled children, and the family's other two dogs were too rough to be around Anthony.
There was an immediate bond.
"It's like he knows," Shelley Garton said of Laddy's apparent intuition regarding Anthony's disability. "This dog took to Anthony. If Anthony is on the couch, Laddy is right there in his lap. He follows the wheelchair around. He sleeps in Anthony's bed. He lets us know when something is wrong. It's scary without him."
Laddy has been gone since Oct. 2, three days after the Gartons moved into their new house on Nicks Drive in Hudson. Previously, they lived on Edna Drive in Hudson. Their old neighbors are keeping an eye out for Laddy.
Shelley thinks Laddy sneaked out while her other children were moving boxes in and out of the garage. He was an indoor dog.
"He's snuck out before, but he's never run off like this," she said. "Anthony needs his dog back."
Garton wants to hear from anyone who knows anything about Laddy's whereabouts. She can be reached at (727) 856-0380.
-- Kent Fischer can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6241 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6241. His e-mail address is kfischer@sptimes.com.