Echo
On the way to the Metro stop, by the narrow alley way you pass every morning on the way to work, or even from the comfort of your own home you’ve seen your fair share of cautious glowing eyes belonging to one of the area’s many stray animals. With there being hundreds of lost or stray animal cases each year in the Norther Virginia area alone, it’s easy to forget that each of these four legged companions has their own story. However, few of these stories quite match Alexandria’s newest four-legged resident who recently went missing around the northern Alexandria area: a female terrier-beagle mix who goes by the name, Echo.
Echo’s story begins more than 9,000 miles away as a stray trying to survive in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. As fate would have it, she was eventually rescued by Embark, an animal rescue organization that focuses on the rescuing and adoption of street dogs in Sri Lanka.
Shortly after being nursed back to health, Echo would find that for the first time she would have a home and a loving owner by the name of Sheela Krishnan. Krishnan was working as an American state diplomat posted in Sri Lanka, when she came across Echo at one of the local shelters.
“When I first saw Echo she was behind several other dogs, curled up in the corner, scared, and protecting her babies,” Krishnan said, recapping the events of their first meeting.
Along with her fellow rescue dog Bella, Echo and Krishnan would spend the next two years in Sri Lanka, forging a bond before making the journey halfway around the world, eventually landing in their newest home in Alexandria. Despite being eager to begin the next chapter of their life, an unfortunate turn of events would result in Echo becoming startled and lost in the unfamiliar City of Alexandria.
“We went out for a walk and it was hard to see that there was another man walking his dog coming around the corner. When Echo saw the other dog It startled her and she took off running, jerking the leash out of my hand. The man was trying to run after her to bring her back, however to Echo she was being chased. I was shouting ‘Don’t chase, don’t chase! Echo stop!’”
Krishnan describes Echo as a very affectionate, very sweet dog, however her time on the streets of Sri Lanka, has made her very weary towards other people and dogs alike.
As with Echo, many pets often become lost under similar circumstances. Regarding lost pet incidents, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria states that it’s important for owners to report lost pets as soon as possible and be sure to search their own neighborhood, as well as checking in neighboring areas as it is common for lost pets to venture outside of the initial area where they become lost.
Krishnan took action immediately and began coordinating searches around the northern Alexandria area in search of Echo. Despite being forced to take down many of her search and rescue posters due to a city law that prevents the posting of certain informational flyers, Krishnan’s resolve to find her lost companion caught the attention of a fellow colleague, Jennifer Marsh. Marsh has been helping with the search and rescue campaign for Echo.
“Sheela and I work for the same organization — for the state department — and we have a Facebook group for the employees of the state department. She posted on there about Echo right after she was lost,” said Marsh.
“It really caught my attention because I have rescue dogs myself. I’m a big dog lover and she lives right down the street from me, so I contacted her and started trying to help her in any way I could to find Echo.”
Together the two created a Facebook group called “Help Echo-Lost Dog In Northern Virginia” to post and share information regarding Echo’s whereabouts and possible sittings.
“I think it has helped” Marsh said. “It’s a platform where people can share information and they can message [Sheela]. We’re hoping that it will just continue to be shared and hopefully go viral a little more. We have like 275 likes right now and still, we would love it if we had thousands and thousands because obviously that would mean that more people know about Echo’s situation …”
Echo went missing the evening of June 8 and is still missing at the time of this article. Despite this, Krishnan has not let her resolve fade and continues to search for Echo in hopes that they will soon be reunited. Echo’s last sighting was as recent as July 12 in Old Town. Krishnan wants it to be known that she is offering a reward for Echo’s safe return, but she does ask that people do not try to apprehend Echo right away, as she will most likely run away immediately. Instead she advises attempting to approach her with chicken, or another safe dog treat, to keep her in an area and send the location and a picture to Krishnan’s Cell Phone. Her number can be found on the Help Echo Facebook Page.
See Help Echo Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lostdogecho.