8A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • DECEMBER 19, 2018
Anna
Joe eating a sandwich.
“If it was a car though, all of
her injuries would be the same,
you know?” Asleson said. “My
vet said they’re at all diff erent
stages of healing, she didn’t
sustain them all at once.”
Chevron has security footage
and the Aslesons are waiting to
hear back to see if there is any
evidence Anna was dumped
there before being found.
“She has injuries so if I can
fi nd those people and pursue
this, we might,” she said. “But
I want to keep things love and
from A1
time between when Asleson
could drive down from Wash-
ington and drive the streets,
putting up fl iers on nearly ev-
ery business in town.
“Th e reason they have their
dog back? Because Anna’s mom
and dad are a force of nature,”
Spevak said.
Joe Reeves, however, was not
a member of the Bring Anna
Home page so when he saw
what he thought was a white
goat in the tangle of blackberry
bushes behind Chevron as he
worked the station, he didn’t
make the connection. It wasn’t
until he walked back inside,
passed the missing poster taped
to the sliding doors that he re-
alized.
“I was sitting at home in my
robe talking with people about
what to do next and this mes-
sage comes up,” Asleson said.
“It was like, ‘I think they found
Anna.’ I got the text at 3:14
(p.m.) and I didn’t want to send
people out again. I felt like I was
starting to become a nuisance
to the community and we had,
had so many other sightings
that turned out not to be her.”
It was Donna Stearns, who
had messaged Asleson just
minutes before who didn’t take
no for an answer.
“We were having a conver-
sation on messenger and she
got this message,” Stearns said.
“She told me the location and I
said, ‘I’m 15 minutes away, I’ll
go there right now!’”
By the time Stearns arrived,
there was a cluster of men in
the parking lot and, in the far
corner of the blackberry bush-
es, a white dog.
“It’s so noisy back there with
the semi-trucks idling and the
noise from the freeway, I was
afraid we would spook her and
she’d run up the embankment
to the highway and we’d lose
her,” Stearns said. “But then
Cassie put the call out on Face-
book and people started show-
ing up.”
Th e message, posted at
3:41 p.m. read, “NEED EV-
ERYONE'S HELP THAT'S
ABLE. PLEASE GO TO THE
CHEVRON ON GATEWAY
BY MCDONALD'S. We have
99% sure spotting but she is
terrifi ed and we need bodies
to help make sure she doesn't
get on the highway! Please
help! DO NOT SPOOK HER.
FIND DONNA. WORK TO-
GETHER.” Within minutes,
eight cars of volunteers pulled
into the gas station.
First, there was a group of
young girls who spread out
to make sure Anna didn’t run
into the parking lot. Th en,
Greg Howe came and ral-
lied people to the top of the
embankment so she couldn’t
dart onto the high way.
“I was just in the car know-
ing it was going to take me
hours to get there because
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We provide prompt and reliable, public
transportation. Our experienced, courteous drivers
will take you to appointments on time.
PHOTO C/O CASSIE ASLESON
The Aslesons, pictured above, were reunited with their dog, Anna, who escaped in Cottage
Grove in late Nov. To celebrate, they took family holiday photos.
at this point it’s 4 p.m. and it’s
Portland rush hour and I just
kept messaging saying ‘Work
together, don’t spook her,’”
Asleson said. “But it’s like tor-
rential rain and I’m driving fi ve
miles per hour just praying it’s
her.”
No one remembers who
spotted the markings on Anna’s
ears fi rst. She was hard to see
through the jungle of blackber-
ries—vanishing and reappear-
ing as a white dash every few
minutes. But once they were
sure it was her, people started
wading into the bushes.
“Joe had given her his peanut
butter and jelly sandwich and
she took it so we knew she was
hungry,” Stearns said. “So I left
to go get a cheeseburger to lure
her out.”
Duane Taddei had seen the
call on Facebook and appeared
with clippers to help cut the
bushes down. Greg Howe,
armed with just a jacket and no
gloves, dove into and managed
to grab onto Anna.
“He ended up getting bit
because she was so scared but
once he had her, you can see in
the photo, she’s not struggling
to get down,” Stearns said.
“I can never thank this town
enough. Th ere were people
there just bleeding from the
thorns on the bushes and had
stayed with her. One girl, who
went with her to the vet, she
stayed with her for hours until
I got there,” Asleson said.
And while Anna is safely at
home, her journey isn’t over.
She has a broken pelvis, frac-
tures in her legs and may be
facing amputation. But her in-
juries only add to the specula-
tion of her disappearance. For
Asleson, she’s sure someone
had been keeping Anna.
“I know because I have them
on voice recording saying the
family that had her was going
to keep her and my vet said she
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was kept. She had been outside
for 18 days in the rain but she
wasn’t dirty. She’s a white dog.
Her paw pads were fi ne too,”
she said.
Other theories include a run
in with a car and local law en-
forcement say the dog may
have just been too skittish to
approach people until that last
day at Chevron when Anna saw
Medical Offi ces • Pharmacies
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1450 Birch Ave, Cottage Grove
southlanetransit.com
541-942-0456
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Worship
Directory
First Baptist Church
301 S. 6th st • 541-942-8242
Interim Pastor: Reed Webster
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship Service 11:00am
Youth Wednesday 6:30pm
cgfi rstbaptist.com
DRAIN:
HOPE U.M.C.
131 W “A” St. Drain, OR
541-315-1617
Pastor: Lura Kidner-Miesen
Fellowship & Song: 11:30am
Potluck Lunch: 12:00pm
Worship: 12:30pm
First Presbyterian Church
3rd and Adams St
541-942-4479
Rev.: Karen Hill
Worship: 10:00am
Sunday School: 10:00am
fpcgrove.com
COTTAGE GROVE:
6th & Gibbs Church of Christ
195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822
10:00am
Christian Education:
Pre-K through 5th
www.6thandgibbs.com
Calvary Baptist Church
77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290
Pastor: Riley Hendricks
Sunday School: 9:45am
Worship: 11:00am
The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm
Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm
Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
1447 Hwy 99 (Village Plaza)
541-942-6842
Pastor: Jeff Smith
Two Services on Sun:
9am & 10:45am
Youth Group Bible Study
Child Care 10:45am Service Only
www.cgcalvary.org
Church of Christ
420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565
Sunday Service: 10:30am
Cottage Grove Bible Church
1200 East Quincy Avenue
541-942-4771
Pastor:Bob Singer
Worship 11am
Sunday School:9:45am
AWANA age 3-8th Grade,
Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm
www.cgbible.org
Living Faith
Assembly
Church
Cottage Grove Faith Center
33761 Row River Rd.
541-942-4851
Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett
www.cg4.tv
Full Childrenʼs Ministry available
Services: 9:00am & 10:45am
Delight Valley
Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Rd. East
541-942-7711 • Pastor: Bob Friend
Two Services:
9am - Classic in the Chapel
10:30am - Contemporary in the
Auditorium
Hope Fellowship
United Pentecostal Church
100 S. Gateway Blvd.
541-942-2061
Pastor: Dave Bragg
Worship: 11:00am Sunday
Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday
www.hopefellowshipupc.com
“FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”
Living Faith Assembly
467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612
Worship Services Sundays: 9a & 11a
Youth Worship Sundays: 11a (all ages
welcome)
Mondays: 5:30p (6th-12th grades)
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050
Rev. Lawrence Crumb
“Church with the fl ags.”
Worship: Sunday 10:30am
All Welcome
Seventh-day Adventist Church
820 South 10th Street
541-942-5213
Pastor: Kevin Miller
Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am
Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40
Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00
Trinity Lutheran Church
6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373
Pastor: James L. Markus
Sunday School & Adult Education
9:15am
Sunday Worship 10:30 am
Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur
5:00pm TLC Groups
tlccg.com
United Methodist Church
334 Washington • 541-942-3033
Pastor:Lura Kidner-Miesen
Worship: 10:30am
umcgrove.org
“VICTORY” Country Church
913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913
Pastor: Barbara Dockery
Worship Service: 10:00am
Message: “WE BELIEVE IN
MIRACLES”
Non-Denominational
Church of Christ
1041 Pennoyer Ave
541-942-8928
Preacher: Tony Martin
Sunday Bible Study:10:00am
CRESWELL:
Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm Creswell Presbyterian Church
www.pennoyeravecoc.com
75 S 4th S • 541-895-3419
Rev. Seth Wheeler
Old Time Gospel Fellowship
Adult Sunday School 9:15am
103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999
Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am
Pastor: Jim Edwards
website www.creswellpres.org
Sunday Service: 10:00am
Join in Traditional Christian Worship
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
and St. Philip Benizi
Catholic Churches
1025 N. 19th St.
541-942-3420
Father: Joseph Hung Nguyen
Holy Mass:
Tue-Thu: 8:30am; Sat:5:30pm
Sun: 10:30am
Confession: After daily mass,
Sat. 4-5pm or by appointment
St. Philip Benizi, Creswell
552 Holbrock Lane
541-895-8686, Sunday: 8:30am
Worship
With Us!
Our Worship Directory is a weekly feature
in the newspaper. If your congregation
Candlelight Service
Dec 23rd
9:00am and 11:00am
would like to be a part of this directory,
please contact the
Candlelight Service
Dec 24th
6:00pm
light. I mean the magic is so
incredible. Roxann helped me
fi nd her and my dog’s name was
Roxy and Greg Howe showed
up with his wife whose name
is Anna. What if I hadn’t been
messaging with Donna specif-
ically who just happened to be
in Cottage Grove 15 minutes
away? What if Joe hadn’t been
looking in that direction or if
Anna wasn’t in a clear patch of
the bushes for him to see her?
Th is town never stopped. I can
never thank them enough to
have my Anna back.”
467 S 10th St, Cottage Grove, OR
541.942.2612
Cottage Grove Sentinel
@ 541-942-3325