Cancer patient remains realistic but hopeful
By KERRI BARTLETT
For Brentwood Home Page
The last four months have been a “roller coaster of emotions” for Jill Napier. The Madison resident not only has been dealing with a diagnosis of and treatment for cancer, her beloved dog Skippy Lou is still missing.

Have you seen Skippy Lou?

Skippy Lou is a light copper-colored female retriever/lab mix. Her distinguishing characteristics are the white fur surrounding her mouth, her liver-colored nose and gold eyes. She is medium-sized, 50 to 55 pounds, and was wearing a pink collar with diamond polka dots when she disappeared. She likes chicken, cheese and bacon strips. Due to the time that she has been missing, she could look a little older and thinner than pictures indicate. She has a dip in her back and a tiny white tip on her tail. If you spot Skippy Lou, please call Kelly Hosford at 615-772-7368. For more information, please visit www.findskippylou.com.

The last confirmed sighting of her 6-year-old retriever/lab mix came three weeks ago in the Indian Point subdivision off Concord Road.

Napier remains hopeful but realistic.

And while Skippy Lou has not yet been returned home, she reports that she is happy that due to the extensive search for her dog, about seven or eight other missing dogs have been rescued.

It has not been the best year for Napier. First she lost her job about a year ago; then came the diagnoses of two types of cancer and subsequent invasive surgery. It was at that point that Skippy Lou ran away from her Brentwood dog sitter’s home. More recently, Napier was unable to receive her chemotherapy treatments due to an almost fatal infection. However, she recovered and will resume her treatments Thursday.

“The Nashville animal rescue community is such a wonderful group with such big hearts. My heart and appreciation go out to the volunteers for their efforts, which have gone above and beyond the call of duty,” she said. “Their kindness and care is priceless, and I could never fully repay them for what they have done.”  

“Aside from looking for Skippy Lou, they have helped me in so many other ways. They have brought me meals, checked on me, and given me inspirational material.”

Much community effort has been put forth in the search for Skippy Lou. In September, Leslie Morrison, an experienced volunteer animal rescuer of 15 years, organized an ongoing search team comprised of volunteer members from various animal rescue organizations, who are still searching today. Flyers were posted around the community (although city ordinances required them to be taken down). Volunteer tracker Mike Fay and his bloodhound “Angel,” who searches for missing children and the elderly, have searched tirelessly. Even a pet detective from Nebraska, Karin Tarqwyn of k9pi.com, joined the search for a while.

Though sightings and the identification of Skippy Lou’s scent throughout the Brentwood area are encouraging, the ultimate goal of rescuing Skippy Lou has remained elusive. 

Napier said that she is finally beginning to have closure on Skippy Lou and told the team that they could stop looking after the holidays, but the team wants to continue.

“It’s up to them at this point. They look for dogs with a vengeance, and I am so grateful for that,” Napier said.

Napier said that because of her condition, it is important for her to seek peace.

While in the hospital, even Napier’s ICU doctor had heard about her story. Napier said that the doctor told her he had read a lot about her and Skippy Lou over the last few weeks and was going to take good care of her. Napier said that she has been touched by all of the support she has received throughout the search for Skippy Lou.

And there is still hope in finding the light copper-colored canine.

Trackers believe that she had been following her own scent back and forth. A few months ago, she was seen in the vicinity of Shadow Creek Drive near the Nashville/Brentwood line and between Nolensville and Edmondson, and previously around Ravenswood Farm off of Wilson Pike. Her pattern has shown that she likes to travel close to rivers and streams and wooded edges around neighborhoods in order to find food and water.  

Kelly Hosford, volunteer and animal lover, said that Skippy Lou is unfamiliar with the area and unable to find familiar scents, so the volunteer search team has been planting Napier’s clothing and Skippy Lou’s own toys in order to lure the missing dog back from her wanderings.

One of the problems in rescuing Skippy Lou is the length of the response time once a sighting is reported, Hosford explained.

“Residents will spot Skippy Lou, and then not have the number handy to call us. So, once we are contacted and arrive at the scene, Skippy Lou is gone. Plus, she is afraid of strangers, which causes her to keep her distance from people.”

The volunteer rescue team has not given up. “If you see Skippy Lou, it is very important not to chase her or call to her since she is probably afraid. Leave out strong smelling food. Let her come to you, and call us immediately,” Hosford said.

Although Skippy Lou remains on the loose, Napier said that there is a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. “I just hope that everyone takes time to be truly thankful for what they have – the basics -- a job even if they don’t like it and the loved ones around them,” she shared.

Morrison and her team still believe.

“We are not giving up. She has not given up and as long as she keeps pushing, we will too. We are hoping for a Christmas miracle,” Morrison said.