By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
In the past week, several readers called or emailed independently to ask if we had any new news on Skippy Lou, the missing pet of cancer patient Jill Napier. We put out a few inquires of our own to find out to find out “What’s Up with That” and by happenstance they coincided with news of a search party being formed.

Timing is everything, we just wish it were time to write a reunion story. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. But there are new developments.

A little background, Napier is a 36-year-old Music Row professional. In May, she lost her job due to a downsizing; in July she was diagnosed with uterine and ovarian cancer and underwent a total hysterectomy. She is now undergoing chemotherapy treatments. 

While Jill was undergoing surgery, her beloved tan female lab mix, Skippy Lou, disappeared from her pet sitter's Brentwood home. 

For the past 12 weeks, a small team of friends and animal lovers, called Team Skippy Lou, have volunteered countless hours in attempts to find Skippy Lou. An out-of-state professional dog tracker traveled to Brentwood to help but was not able to locate the dog.  

Last weekend, a Franklin resident with a scent-tracking bloodhound contacted Team Skippy Lou to offer his help.  The bloodhound quickly discovered a new scent trail along a creek in Brentwood between Sweetwater Drive and Shadow Creek Drive, no more than five days old, confirmed by local residents who identified Skippy Lou with photos. 

Liberty Church Road leads to Shadow Creek Drive just east of Edmondson Pike. Skippy Lou’s scent has been picked up between Edmondson and Walnut Hills Drive. Click here to see a Google map of the area.

“At this point, the only way that we are going to figure out Skippy Lou's pattern is by having neighbors call us about sightings. Without them being reminded that we are still looking, they'll never call. We have GOT to decipher her pattern so that we can start luring her with food and then get her safely trapped and home to Jill. At this point, we definitely know that she isn't going to come to anyone for food or help. We also believe that if this is her in the target area, she may have found a place that she is using as her home base for now. She may stay a while - or she may not. We need to act fast,” writes a member of Team Skippy Lou in a new release.

Volunteers are being sought to put up signs in the area Saturday to alert residents that Skippy Lou is still missing and to be on the lookout. Anyone who wants to help should visit http://www.findskippylou.com for more information.