Pup Reunited with Family After Yearlong Search

Tasha has been reunited with her Imlay City family after being captured near Deckerville after almost a year on the run.

By Jackie Salowitz
Tribune Recorder Leader

Unconditional love often describes the relationship between man and his best friend – a dog.

The Janiszewski family is a prime example of that love. Their dog, Tasha – a Kangal breed of dog and Batman – a Wooly Giant Malamute German Shepherd, went missing on March 4 of last year from the Imlay City area. Batman was found two days later, but Tasha has been on the run since then.

Kangal dogs are considered a flock guardian dog, often kept with flocks of sheep to fend off wolves and other predators. They weigh between 90-130 pounds and are between 25-30 inches tall. The Janiszewski family fell in love with Tasha as a puppy from a litter of Kangal puppies in the Imlay City area.

Tasha was spotted on trail cams around the area.

Tasha, now seven, had been spotted in several areas since she went missing, Imlay City Township, near Brown City and Yale, and most recently, Deckerville. On February 11, thanks to Facebook posts – one on a group of lost and found pets in Sanilac County (Izzy Khan had posted) and then again on February 17, Tori Morton posted on Deckerville Neighborhood Watch with a video of Tasha running around Deckerville Schools. The family, along with Aerial Solutions, and a professional with a tranquilizer, headed to Deckerville to try and catch her. After getting to Deckerville, they realized it would be too hard to get her with a tranquilizer gun. Again, through social media, it was discovered that Tasha had been sneaking food from Deckerville area yards.

Marsha Leathers puts out food for the stray cats in the area, and noticed that a large dog had been coming to her place, eating the food. She said that her dishes kept disappearing. Cari, a family friend of the Janiszewksi family, reached out to Marsha, and got a picture of the footprints. They knew by the footprints that it was indeed Tasha (Joe and Tammy have been tracking her for almost a year, so they got to know her footprints pretty well).

It was decided to put a live trap at Marsha’s home, and she would set food in the trap so Tasha would get used to the cage. (Cage was courtesy of Michele Borzick with M&M Lost Dog Tracking and Trapping).

It took an entire community to bring Tasha home.

Jamie, from Aerial Solutions had a camera set up, so it could show when Tasha would come to the trap to eat (anywhere from 8:20 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Jamie felt that they would be able to capture her, so they put a door on the trap. On Wednesday, February 26, around 8:26 p.m., Tasha went into the cage and the door closed her in. Tammy’s parents approached the cage, and it only took Tasha about 30 seconds to get a good look and sniff of them and she knew that she was finally safe.

The Janiszewski family want to express how thankful they are to Marsha Leather “She did not even know us and to give us permission to do this at her home. We pray she will always be blessed. She is such a kind woman for this. She faithfully fed Tasha from the bottom of her heart. She brought the family back together again. I told her I would help try to find the stray cats she feeds a home so please if anyone is in need of a cat, please reach out to Marsha. We want to give a huge thanks to Jamie with Aerial Solutions for his Drone services and setting up the trap with his time and effort, Michele Borzick with M&M Lost Dog Tracking and Trapping, Carie Roher for all her time and effort and the whole community who have looked out for her, gave tips, and even helped search for her.”

Tasha’s family is elated to have her back.

Tammy went on to say, “This has been a long road. We passed out 100’s of flyers; we had posted posters up and down Van Dyke at one time; and all the sightings on Trail Cams that people have notified us. They say it takes a village and I swear that’s what we had to bring home Tasha and it just shows you to never give up. If your Fur Babies go missing please keep the faith.”

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