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Sweetie Pie's Journey. It takes a village… or in this case, a Four Seasons community! Our story begins in early April 2025, with yet another stray dog roaming our community in search of food, water, and friendly faces. A beautiful German Shepherd roamed here for two weeks — starving, dehydrated and sick — but in those two weeks found love from so many in Four Seasons. I'm the lucky one who is now her Forever Mommy, and she, my Sweetie Pie. But this isn't about me or even about Sweetie Pie. This is a story of remarkable residents who rescued SP from heartbreaking abandonment. If you need an example of what makes Four Seasons so special, this is it: Early April. I'd heard rumors of this gorgeous, sweet Shepherd roaming our community – but who had eluded any attempts to corral her. She'd eat, then run. But all that changed Saturday night, April 12, along the #8 green. About 8 pm, John Speirs was walking along the path and encountered the now-famous Shepherd. He sprang into action, enlisting a group of nearby ladies to provide plates of canned dog food AND homemade cookies (thank you, chef Connie!) AND a leash. The mission… lasso her while she's eating! And on the SECOND try, SUCCESS! Another good citizen stopped to play messenger between John's rescue party and The Lodge, to let Tracie Long know the pup was now happily nestled in a golf cart with John. Thankfully, Tracie called me for a microchip scan. I met them at their golf cart for a quick scan, but sadly NO CHIP – so we carted her to my house for a stay at my Doggy AirBnb (my garage, but a pretty nice setup). The goal: a safe and happy place until she could be reunited with her owner. So began my love affair with Sweetie Pie as I attempted to find her owners thru online platforms. But our community didn't just leave it at that. Karen Hirschman broadcasted an immediate email to our PAWS club to rally support: • Debbe Katnich donated her time and funds for SPs trip to Vetco for her first of several medical checkups. And bought lots of toys and treats! • Linda Elliott and Jacque Wigle donated funds toward vaccines, microchip, spay and eye surgeries! • John Speirs (aka "Uncle John") visited daily for friendly visits and high-powered walks filled with adventures and new friends! • JoLynn Barnes provided extra evening walks! • Marti Bartlett, pet sitter extraordinaire, ensured Sweetie Pie (and my little Bella) never felt alone! • Sean, our local dog trainer from A Breed Apart, has been instrumental in acclimating Sweete Pie into the household with my feisty Bella! It saddens me that Sweetie Pie's previous family made no attempts to connect with her, else they would have found us. But think of all the things that came together in perfect sequence in Four Seasons! Had it not been for that, Sweetie Pie would not have become part of her happily-ever- after Forever Family. And the story continues… Sweetie Pie will be loved for all of her life, not just by her Mommy and Bella, but by so many here. She is one lucky Sweetie Pie! 18 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | JULY 2025 | PAWS Fur Babies To have your fur baby featured here, please send a high resolution photo with a caption to hemetherald@yahoo.com. Please put "Pets" in the subject line. Peek-a- boo! Submitted by Tim Polder