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46 °F 5 Day Forecast Sunday, November 30, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2003 Talent resident Eunice Rosenfeld gives a kiss to Bobo, a dog she and her neighbor, Fran Edwards, befriended through two years of feeding and coaxing. Now the dog needs a safe place to roam, the women say. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Women coax dog out of hiding for good. Now they hope to find her a loving home By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune TALENT — For almost two years, Hobo the dog lay hidden beneath a Talent apartment house, growling at passers-by and venturing out only to chow down on a concoction of dog food and meat offered by neighbors Eunice Rosenfeld and Fran Edwards. "I’d bang on a pot and yell ‘Hobo’ to let her know the food was here, then we’d run into the house and spy on her from the window," says Rosenfeld, 76. "That dog would wait for everyone to be gone before it came out." But the neighbors’ patience and persistence finally paid off. The underground mutt of Talent Avenue has come out of her shell, and now Rosenfeld and Edwards are looking for a suitable new home for their vagabond pal. Advertisement The dog is spayed, had all but one shot and is fully licensed under the new name Bobo, which Rosenfeld says is more ladylike than Hobo. The women simply want to find someone who can give Bobo what they can’t — a fenced yard to roam and a limber body to play with. "We don’t have fenced yards, and if we didn’t have to, I wouldn’t even think of letting her go," Edwards says. "I think she’d make a good watchdog for someone." The story of Bobo started in spring 2001 when Rosenfeld and Edwards kept finding fresh garbage strewn across the unfenced yard they share off Talent Avenue near Rapp Road. They first suspected raccoons. Then Rosenfeld spied what appeared to be a black-and-white dog rummaging through the garbage one day. With Edwards’ help, they tracked the critter to the crawl space beneath the neighboring apartment building, where it would hole up and growl if anyone approached. "You can’t just leave an animal to starve," Rosenfeld says. The women began feeding the canine a concoction of dog food spiked with beef stew, pork chops or pot roast — and the garbage raids stopped. But their relationship didn’t improve until 1½ years later when, inexplicably, Bobo (who was still Hobo at the time) let Edwards pet her head. "After that, she was our dog," Edwards says. Now a plump 77 pounds from the high-protein diet, this 5-year-old lab-collie mix sleeps on a straw bed in a backyard gazebo and still barks or growls at strangers. But she’s started to wander along Talent Avenue, and Rosenfeld fears the dog is no longer safe there. Anyone interested in Bobo can telephone Rosenfeld at 535-4429 or Edwards at 535-3247. Bobo comes with no strings attached, and the ladies would even go with Bobo to her new home if that would ease her transition. "If she goes back to being secluded and hiding, we’d need to visit," Rosenfeld says. "But all we want is to know that she’s OK. If she’s happy, I’m happy." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times