Sugar Comes Home!

by Ann Marie Kennon

In 2018, Cyndi and Wayne Cavalier adopted a miniature schnauzer from a military family who didn’t have space for a dog in their new home at Ft. Hood. Kyra, the Cavaliers’ daughter, named her Sugar and she was Kyra’s from the get-go. Outside, Sugar normally stayed close to the family’s other dogs and, before the growth boom in Jarrell, the little pack had 800 acres to run freely and chase wildlife.

Unfortunately, on January 22, 2022, Sugar didn’t come home. Cyndi put fliers out, checked with vets, registered with dog finders, and posted photos on Facebook. “We thought maybe she had been a victim of a coyote or feral hogs. We missed her but eventually got Kyra another dog and continued on with life.”

Pretty soon, there was a growth boom in the area and the neighbor who owned most of the land around the Cavalier property sold to a developer. “We got proactive about our dogs,” Cyndi says. “We had 60 acres of our own and we built a huge pen to keep them safe. In the meantime, I made sure all of my animals were chipped.”

A Lost Friend Found

On May 23, more than two years after Sugar’s disappearance, Cyndi received a text from PetLink asking Are you missing your dog, Sugar? Her reappearance was not so random as it was the day after two tornadoes had ripped through Bell County displacing people and pets all over.

Cyndi says, “I don’t remember the woman’s name who had checked her chip — I was too excited at the time. She lived in Temple and said her husband saw Sugar in the middle of the road while he was heading home late at night. He stopped and the dog jumped in the car without hesitation. They were kind enough to visit a vet the next morning to check for a chip.”

She reached out and the woman said she would love to have kept the friendly little dog but she had two very big dogs who apparently saw Sugar as a light snack. When the ladies met in Salado it was clear to everyone where she belonged.

Cyndi says it was clear Sugar had been in a good home; she was well groomed and her teeth were gleaming. “Sadly, she had no collar so we couldn’t track her back to someone else. Whoever she had been living with apparently didn’t check for a chip, but they had obviously cared for her.”

While in good health, Cyndi believes Sugar had definitely been through something, perhaps even went for a ride in the tornado. “She was in shock and was shaking and there’s no telling how she got out of her current home. But she was healthy, and we took her to see [Jarrell Animal Hospital’s] Dr. Carlton to get all her shots and a checkup.”

Today, Sugar has recovered and is happy to be home with Kyra. Cyndi says, “Whenever I open the door for her and say, ‘Where’s Kyra?’ Sugar flies through the house looking for her. She knows where home and love is, and she is enjoying her new pack with Kyra’s other two dogs, Raven and Ruby.

Smart Steps

Cyndi encourages pet owners to get their animals chipped. “We are proof that chipping works, getting our dog back after so much time, and from such a great distance. We also recommend pens to keep pets safe from predators or to prevent them wandering off.”

While thrilled to have her home, the Cavaliers hope to find the family Sugar lived with so they can thank them. They also don’t want the other family to have the same worry about coyotes or other sad mishaps for the dog they loved for two years.

Readers can contact My Jarrell with information about who might be missing the sweetheart known as Sugar.