April 18, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

St. Joseph rallies to find missing dog

Operation bring Piper home is in full effect in St. Joseph.


Piper, a yellow labrador retriever, went missing from the home of St. Joseph resident Amy McElroy on Wednesday afternoon.


McElroy was watching her while Piper’s owner, Cindy Ferry, was in Louisiana helping assess storm damage for State Farm.


“We’ve had her since she was eight weeks old,” Ferry said.


Ferry has had Piper for three years and she was rescued from a puppy mill in Arthur with her two brothers and her sister. St. Joseph resident Tammy Atwood has Piper’s brothers.


The family got Piper after their family dog Copper passed away.


Ferry’s daughter, Alyssa, said Piper is a huge emotional support for the family.


“She is the silliest, sassiest, hungriest dog I have ever met,” Alyssa said.


Cindy said Piper thinks she is a lap dog and loves food.


“”She also has a bad habit out of drinking out of the toilet,” Cindy said. “When we first got her my daughter and her two huskies lived with us and they taught her how to do that.”


Piper wakes up at 5 a.m. daily to eat her breakfast and is a puppy at heart who loves to play, Alyssa said.


Alyssa said that Piper loves to be close to her humans and one night climbed into the bathtub as Alyssa was taking a bath.


“She’s just such a good girl and our hearts are broken that she is all alone right now,” Alyssa said. “I know it’s hard for my mom not being there and searching for her herself.”


Alyssa, who lives in Texas, plans to fly in to help with the search if Piper isn’t found tonight.


“It has been so amazing to see the community come together to help us find her,” Alyssa said.


McElroy, her children and dozens of St. Joseph residents spent Thursday searching for the dog in cornfields, backyards and wooded areas.


Residents are now using drones to search miles of cornfields in a more effective manner. A Facebook post asking people to be on the lookout for Piper has been shared 324 times.


McElroy said Piper was in their backyard on a lead and somehow got her collar off.


“I feel terrible,” she said as she searched the cornfields near Prince of Peace Church.

She said the family had been searching all night. Teachers at Prince of Peace saw Piper near the cornfields on Wednesday and residents reported seeing paw prints near a retention pond near the church.


McElroy’s son Braden has put $100 towards a reward for Piper’s return which now totals $200.


“I love Cindy and I know how much Piper means to her,” he said. “I don’t care about a $100 when all I want is Piper to be home.”


Anyone with information should call or text 217-898-0609.




in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

A field of art

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Call it art in progress. The fans at St. Joseph-Ogden High School always take note of the painted field, endzones,...

‘Julie has been the backbone of this village for a long time’

December 28, 2021

December 28, 2021

Julie Hendrickson loves St. Joseph. And a piece of the small town’s footprint will soon step away from a long-time...

10 Things You Don’t Know About Me… Kent Brown

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

Every week we ask a community member to share 10 facts about themselves. This week it is St. Joseph resident...

Talk of the Town with SJO Superintendent Brian Brooks

May 9, 2019

May 9, 2019

Every week we ask a village mayor, school superintendent or board member three questions. This week we talked to St....

Michael looking to the future with coaching job

August 23, 2019

August 23, 2019

Nate Michael spent his youth playing basketball in every form.  After graduating this spring from McKendree University, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound...

10 things you don’t know about me… Stacey Livingston

July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 interesting things about themselves. This week we spoke to...

Parkland announces 2019 Spring graduates

July 16, 2019

July 16, 2019

Parkland College announces its spring 2019 graduates. Included are those who have earned an associate’s degree or a certificate. Graduates...

‘No one believed in our kids and our teams more than he did’

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Dan Wright loved life.  He loved his family. He loved his community.  Wright passed away on March 19 in Florida. ...

Former rivals give back with youth girls’ basketball program

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Growing up, Andrea Flenniken was a Spartan. Flenniken graduated from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in 1996 and played girls’ basketball...

10 things you don’t know about me… Kelly Cooper

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

Ogden Village Trustee Kelly Cooper was elected in 2017. Since then she has worked diligently to make sure Ogden has...

‘I will always have memories that I won’t forget’ by Kenly Taylor

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

Hello! I’d like to take a few minutes to welcome each and every one of you to the St. Joseph-Ogden...

Treatment for the common cold

December 23, 2021

December 23, 2021

By Jeanelle Murphy, DO The common cold is caused by a virus. There are over 200 common cold viruses but...

Ingram to fly high as a Redbird

June 14, 2019

June 14, 2019

Kalli Ingram had a simple audition for the Illinois State University Dance Team. Ingram was in Washington D.C for the...

Senior spotlight: Gage Atwood

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Leading up to graduation, we asked five seniors five questions.Next up is Gage Atwood! What will you be doing next...

Carle now scheduling appointments for COVID-19 vaccine available to children 6 months and older

June 27, 2022

June 27, 2022

Urbana, Ill. — Carle supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation for children 6 months – 4...

Comments
Leave a Reply