Fair became sad for girl when her dog ran away

By Leslie Moriarty

Herald Writer

LYNNWOOD — When 10-year-old Brooke Robbinson thinks about the time she spent at this year’s Evergreen State Fair, she doesn’t smile.

Not even winning an armful of ribbons in every color in the rainbow can cheer her.

That’s because she had to come home to Lynnwood from the fair in Monroe without her beloved dog, Sasha, who helped her win all the ribbons.

"I try to keep thinking good things," Brooke said. "But I miss her."

Sasha, a 3-year-old Dalmatian, was getting ready to compete in an obstacle course 4-H event at the fair last Sunday. Brooke was holding onto Sasha by her leash, but handed the dog off to a 4-H leader to hold while she attended to something, said her mother, Andrea Robbinson.

Help find Sasha Anyone who sees Sasha the missing Dalmatian can call Andrea Robbinson on her cell phone at 425-239-1839 or the Robbinson home at 425-742-2445.

"Somehow that startled her, and Sasha pulled against the leash and got out of her collar and took off," Andrea Robbinson said. "She began running, and the 4-H kids took off after her, but they couldn’t catch her."

Brooke and her mother, Brooke’s friends and other 4-H participants spent hours looking for Sasha. There were a few sightings, but no one ever got their hands on the dog.

"The 4-H kids have been great," Robbinson said. "They looked everywhere. We had someone tell us they saw her by the car wash on Highway 2, so some of the kids looked there.

"And later someone saw her by the hospital. We went over there, but we couldn’t find her."

Those reported sightings of Sasha told them that she had gotten off the fairgrounds and that the search had to be expanded. They spent the remaining daylight hours Sunday looking throughout Monroe.

By Monday, some 4-H’ers had made "missing dog" signs to post, and the 4-H computer club printed fliers with her picture.

"We’ve done everything we can think of," Robbinson said. "I’ve called and visited all the police stations, animal shelters and vets in the area. We’ve posted signs and handed out the fliers.

"And there’s really been no news since late Sunday."

Robbinson and her daughter have been back to the fairgrounds several times this week, thinking maybe Sasha will return there.

They are worried that someone may have taken her, thinking she was a stray, Or they think that Sasha is too scared to come out of wherever she may be hiding.

"Sasha had been abused before we got her," Robbinson said. "She was very skittish. She wouldn’t let anyone pet her.

"But in the three years that we’ve had her, she’s come so far. Now she’ll let the kids touch her, and she’s been very good in the competitions."

In fact, she won the Best of Breed ribbon earlier at this year’s fair. Brooke also dressed her as a square-dancing firefighter’s dog for the costume competition, winning another ribbon.

Sasha is a medium-sized Dalmatian, standing about two feet off the ground. She is about 40 pounds and has a ring of black spots around the outside edge of her right ear, making the area appear as solid black.

She also has a blue spot in her right eye.

Brooke has been devastated by the loss of Sasha, her mother said.

"When it first happened, the girls talked with her and made her feel better," Robbinson said, "and someone got another Dalmatian dog for her to hold for a while, to calm her.

"But Sasha is my daughter’s best friend, and she really needs her to come home."

Anyone who sees Sasha can call Robbinson on her cell phone at 425-239-1839 or the Robbinson home at 425-742-2445.

Sasha can be very timid, Robbinson said, and most likely, she won’t come to strangers. But if the dog is seen and can be confined to an area until the Robbinsons arrive, they think the dog will come to them.

You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436

or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.