Josephine Peterson

The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal

NEWARK, Del. — As a Delaware woman has searched for her lost dog for more than two months, she not only spent thousands of dollars — and refinanced her house — trying to find him but also discovered eight other lost dogs and was able to return seven to their homes.

Ozzy, a gray goldendoodle, jumped over the fence at Lori Bilyou's house here Oct. 8 after he had suffered a seizure and became disoriented.

The Newark, Del., resident came back from a tour in Afghanistan as a combat photographer for the Army National Guard in 2013 with post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury that causes balance problems among other issues. Through K9 Navigators Assistance Dogs, Ozzy became her service dog while she recovered.

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They had been together since 2015. Bilyou worries the seizure may have left him temporarily blind and disoriented, possibly with no memory of home.

On the day Ozzy went missing, Bilyou spent most of the day in bed with one of her frequent migraines. Around 2 p.m., she was able to get up and decided to take Ozzy and the family's two corgis outside.

While she was doing some gardening, Ozzy began shaking. Though Bilyou's yard is effectively fenced for the corgis, it's not high enough to stop a goldendoodle.

Because of his training, Ozzy never had jumped it before. He made it as far as the road in front of the house before he collapsed.

In less time than it took Bilyou to get to him, Ozzy got up and took off.

Bilyou's son, Matthew Bilyou, said he didn't realize how much Ozzy helped his mom until the dog was gone. Lori Bilyou's migraines can leave her in bed for sometimes days at a time.

"I thought she didn't need him, but after he left, it got bad," Matthew Bilyou said. "It was like she was reverting back to the way she was when she first came home."

Lori Bilyou said she stopped counting how much they spent on finding Ozzy when they hit $7,000 more than a week ago. In addition to distributing and hanging flyers, the family set up dog feeding stations with cameras across New Castle County.

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They have an inexpensive phone they use for the effort that they affectionately call "The Ozzy Phone."

"I've refinanced my house. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have enough to spend on finding him," Lori Bilyou said.

When the family talked about refinancing the house, it did not seem like they were going overboard, Matthew Bilyou said.

"We were all willing to do it because we've got to," the 22-year-old said. "It's also because my mom physically needs him. It's a lot of work and money for a dog, but not for a medical necessity."

Lori Bilyou has focused her days on finding Ozzy. She said she stays busy working on the search because she never knows when a migraine will incapacitate her.

"We eat, sleep, breathe this," Lori Bilyou said. "I have canceled most of my doctor's appointments for this."

On Halloween, Lori Bilyou and her family asked residents in 38 neighborhoods to pass out flyers to families while they were handing out candy.

Family and friends have helped look for Ozzy, and they have made a Facebook page: Bring Ozzy Home.

"People are so dedicated to stick with it," Lori Bilyou said. "Like this one guy said he drove around 45 minutes to find a flyer and call us. He really wanted to help."

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The search teams found eight additional dogs after receiving tips. Lori Bilyou said all but one had been returned to their owners.

"I like to think that Ozzy is collecting up all the strays before he comes home," Lori Bilyou said.

The family asks that those who spot a dog they think is Ozzy to snap a photo and send it to the phone number on the Facebook page. They have created a map of called-in sightings and believe he is heading south near the Bear, Del., area.

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Lori Bilyou said the search has been all consuming, to the point that it put an end to holiday traditions. Every Christmas, she made holiday pajamas for her two sons, even when she was deployed in Afghanistan.

"When I was deployed, I took materials and even patterns. There is a picture of me sewing them in a military base, so this is the first time the boys won't have them," she said.

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Matthew Bilyou said he and his family will continue to search for Ozzy as long as it takes.

"I'm not as optimistic as I was on Day 2, but no one is giving up hope," he said.

Follow Josephine Peterson on Twitter: @jopeterson93