I am with the Neo Folk Work Rock musical ensemble HuDost (www.hudost.com) from Montreal and NY. In July we toured to your lovely city to give a concert at the Westboro Masonic Temple on Churchill Ave. We arrived with our fabulous dog Mollie who is a rescue miniature greyhound mutt. After loading all of our instruments and gear into the building, the back door was left open. Upon hearing a loud noise, Mollie, who had never previously run away, bolted out the open door. Within a minute I was calling for her, only to discover that she was nowhere in sight. Panic sunk in as I surveyed the traffic-ridden streets. The prospect of doing a performance suddenly screeched to a halt, as we could not imagine not having our beloved dog with us. We immediately reported her absence to the police and the Humane Society and began combing the streets. Fans started to arrive for the concert and, upon being informed about what had happened, joined us in searching for Mollie. We were amazed at how helpful and understanding all of the people were who joined in on the rescue mission. Also, it was not only fans but also residents and shop owners in the area who were amazingly compassionate and sprung to attention. The musical act (Jeremy Sills and Jody Marsolais) that was meant to be our opener graciously took over and did a full concert.

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For hours we combed the streets calling Mollie’s name until we acknowledged the fact that she had either been hit by a car or had been taken in by a kind pedestrian. I am sure  you can imagine that we did not sleep very well that night. We kept waking up and taking shifts to go call her. We parked our van at the Masonic Temple and left clothing that we had been wearing all day next to the van so that our scent was there if she did return. At dawn Jemal, my partner, was out looking for Mollie and happened upon a woman walking her dog. He mentioned to her that we were searching for ours and she responded, “oh, you mean Mollie?” Apparently the word had spread to all the receptive ears in the neighborhood.

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The next morning at precisely 9 am, I called the Humane Society. Upon my description of Mollie to the kind receptionist, she stated that she was quite sure they had her. She then sweetly tolerated my weeping into the phone with joy that Mollie was alive and had been brought in by a caring person. We, of course, immediately went to pick up our dog who was unharmed and hyperactively happy to see us. We then proceeded to the neighborhood where she was lost to inform some of the fabulous folks at the nearby pet stores that our beast was alive and with us and purchase gourmet treats for her. At one of the intersections a van stopped and the driver rolled down his window and shouted, “You found your dog!!” We had no idea who he was but were delighted by his enthusiasm.

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In general, we are grateful that, of all places, this occurred in Ottawa. You, citizens of Ottawa, are justly known for your courteousness and genuine respect for the welfare of the people (and animals) around you. Jemal and I extend a huge thank you for the warmth we were given, to the Humane Society, to all the people who helped us, and to the overall excellence of your city.

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On November 11 we (HuDost) will be performing in your fabulous city and a portion of the proceeds will be given to the Humane Society. We hope to see you there!

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When: Friday, November 11,  08:00 PM

Where: Westboro Masonic Hall, 430 Churchill Ave N, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 5C9, CA

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All the best,

Moksha Sommer

www.hudost.com