Stray dog had saviors

On Christmas Eve, Raymond and Lisa Godfrey’s prayers were answered. With the help of other animal lovers and a postal worker, the Godfreys were able to rescue an abandoned dog from under the Interstate-95 overpass adjacent to Stella Maris Parish.

The couple lives on the 1000 block of Jackson Street, but Raymond walked their 5-year-old dog Toby down to the I-95 overpass every day to keep an eye on the stray animal. The Godfreys speculated that the 4-year-old pure Labrador had been left in the area around Seventh and Bigler streets in April after the annual community carnival.

Soon, others joined their efforts to look after the cream-colored dog, which remained out of reach of her would-be rescuers.

The local mailman, Joe Carlini, built a little house as a shelter for the dog, while other neighbors left food and blankets for her. Karen Platt, a receptionist at Dino’s Beauty Salon in Center City, where Raymond also works, regularly brought food. But the frightened animal wouldn’t let anyone come close.

The Godfreys persuaded the Delaware River Port Authority, which owns the property, to hold off removing the dog from the grounds while they sought help from animal-welfare agencies. The couple spoke to the locally based People-Pet Partnership and various other organizations, but most didn’t rescue dogs. Raymond even contacted Council President Anna Verna and Gov. Ed Rendell, whom he knows through the salon, to help his cause.

Since the DRPA wanted to clean up the property where the dog was staying, Raymond asked Rendell to intervene.

"My husband was on a mission," Lisa said.

"I wanted to coordinate this properly," Raymond added.

And finally, after two weeks of consistent attempts to bring the dog out of the cold, they got their wish — although not through the organized effort they had envisioned.

The dog simply happened to follow neighbor Steve Musial’s canine home early on Christmas Eve. Another resident, Tony Teti, who had cleaned up the area and fed the dog, kept the animal until the Godfreys could bring her home later that afternoon.

"Getting her on Christmas Eve was like a miracle," Lisa said.

But the dog they named Noel needs a new home for the new year. The Godfreys, who already have four cats and two dogs, are seeking a loving owner with no other pets for Noel. Lisa said the dog is gentle, but "her eyes are the saddest things."

"She’s very passive, timid and submissive," said Lisa. "She may have been abused and she needs to regain confidence in people."

For now, Noel has taken a semi-permanent spot on their living-room couch. And the couple has taken the dog to the veterinarian, where she received grooming and a clean bill of health.

"It was such a relief to get her out of the cold, before the snow," Raymond said.