Cokie Roberts' Missing Dog Katie Found Dead in Bethesda

    BETHESDA, MD, April 28, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Katie, the Labrador retriever that Cokie Roberts adopted last Saturday and that got lost the same day, died Wednesday night or Thursday morning, apparently hit by a motor vehicle in the Bethesda neighborhood in which she was last sighted, Lab Rescue of the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac announced.

Katie was found near the intersection of Thoreau Drive and Springer Road by a veterinary technician, who took her to a veterinary clinic where she was pronounced dead. Lab Rescue volunteers went to the clinic and identified Katie's body.

"We are so terribly sad about the news," Roberts said. "We want to thank all who searched so diligently for Katie, and we are deeply distressed for the family who fostered Katie for three loving months.

"We cannot say enough good things about Lab Rescue of the LRCP and its dedicated volunteers. We urge all the kind people who have been in touch with us about Lab Rescue to make a donation to them in honor of Katie, just as we will."

Lab Rescue thanks all of the volunteers who helped in the search and appreciates the assistance of Dogs Finding Dogs, a nonprofit organization that uses tracking dogs to locate lost pets, and FindToto.com, a lost pet recovery telephone service that helped alert local residents to be on the lookout for Katie.

Katie was a stray obtained by Lab Rescue in January. She was black with some gray on her muzzle, 48 lbs., about five years old, and very timid. Her foster family worked with her to build her confidence. Last week they wrote:

"Katie is by far the easiest dog one could ever hope for! She never barks, loves going on walks, loves hanging out in the backyard with us, quietly relaxes on her dog beds whenever we're inside, takes treats extremely gently, and sleeps peacefully at the foot of our bed at night. She is easy mannered and while still very timid, she is making progress almost daily."

Donations in memory of Katie can be made online at http://www.lab-rescue.org/donation_online.asp or by mail to Lab Rescue of the LRCP Inc., P.O. Box 1814, Annandale, VA 22003.

Photos, videos and information about Katie are available at http://www.lab-rescue.org/adoptalab#Katie.

Founded in 1991, Lab Rescue of the LRCP Inc. is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization that rescues, fosters and adopts more than 900 Labrador retrievers per year to approved applicants. The group serves Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., as well as adjacent parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina. Labs available for adoption can be seen at www.lab-rescue.org.

# # #