He’s a Tiger on the Trail of a Special Mutt

Roger Taylor’s quest sounds a little mad.

He has spent nearly 12 weeks away from his family--not to mention thousands of dollars and immeasurable energy--searching for an old and not especially handsome dog.

“He does sound like a crazy person,” said Gail Christensen of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, “but he really does believe that the dog is man’s best friend.”

In Taylor’s case, there is a profound truth in the cliche.

He didn’t want it that way in the beginning. Taylor said that when his father gave him an orphaned puppy 12 years ago, he deliberately gave the animal a kind of plain-wrap, generic name--Black Dog.

“I called him that because I didn’t want to get attached to him,” Taylor, 38, explained.

Special Relationship

But, of course, he did get attached to Black Dog--especially after his 3-year-old retarded son, Jeremy, formed a very special relationship with the short-haired Labrador mix.

“It’s as if Black Dog understands my boy’s problem,” Taylor said, “The boy comes out of his shell for the dog. . . . He knows three words, ‘Mom,’ ‘Bye’ and ‘Black Dog.’ ”

It’s primarily because of Jeremy’s need for Black Dog--the closeness and love that opens up the child’s feelings as nothing else can--that Taylor has devoted himself to searching for the dog.

Taylor and his family, who live in Cupertino in Northern California, were in Southern California for a church convention. On June 25, the Taylors and their three children went to Disneyland, leaving Black Dog in the fenced backyard of a friend’s house in Bellflower. Black Dog scaled the fence and was gone.

Since then, Taylor said, he has spent all but five days looking for Black Dog, sometimes until 3 o’clock in the morning. “I’ve driven 6,500 miles searching in Los Angeles County,” the Vietnam veteran said. “I’ve been to 18 different animal shelters, ridden 600 miles on my kid’s bike, worn out a pair of tennis shoes . . . talked to thousands of people.”

TV Assistance

He has had help. Christensen and Karen Caesar, public relations officers for the Department of Animal Care and Control, persuaded several television news shows to put out descriptions of Black Dog. Two sympathetic strangers, a Bill LaMan and a Lou Liuzzi, have helped Taylor pay his Whittier motel tab.

Taylor believes he has come very close to finding Black Dog.

“A young boy and his mother captured him about a month ago,” Taylor said. “The boy identified him from the marking on his chest.”

But Black Dog got away before Taylor arrived.

Black Dog’s chest marking is white, and in the shape of a bird in flight. The 60-pound dog is about 18 inches tall, has long ears and tail, a white left forepaw, and white back paws. He responds to his name, and knows the names of everyone in the Taylor family.

Taylor, a former truck driver, has been studying to become a chiropractor, but dropped out for a quarter to stay on Black Dog’s trail.

Like Family Member

But he thinks the sacrifice is worth it. “He’s like a member of the family,” Taylor said. “It is a terrible loss . . . . The little boy shows no signs of growth (since Black Dog disappeared) . . . . He’s not as expressive as when the dog’s around. He’s not just another dog. I believe all dogs are man’s best friends, but this one especially. . . .”

Despite the fact that he is unemployed, Taylor is offering a $200 reward for the return of Black Dog. “And,” he said, “I’d throw in my right arm. I’d do anything (to get him back) that isn’t an insult to God, or to someone else.”

Anyone with information about the dog may call (213) 857-6491.

“I know he’s still out there,” Taylor said. “And he’s out there searching for me, and I’m searching for him, until God gets us together.”