Mattie is a sweet little dog who disappeared after the car he was in was stolen in November 2006 from the University City Loop in St. Louis, Missouri. His owners, Tom & Alice Matthews from Michigan, were visiting St. Louis and were window shopping in the Loop at the time. The purpose of this web site is to get Mattie back home where he belongs. If you can volunteer to help find Mattie, or if you have any information, please e-mail whereintheworldismattie@gmail.com.
If you find a dog that fits Mattie's description, here's one detail you can look at closely: Mattie's nose. Mattie's nose is pinkish toward the front, with a "black dot" toward the middle. Keep in mind, though, that color of dog's noses can change some as the climate changes. The picture shown here was taken last August.
Here are some frequently asked questions that we receive:
Q. Where do you think Mattie is?
A. There have been unconfirmed sightings of him in North St. Louis City and in nearby Jennings, MO. His empty crate (from the car he was in) was found in North St. Louis City. At this point, we speculate that someone has taken him in. We really want to spread the word of the $25,000 reward so that whoever has him will be motivated to return him in exchange for the reward.
Q. Is the $25,000 for real?
A. Yes! Absolutely. Tom & Alice Matthews would rather have Mattie back then spend the $25,000 on a new car. They have the money set up in a St. Louis bank account, ready to be handed to the person who returns Mattie safely to them. You can always call Tom or Alice directly at 616-706-6026 with any detailed questions about this.
Q. Who are the volunteers? Are they doing this for the reward money?
A. The volunteers (listed here) are people from St. Louis and surrounding areas who have become friends of Tom & Alice Matthews. They are not doing this for the reward money -- none of them would accept any of the reward money under any circumstance. Tom & Alice will deliver the reward money directly to whoever out there safely returns Mattie.
Volunteers, if you have other FAQs, send them to us for publishing.
Michigan Couple Increase Reward For Missing Dog
Created: 1/6/2007 9:08:45 PM
Last updated: 1/7/2007 2:44:19 AM
(KSDK) - There's now a $25,000 reward to help find a Michigan couple's missing dog.
Mattie, a mixed breed, vanished in November when Tom and Alice Matthews' car was stolen from the Delmar Loop.
Police recovered the car. The alleged thieves told the Matthews to search Jennings. That's where they found Mattie's cage. But so far there have been no confirmed sightings of the dog.
The Matthews have returned to the St. Louis area several times searching for the dog. A small group of local volunteers is also keeping the search alive.
Anyone with information about Mattie is asked to contact the Matthews at 616-706-6026.
Just as they have done many times over the last three weeks, Alice and Thomas Matthews of Grand Rapids, Mich., on Tuesday worked the streets and alleys of north St. Louis in search of their missing dog, Mattie.
And the results were same as they have been since Nov. 7, when the Matthewses' car, with Mattie inside, was stolen: No sightings, despite a $3,000 reward.
On Tuesday afternoon in a dusty St. Louis alley, Alice Matthews approached a teenaged male with a flier of Mattie, while her husband stapled a flier to a telephone pole.
"I haven't seen him today," the youth said. "But I saw him two weeks ago."
The Matthewses continued looking.
Their 2001 Buick LeSabre and Mattie were taken Nov. 7 while the Matthewses, on vacation, were window-shopping in the University City Loop.
The car turned up Nov. 9 in Cape Girardeau, Mo., after a police chase. But there was no sign of a dog.
Two St. Louis men, James Butler Jr., 21, and Donnell Riley, 22, have been charged in the case.
Both men deny taking the car and deny knowing anything about a 14-inch-tall, white, fluffy, mixed-breed dog, Cape Girardeau police said.
The couple was tipped to look for their dog on Harney Avenue, just west of Calvary Cemetery in north St. Louis. On Nov. 10, they found their dog's crate near an alley behind a vacant house in the 5900 block of Harney.
The couple left the crate, filled with the dog's towels, at the site, hoping it will return. They say they have received dozens of sightings of the Mattie — mostly in the Jennings and nearby St. Louis area.
The couple looked for their pet for a few days after it went missing and returned to St. Louis area on Thanksgiving to continue the search. The couple will be here until Sunday.
They are getting help from Stray Rescue, the Missouri Humane Society and about a dozen other volunteers.
"I feel for them," said Yvonne Belosi, 41, a nurse who travels nearly an hour from Hillsboro to help with the search. "They lost their car. They lost their dog. I just wanted to help them."
The Matthewses said they will continue looking for Mattie as long as they keep getting leads.
Thomas, 53, is an accountant, and his wife, Alice, 52, is a surgical technician.
"We were absolutely devastated," said Alice Matthews about the loss of their dog of about 12 years. "We just feel helpless. We first got Mattie for our daughter but he is now part of our family. But as long as there is hope we will keep looking with the help of volunteers."
This is no way to treat our visitors. Earlier this month, while Tom and Alice Matthews were visiting from Michigan, their car was stolen from the University City Loop area. Their 12-year-old dog, Mattie, was inside.
When the thieves were caught a few days later in Cape Girardeau, they said that they had left Mattie and his crate in Jennings. The crate was found, with Mattie's blankets, but there was no sign of Mattie.
The Matthewses had to return to Michigan last weekend, but they asked a family friend to continue the search. The friend contacted Stray Rescue, which is circulating fliers with a $500 reward which will be updated this weekend to a $3,000 reward of which Stray Rescue contributed $2,000.
Anyone who may have seen Mattie or who is willing to print out and distribute flyers is asked to call Stray Rescue at 314-771-6121.
snewman@post-dispatch.com
Special note to Darnell Riley, James Butler, and James Holmes: The criminal part of this case is over and yes we will pay you the reward no questions asked. Contact us!
Mattie: Small, white, fluffy, male mixed breed, approx. 20 lbs. In the picture below, his hair is a lot shorter than it usually is.
Where seen: Our hope remains that Mattie was set free in the Park Lane/Harney area as we've been told. We've been told that one of the kids hit him with a golf club and he ran off. Based on sightings, we think he took off towards Jennings and from there he seems to have disappeared.
Reward: $25,000 for help finding Mattie. Reward will be paid out in cash confidentially. Recipient of the reward may remain anonymous if desired with no media attention.
Contact number: 616-706-6026 (Tom & Alice Matthews -- Mattie's owners -- cell phone)
