Press

A lost bloodhound on a dark two-lane road in a raging thunderstorm may sound like a great opening line for a country western song, but as most dog owners can imagine - in real life, that combination usually has tragic results.

Phil Olsen had finished his normal workday at Other World Computing, a premiere technology solutions provider in Woodstock, Ill and the parent company of high speed Internet provider OWC.net.

As a part of OWC's customer satisfaction pledge, Olsen was starting a long drive to O'Hare Airport to get an urgent customer delivery out when he saw a dog walking alone on a dark busy road in Woodstock. Olsen immediately pulled over to see if he could help.

To Olsen's surprise, the dog, a bloodhound, jumped right into the truck with him. The dog had no collar, so to keep her out of harm's way, Olsen decided to take the dog along to the airport and search for the owner in the morning.

When Olsen called McHenry County Animal Control the next day, he discovered that the owner, Alisa Ellegood, had just called in five minutes earlier reporting the loss of Sydney - a lovable bloodhound that perfectly fit the description of Olsen's newfound friend.

Sydney, a two-year-old Red Bloodhound, had only just arrived in Woodstock the week before. "We had just got her in from Arkansas" said Ellegood. Sydney's last owner was a retired police officer, and the Ellegood family planned to have Sydney trained as a search and rescue dog.

Ellegood knew that Sydney was deathly afraid of thunderstorms. What Ellegood did not know was that Sydney was also an accomplished escape artist. Not only did the dog manage to open her locked kennel, but she also managed to slip out of the two collars she wore in the process. "The dog was just so new to the area and probably couldn't find her way home," Olsen guessed.

Olsen is no stranger to dogs. He owns two dogs - Belle, a yellow Lab, and Benny, a beagle - and works in a dog-friendly workplace at Other World Computing, where it is not at all uncommon to see OWC CEO Larry O'Connor's two dogs roaming the office corridors.

Olsen's actions came as no surprise to O'Connor. "Phil Olsen is the kind of person who goes the extra mile, which is one of the primary characteristics we look for in all Other World Computing and OWC.net employees because we know that kind of superior civic responsibility translates into superior customer service," O'Connor said.

O'Connor also knows the impact that a dog can make in the life of its owner. In addition to being recognized as the premier low cost Internet provider with rates half that of other national Internet companies, OWC.net is a proud sponsor for Working Class Dogs, a nonprofit organization that helps provide children with disabilities with dog helpers. OWC.net designed and hosts Working Class Dogs' website, and O'Connor is a member of the volunteer Board of Directors.

Reunited with her family, Sydney may very well return the favor that was done for her on that dark night. After she completes her search and rescue training, she will, in all likelihood, someday help rescue someone who is lost.

Olsen summed up his actions simply by saying that he knew a dark road in a storm was not a good place for a dog to be. "On a night like that, there's no good place for a dog to be, except her home," said Olsen.