BELLVILLE — It’s been more than two weeks since Roxie and Groot, two beloved family dogs, went missing.
Owner Hailey Hunnicut said she’s thankful to the community and how they have rallied behind her family — whether that be through donating signs, offering reward money, putting in hours to find them, or even spending personal time calling and checking shelters for them.
“We’ve had so many strangers looking for our dogs and praying for us. We are overwhelmed and so very grateful to have encountered so many people with kind hearts for animals,” she said.
Hunnicut said the family adopted Groot last year.
“In July of 2023, the Richland County Dog Shelter was looking for dog walkers,” Hunnicut said. “We have a blended family and seven of our children were home for the summer, so we decided to give some love to the dogs.”
Hunnicut said Groot was at the back of the shelter, further inside than most visitors make it. He had been there since April with little to no interest from adoptive dog owners.
“We took him for a walk, out in the yard, and he instantly picked us,” Hunnicut said.
Hunnicut said Groot would throw himself on the ground every time he knew he was heading back to his kennel.
The family prepared for more than a month to get the house ready and even installed a fenced area similar to the shelter. But Groot was hardly ever outside. He preferred to be inside right next to the family every moment of the day.
Hunnicut is a real estate agent and said Groot would even tag along with her in the passenger seat.
“He lived for car rides,” she said.
Hunnicut said people sometimes assume pit bulls like Groot are dangerous. One of the Hunnicut’s neighbors wouldn’t allow their children to play at the Hunnicut’s house for fears of how dangerous Groot could be.
Hunnicut disagrees. She described pit bulls as “some of the biggest babies” that just want to snuggle and be loved.
“If Roxie and Groot are not found, I hope my numerous Facebook posts have brought awareness about the pit bull breed and changed people’s opinions,” Hunnicut said. “I cannot imagine my life without one now that we have had three.”
The Hunnicut family has many more animals aside from just Roxie and Groot.
“It is not breed specific, but all in how you raise an animal,” Hunnicut said. “I have had a scarier rooster than any dog or pitbull I have encountered.”
She stated she has heard many stories about people in the area shooting animals that come on their property. She shared that she hopes they will think about the little faces waiting at home for their pet to return.
“Our kids and our other pit bull are heartbroken without them,” Hunnicut said. “We just want them to come home or someone to come forward and tell us what happened to them so we can have closure because they will always be a part of our big family.”
Hunnicut shared she will be taking fall family photos at Gorman Nature Center that include pets on Oct. 20. All of the proceeds will go to The Richland County Dog Shelter in Roxie and Groot’s name.
“I have been able to do a couple of early shoots and have already raised close to $500,” she said.
