My Plea to the Bakersfield Californian

I sent this to our local paper, hoping to get it published.
I am struggling to Stand "Army Goodell", but I know you will keep me on my feet.
xoxo,
S

My sister-in-law Robynn Goodell passed away December 18,2008 after a year long battle with cancer(Angiosarcoma) at the age of 35, leaving behind my brother Brian and Hailey(7) and Brady(9)
Our dog Ruby, who was a gift from Robynn, is now missing. She is a 4 month old black lab that we adore and her being away from us is extremely upsetting. She is just a puppy and need to be back with her family. She wears a red and white check collar with her name and my phone number(978-5774) around her neck.
We have knocked on doors for 4 days straight, put up fliers, signs, been to the SPCA and other shelters, offered a reward in the Californian, on Craig's List and other online "Petfinders", and even contacted our 3 local TV stations, but have heard nothing.
She is so special to us for obvious reasons. Not only did she come from Robynn, but we named her Ruby which was Robynn's nickname (Ruby Two Shoes). It might seem odd, but we just wanted a constant reminder of the love Robynn gave us and wanted it to shine through our Ruby with every lick, bark, snore, snuggle and wag of her tail.
I have kept a blog going, so that we could keep others updated on Robynn's "battle" (robynnsbattle.blogspot.com). If you visit this blog, you will see my last 3 entries are about our missing dog Ruby and the rest is about Robynn's courageous fight.
While in the midst of Robynn's illness, my best friend of 25 years, Kelly Haines died right before my eyes at Mercy Southwest ICU on November 11th 2008. My grief over Kelly and Robynn is indescribable and having Ruby missing is almost more than I can handle.
We are offering a $500 reward to get Ruby home. If you could help make that happen, I would be eternally grateful.

Sincerely,
Shelley Goodell-Blum

Pray On!
S