By MIKE WENDLANDHow’s this for a different sort of search?Hot air balloonists plan to lift off and search rural areas around Milford Saturday for a missing sled dog. “Blue,” a member of a sled team led by Sharon Young of Brighton Township, has been missing since May 8.The search is being coordinated by Scott Lorenz, president of Westwind Balloon Company and Gordon Boring of the Wicker Basket Balloon Center, both members of the Southeast Michigan Balloonists Association (SEMBA).Says Lorenz: “A single balloonist can only accomplish so much because a hot air balloon is at the mercy of the winds. But you can cover a lot of ground by filling the skies with several hot air balloons. The balloonists are our friends and a great group each with a big heart, and weather permitting they’ll help out July 14 to do their best to find Blue.”The balloonists will use two-way radios and cell phones to coordinate with ground crews. There have been numerous reports of a dog matching Blue’s description being spotted around the area, including near the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford.AdvertisementThe most recent spottings occurred July 1, 2 when a Detroit Free Press delivery person saw a dog matching Blue’s description near Corlett and Hyne roads, says Lorenz. Other sightings have been off Lone Tree Road, south of the Prestwick Village Golf Club on M59, west of Milford Road, and east of South Hickory Ridge.Blue is the lead dog on Sharon Young’s sled dog team. He is an agility dog as well as a show dog, and does some therapy work, according to a news release on the search sent out by Lorenz.“Blue broke out of our house the night my father died,” explains Young, “and I’ve been devastated since. I can’t be at ease until Blue is found and returned home.”As she has searched for Blue over the past twp months, Young has found and returned to their owners two lost Siberians and some kittens who have been lost for four days.http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/BLOG01/70711014/1033/FEATURES08
