'Charges must be laid': NDP outrage over allegations that illegal election ‘robocalls’ linked to Tories

"The NDP has demanded a criminal investigation into links between the Conservatives and an Edmonton voice-broadcast company traced to fraudulent phone calls made during the federal election campaign.

The misleading pre-recorded calls received in Guelph, Ont., claimed they were from Elections Canada and told voters their polling stations had moved to a busy shopping mall in the city’s downtown.

Elections Canada, which made the connection, is now probing the deceptive “robocalls,” aided by the RCMP, while the Conservatives are conducting an internal probe. A party lawyer is interviewing campaign workers to find who was behind the “robocalls.”

The agency launched its investigation after it was inundated with complaints about election day calls in Guelph, Ont., one of 18 ridings across the country where voters were targeted by harassing or deceptive phone messages in an apparent effort to discourage Liberal supporters from voting.

In Guelph, a riding the Conservatives hoped to take from the Liberals, voters received recorded calls pretending to be from Elections Canada, telling them their polling stations had been moved. The calls led to a chaotic scene at one polling station, and likely led some voters to give up on voting.

Postmedia News and the Ottawa Citizen have found that Elections Canada traced the calls to Racknine Inc., a small Edmonton call centre that worked for the party’s national campaign and those of at least nine Conservative candidates, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s own campaign in Calgary Southwest. There is no evidence that Harper’s campaign or any of the other candidates were involved in the calls.

Opposition MPs have expressed suspicion, saying the Tories benefited from what appears to be a coordinated effort to discourage Liberal or NDP supporters from getting to the ballot box.

Comparing the practice to “goons with clubs,” outspoken NDP MP Pat Martin called the phone calls a heinous crime and demanded that charges be laid.

“How is this different from a bunch of goons with clubs blocking the door to a voter station as we’ve seen in third world countries or the deep south of the United States? Because the net effect is the same,” the MP for Winnipeg Centre said.

Liberal MP John McCallum said his party doesn’t have a “smoking gun pointing at Stephen Harper” but he encouraged the Conservatives to co-operate with the investigation.

“I want them to indicate they are cooperating fully in the investigation by Elections Canada, that they are revealing all information they are required to reveal and that they are not going to take this to court,” McCallum said.

Transcript of a bogus call sent to a voter in Guelph on federal election day, May 2, 2011.

“This is an automated message from Elections Canada. Due to a projected increase in voter turnout, your poll location has been changed. Your new voting location is at the Old Quebec Street Mall, at 55 Wyndham Street North. Once again, your new poll location is at the Old Quebec Street Mall, at 55 Wyndham Street North. If you have any questions, please call our hotline at 1-800-443-4456. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. (French version recorded in another woman’s voice follows.)”

The Conservative party issued a statement Thursday denying it was behind the calls: “The Conservative Party of Canada ran a clean and ethical campaign and would never tolerate such activity,” said the statement attributed to Jenni Byrne, who managed the Tories’ national campaign.

“The party was not involved with these calls and if anyone on a local campaign was involved they will not play a role in a future campaign.”

The statement said the party does not engage in voter suppression. Although the statement makes no mention of this, Postmedia News has learned that the party’s lawyer, Arthur Hamilton, is conducting an internal investigation into the calls.

NDP interim leader Nycole Turmel issued a letter the party sent to Commissioner of Canada Elections William Corbett, asking him to investigate fully.

But an Elections Canada investigation has been underway since immediately after the May 2 vote.

Racknine says it was unaware its servers were being used for the fake calls.

Fred DeLorey, a spokesman for the Conservative Party, declined to say how much business the party did with Racknine during the campaign. He said the party does not know who was behind the calls, and he did not respond to a question about its internal investigation.

Elections Canada came to Racknine after an elaborate digital chase that began with a single telephone number that showed up on call displays. Investigators traced it to a disposable “burner” cellphone registered in area code 450, in the city of Joliette, northeast of Montreal.

Using telephone billing records and Racknine server logs, Elections Canada investigators identified the Racknine account holder who sent out the calls.

Matt Meier, owner of Racknine, said he was unaware one of his customers was involved in the calls until contacted by Elections Canada in November.

“We couldn’t possibly have known that it was Racknine that was the initiator of the fake calls,” he said. “I had no idea what the content of the calls were.”

The company does not monitor outgoing calls made by customers through the automated service, Meier said. He estimates 10 million or more phone calls from about 200 accounts went out during the campaign.

Meier and his company are co-operating fully with the probe, he said.

He said he knows whose account was used for the calls, but could not reveal the owner, because of client confidentiality and concerns about interfering with the investigation. He said it was someone “down East” — meaning Ontario or Quebec.

The RCMP’s role in the investigation is unclear but it appears the force is assisting Elections Canada. RCMP officers have approached the Conservative Party, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The robocalls received in Guelph were recorded in female voices in both French and English. They told voters their polling stations had moved to a shopping mall in the city’s downtown, where parking was scarce.

A Citizen-Postmedia investigation has found calls misdirecting voters were also reported in ridings across the country: Kitchener-Waterloo, Kitchener-Conestaga, London-West, Parkdale-High Park, Winnipeg South Centre and Sydney-Victoria. It is possible that they were caused by robo-dialing errors.

Liberal supporters in a dozen ridings, mostly in Ontario, reported mysterious harassing calls, often late in the evening or early in the morning, where rude callers from a phone bank pretended to be working for the Liberals. The calls seem to have been an attempt to alienate Liberal voters in ridings where the Liberals and Conservatives seemed to be in close contests.

‘The hunt for the source of bogus robocalls sent out on election day began with the number on the call display that appear on voters’ calls in Guelph, Ontario. Elections Canada traced the number on the call display to a disposable cellphone in the 450 area code of Joliette, Quebec, about 50 kilometres from Montreal’

The continuing Elections Canada probe is led by former RCMP fraud investigator Al Mathews, who previously worked on investigations of former Privacy Commissioner George Radwanski and former prime minister Brian Mulroney in the Airbus affair.

The Conservatives’ internal investigation is being conducted by Arthur Hamilton, who has been the party’s lead lawyer for years, making representations to the Gomery Commission and investigating MP Helena Guergis and Rahim Jaffer for the party in the “busty hookers” saga.

Hamilton did not respond to a request for comment, but sources say he is interviewing people who worked on the Conservative campaign.

“It seems [investigators] have identified somebody who did it, knowingly,” said one Conservative who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In addition to Racknine’s work for Alberta Conservative candidates in the federal election, Meier also has been involved with the provincial Wildrose Party in Alberta. Racknine’s voice-broadcasting service, marketed as [external] 2call.ca, hosted a hospitality suite at the most recent Conservative convention in Ottawa in June.

Meier says the firm is non-partisan and is trying to help Elections Canada.

“What I provided to Elections Canada was comprehensive,” he said in an interview this week. “They know everything. They have every single message recorded by the individuals who did this. That’s something I hope will assist them greatly in determining who made these calls.”

He realized his firm was linked to the deceptive calls only when Mathews showed up unannounced at his company’s office on 50th Street in Edmonton last November, armed with an order to produce records.

‘At first, I thought. “Oh, that’s strange,” Upon reflection, I thought, “This can’t be right. Why on Earth would it change on the day election?”’

— Sue Campbell, who had just returned home after voting on the morning of election day when a call came in saying her polling station had been moved

Elections Canada spokesman John Enright said the commissioner does not comment on ongoing investigations but confirmed an investigation into “some complaints regarding unsolicited telephone calls in which a violation of the (Elections) Act may have occurred.”

Mathews has travelled to Guelph to interview people who received the calls on election day, including United Church minister Sue Campbell, who is the wife of Green Party candidate John Lawson.

Campbell had just returned home after voting on the morning of election day when a call came in saying her polling station had been moved to the Quebec Street Mall in downtown Guelph.

“At first, I thought. ‘Oh, that’s strange,’” Campbell recalls. “Upon reflection, I thought, ‘This can’t be right. Why on Earth would it change on the day election?’”

She wrote down the digits on the caller ID — the number in Quebec — and called Elections Canada to complain.

Internal Elections Canada emails obtained under Access to Information legislation show officials were rattled by the calls.

At 11:06 a.m., election officer Anita Hawdur sent an email to to legal counsel Karen McNeil with the header: “URGENT Conservative campaign office communications with electors.” Hawdur reported that returning officers were calling to ask about the calls. McNeil responded by asking Hawdur to alert Rennie Molnar, the deputy chief electoral officer. He later emailed Michel Roussel, a senior director: “This one is far more serious. They have actually disrupted the voting process.”

Around the same time, Guelph Liberal MP Frank Valeriote got a call at his home, telling him that his campaign staff was hearing from Liberal supporters in the riding about the same kind of bogus Elections Canada calls.

What they first thought were a few nuisance calls, the Valeriote campaign recognized was an orchestrated campaign to discourage his supporters from voting.

Voters who ended up in the wrong place and were turned away were unlikely to persist and go to another polling station. A campaign worker was quickly dispatched to the mall, armed with a binder of polling maps, so he could redirect supporters back to the right place. Within an hour, more than 100 voters had turned up at the mall.

The phoney calls also were causing headaches for campaign staff working for Conservative candidate Marty Burke’s campaign. Radio stations were passing on a warning from Elections Canada about the erroneous messages.

Long-distance phone bills obtained by the Citizen and Postmedia show that the Guelph campaign called Matt Meier’s cellphone once at 11:08 a.m. and then the Racknine main number at 7:11 p.m.

Andrew Prescott, a volunteer with the Burke campaign, used Racknine to send out calls warning supporters about fake Election Canada messages.

Though he used Racknine to make these calls, there is no indication Prescott was involved in the original mischief.

“I was not involved in the illegal phone calls. I am a legitimate user of Racknine’s services, and have been for several years,” he said in an email. “I am a devoted believer in free and fair elections. I would never partake in ANY illegal activities, and openly advocate for everyone to play by the rules.”

Meier confirmed Prescott’s story and said he is satisfied Prescott was not involved in the fake Elections Canada calls.

Reached Wednesday, Burke referred calls about the matter to Michael Sona, who was his director of communications during the campaign and now works for Conservative MP Eve Adams. Sona did not respond to a series of questions about the matter.

Sona made headlines during the Guelph campaign when he was accused of trying to shut down a special ballot on the University of Guelph campus. Witnesses said he tried to grab a ballot box, arguing that the voting process was illegal.

Hamilton later sent a letter to Elections Canada asking that the votes in that box be ruled invalid. Elections Canada allowed them to be counted.

Despite the dirty tricks phone calls, Valeriote won the election in Guelph and increased his margin of victory over 2008, to more than 6,000 votes.

Two weeks after the election, Mathews came to Guelph and interviewed Campbell at his suite in the Holiday Inn, recording her statement and taking careful notes. She said she understood he was also speaking to others in Guelph who had received the calls.

If Mathews and the Commissioner of Canada Elections find evidence of wrongdoing over the bogus Elections Canada calls, the case could be referred to Director of Public Prosecutions Brian Saunders, who would decide whether to lay charges.

That’s the same route followed when Elections Canada discovered attempts by the Conservatives to evade the spending cap on the 2006 campaign by purchasing advertising funded through a series of coordinated wire transfers into and out of candidate accounts. The party pleaded guilty to Election Act breaches last year." - National Post.

J.K. Rowling set to write an adult novel

"J.K. Rowling has announced her next novel will be something “very different” from the Harry Potter series – a work for adults.

There is as yet no title, release date or details of Rowling’s next work, but on Thursday she announced a deal with publisher Little, Brown to publish the book in the U.S. and Britain.

That’s the same publisher who handled Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series and a change from Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury.

"Although I've enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world," Rowling said in a statement released Thursday.

"The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher.”

Potter fans now adults

The Harry Potter books broke sales records, but the last one was released in 2007.

There are so many adult fans of the books about the boy wizard, Rowling is bound to have a following for this first adult novel. In addition, many of the young readers who are Potter fans are now young adults.

It will be available in both print and electronic formats. The author held out for years on allowing the Potter books to come out digitally, but announced in 2011 that Potter e-books would be sold through her own Pottermore website.

In the meantime, Bloomsbury plans to publish illustrated editions of all seven Harry Potter books beginning in 2013, as well as partnering on the e-book editions." - CBC News.

Is Justin Trudeau immature and narcissistic, or just passionate and not afraid to show it?

"OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau betrays his political immaturity and narcissism in suggesting that his commitment to a united Canada is dependent on whether the Conservative government validates his personal values, say prominent political analysts.

"This guy is clearly self-indulgent; he really does think everything is about him and his feelings," Barry Cooper, a political theorist at the University of Calgary, said Tuesday in commenting on statements Trudeau made in a recent French-language interview. "That's a measure of his lightweight status in the firmament of deep-thinking Liberals."

On Sunday, Trudeau, a Montreal MP, told his Radio-Canada host: "I always say, if at a certain point, I believe that Canada was really the Canada of Stephen Harper — that we were going against abortion, and we were going against gay marriage, and we were going backwards in 10,000 different ways — maybe I would think about making Quebec a country."

The remarks have generated a furor this week. The blogosphere and the twitterverse went into hyperdrive, with commentators stunned that the 40-year-old son of Pierre Trudeau could so readily offend his father's federalist vision. The politicians weren't far behind. Not surprisingly, the Bloc Quebecois interpreted Trudeau's remarks as an endorsement for their own opposition to the Conservative government.

A Tory MP, Merv Tweed, taunted Trudeau, saying "while our Conservative government is committed to keeping Canada strong, united and free, the member opposite is contemplating reasons for Quebec to separate from Canada.''

Such remarks forced to Trudeau to beat a hasty retreat on Tuesday, clearing the air with a three-minute address in front of a mob of reporters and cameras on Parliament Hill. "The question is not why does Justin Trudeau suddenly not love this country, because the question is ridiculous,'' Trudeau said. "I live this country in my bones every breath I take, and I'm not going to stand here and somehow defend that I actually do love Canada because we know I love Canada.''

Regardless of Trudeau's rhetorical retrenchment, some observers said his original remarks revealed a great deal about his character, as well as his incoherence as a politician.

"If had read the quote and not known who said it, I would have attributed it to an adolescent," said Tom Darby, a political philosopher at Carleton University in Ottawa. "It does not matter what party or even what policies one favours, the quote is factually untrue, irresponsible, and even treasonous. He (Trudeau) says that his father was an intellectual and that he is not. About this he is correct, which his childish statement proves."

Robert Asselin, a political scientist at the University of Ottawa who specializes in Canada-Quebec affairs, noted the inherent narcissism of Trudeau's attitude. "That's the first observation I would make. But also, government policy should not dictate one's preference for secession or not. Secession is a very grave action and you don't even suggest it (as a possibility) because you don't share certain beliefs or values of the government of the moment."

"Politics is not about personal feelings," said Cooper. "It's about the ethics of responsibility. He was elected as a member of Parliament from a particular constituency. He was not elected in his own right because he has these sensitive feelings about various things. Whether he likes it or not, he's supposed to be a responsible political leader, and he's clearly incapable of understanding what his job is."

Trudeau has, in fact, been stepping in it regularly of late. In December, he referred to Environment Minister Peter Kent as a "piece of sh--." He was taken to task for wrongly claiming that there would be no way to track firearms after the registry's disappearance when he tweeted his opposition to the Conservative government's plans to scrap the gun registry. And he was much criticized when he told a reporter he was "uncomfortable" with the use of the phrase "honour killings" because he thought it was "pejorative."

Political analysts such as Darby and Cooper question whether Trudeau has taken his dislike of Harper's policies to an imprudent extreme that says more about himself than about the policies he supposedly opposes.

"Young Trudeau is living out the consequences of his father's vision of what the country should look like, that the state exists to compel us to like one another, to think alike, that we all have to have the same values," said Cooper. "You've got this kind of narcissistic response that the state only exists to reflect your values. There's nothing to be patriotic about (and) so you can indulge whatever idiosyncratic policy preferences you might have. Trudeau Junior reflects this attitude, and for a lot of people his age and younger, they probably think this is a perfectly legitimate way of looking at politics."

Trudeau's statement reflected the "incredible notion" that loyalty to one's country is predicated on whether that country lived up to your personal sentiments, said Darby. It is quite legitimate to oppose the policies of a particular government, he said, but Trudeau showed no sense of what Canadians have in common, no sense of shared citizenship and the responsibilities that come with citizenship. "The problem with that is he's not thinking beyond his own self-interest. He's like a kid who says, 'I don't like what's happening in this game, so I'm going to take my stuff and go home.'"

Asselin, meanwhile, speculated that Trudeau reflected the sentiments of many Quebecers who feel they don't share the values of the Conservative government. Nevertheless, that's no excuse to indulge in imprudent hints about supporting separatism. "That's the line he crossed. That's why it's dangerous."

Trudeau's behaviour raises questions about his political intelligence, and his potential as a future Liberal leader, Asselin said. "I'm always surprised to see his name as a potential candidate (for the Liberal leadership) because I've never seen anything substantive from him that would make me believe he would be a good leader. What is his vision of Canada? I would not be able to tell you what it is. I know what his father stood for, but I don't know what Justin Trudeau's is."

And what might Pierre Trudeau have thought of his son's statement? "I don't think his father would have been happy at all to read it. He would probably spank him on his behind, and say, 'What have you said? This is not right.'" " - ROBERT SIBLEY, POSTMEDIA NEWS 

What do you think? Is Justin not mature enough as a politician? Or is he just passionate about his country?

No worries for Adele fans: She not taking a 5 year hiatus (Click here)

A message from Robert Redford: We may have won this battle against the Oil Pipeline, but the war is not over... Watch!

Radio-Canada changes timeslot for racy, "pornographic" TV show

"The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's French arm is tweaking its offering of a raunchy foreign show that has come under fire.

"In line with its policies and programs to ensure that the Hard series is not seen by children, Radio-Canada has decided to restrict the spread between midnight and 4 am (EST) today," reads a post, written in French, on Radio-Canada's Facebook page.

The state broadcaster said the racy show, produced in France, was purchased because it spoke to young adult audiences and was a hit in places like Germany and Korea.

The partial stand-down comes after a flood of criticism from the prime minister, MPs from all parties, and the heritage minister.

"This programming cannot be defended," Heritage Minister James Moore said after viewing the show, which runs Tou.tv, a web TV video on demand offered by Radio-Canada.

"Having now seen the show in question, it raises serious concerns about some programming decisions being made with taxpayers' dollars by CBC/Radio-Canada," he said.

"Today I contacted the CBC and asked them to review all of their online content to ensure offensive programming such as this is not repeated."

The Prime Minister's Office also issued a statement.

"This content is clearly adult in nature and should not be available to children," a PMO spokesman wrote in an e-mail. "While the government doesn't control CBC's content, we are confused by their decision to purchase sexually explicit content and make it available to children. The CBC's mandate is to deliver quality programming to the regions and rural areas, not this material."

The cost of obtaining Hard is not being disclosed by CBC, which cites the information as private due to competition.

Initially, CBC said Hard was not pornographic, and was rated 16-plus." - Kris Sims, Toronto Sun.

Stop SOPA or loose your internet rights! Watch this video and pass it along!

Watch and pass it along to everyone you know!

Harper takes aim at pipeline opponents

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper says there are some Americans who want to turn Canada into a "giant national park" and he wants to ensure their opposition to the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline doesn't delay regulatory hearings into the project.

Harper made the comment in an interview with CBC broadcaster Peter Mansbridge aired Monday.

In the interview, Harper answered questions on topics such as the controversial pipeline, health care, publicsector pensions, Iran and Aboriginal Affairs.

The prime minister was asked if the proposed pipeline - which would bring Alberta bitumen from that province's oil fields to the British Columbia coast so it can be shipped to Asia - is a fait accompli.

"What I think I'd make clear is that I believe selling our energy products to Asia is in the country's national interest," said Harper.

"It is in our interests for all kinds of reasons, that we diversify our exports, particularly our energy exports."

Still, Harper stressed there is a regulatory process in place and he is not ready to endorse any specific project.

The $5.5-billion Northern Gateway project is now being reviewed by a National Energy Board panel. In recent days, Harper and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver have complained that foreign-financed "radical" opponents of the plan have hijacked the Northern Gateway debate and threaten to slow down the hearings.

Harper was pressed by Mansbridge on whether the government was guilty of a double-standard by attacking environmental groups while not doing likewise with foreign-backed entities that support the pipeline.

"These are all valid questions," Harper said. "But just because certain people in the United States would like to see Canada be one giant national park for the northern half of North America, I don't think that's part of what our review process is all about." " - Mark Kennedy, Post Media.

What do you think? Should we deface our beautiful Canada, like Harper says we should?

The Gift Not Yet Given: "The unknown is the scariest part&" (A heart-breaking story about a 20-yr-old Ottawa native).

The Gift Not Yet Given: ‘The unknown is the scariest part’

Harper is "selling out Canadian privacy"

"Despite being very outspoken on the question of crime, Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems far from eager to discuss the legislation he’s promised to pass within 100 days of taking office — legislation that will allow online spying without a warrant.

The proposed legislation will force every phone and Internet provider to allow “authorities” to collect the private information of any Canadian, at any time, without a warrant.

This will create legislation that is:

 • Warrantless: A range of “authorities” will have the ability to invade the private lives of law-abiding Canadians and our families using wired Internet and mobile devices, without justification.

Invasive: The laws leave our personal and financial information less secure and more susceptible to cybercrime.

Costly: Internet services providers may be forced to install millions of dollars worth of spying technology and the cost will be passed down to you.

Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart has repeatedly voiced her concerns about online spying, and has called for strengthened oversight and privacy safeguards in the bills.

Any proposals to expand telecommunications surveillance must be based on a clear need for new powers, which must be demonstrated by verifiable evidence. And these new powers must include comprehensive internal controls, clear oversight, meaningful deterrents, and a system of enforcement.

Harper is planning on sharing that information with the U.S. selling out Canadian sovereignty." - James Taylor, The Star (Opinion Letters).

Do you think he's right?

A little Apple humour for you...

"Lost dog comes home for the holidays — eight years later"!

"When Frankie Pruitt came home from school for the holidays, he stopped on the way up the driveway to hug his pit bull, who had run to him with her tail wagging. “Petunia!” he said, and rubbed the fur around her ears, and looked into her brown eyes.

“Same eyes,” he said. “Same old Petunia!”

He hadn’t seen the dog since 2003, when she ran out of the house one morning just like she always did, headed toward the family alpaca barn, and didn’t come back.

For anyone who ever lost something beloved, here is a Christmas homecoming story.

Tell us your lost-and-found pet story in the comments below. 

Perhaps a million pets get lost every year, and some 3.7 million are killed at shelters. Petunia beat the odds. She was found, in a wilderness area 2,700 miles from her Virginia farm, and sent home.

Eight years ago, Kristen and John Pruitt and their children worried that their friendly, affectionate American Staffordshire terrier had been hit by a car. Or, maybe even worse, pulled into a brutal dogfighting ring.

Instead, their dog seemed to have embarked on a cross-country trip that took her — who knows where? All they know for sure is that she was found wandering in the foothills of a wildlife preserve in Northern California, got picked up by a wildlife biologist, then jetted home for an improbably glamorous return via Times Square mixing with celebrities, political candidates and Rockettes, all just in time for the holidays.

* * *

Frankie Pruitt was 7 when his dad passed a sign for puppies and decided, on a whim, to take one home. He told Frankie not to tell his mom. They had plenty of room for another dog on their 100-acre alpaca and horse farm near Fredericksburg. But Kristen Pruitt said she didn’t want a pit bull in the house with her children; it seemed too dangerous.

“Then I saw her, and she was so small, and so ugly, and so cute,” she said.

And sweet: That’s why they named her Petunia.

The sandy-and-white dog slept with Frankie, wiggling up to his pillow during the night, snoring her head off. She ran free, following him around the place, an old family farm that played a key role in the Civil War battle of Chancellorsville, with a pond, tall magnolias and horse fences crisscrossing the fields.

Then one morning around Thanksgiving 2003 he was drinking hot chocolate in their big stone house while Petunia, Booboo and Bear ran out before breakfast, and only two dogs came back.

Frankie didn’t worry at first; in rural Spotsylvania County, they figured someone would see their missing-dog signs. But as the winter wore on, they gave up hope.

* * *

A few days after Thanksgiving this year, Meg Eden, a wildlife biologist from Oregon, was camping in the Spenceville Wildlife Area in California. It’s a remote spot miles from any houses, mostly grasslands and oak trees with mountain lions, foxes and coyotes Eden heard howling at night. One morning, a dog appeared over a hill and came toward Eden with her tail wagging.

Eden, who rescues dogs, had just a moment’s hesitation because it was a pit bull. But the dog seemed so delighted to see her.

The dog snuggled with her and her dogs that night. “Her personality is 100 percent sugar,” Eden said.

Eden called an animal shelter, which began searching for an owner. In this rare case, it was easy: The Pruitts implant microchips in all their animals. Only a small minority of pet owners do that, but the number is growing, said Adam Goldfarb at the Humane Society.

The Pruitts’ vet called them. Frankie didn't believe it until he saw a photo. Petunia!

Then Petunia went big time, appearing in local papers and on national TV when Fox paid to fly her back east. She was friendly in the New York studio when she saw the Pruitts, but they weren’t certain she remembered them.

But as soon as they got back to the farm and let her out of the car, Petunia seemed to know she was home. Her tail was wagging so fast it’s invisible in the photos they took. She touched noses with Booboo, their tiny fluffy Maltese-toy poodle, then raced into the house right to the spot where her water bowl had always been.

“She seemed ecstatic,” he said.

* * *

The Pruitts can’t help but wonder where she’s been all this time.

When Frankie saw her, he immediately noticed the eight or 10 jagged scars, and traced them with his hand in the short fur on her head. They think it’s from a barbed-wire fence, not from dogfighting or abuse. Because she seems to be the same old Petunia: sweet, gentle.

With maybe just a tiny wild streak underneath it all.

She does seem to be the kind of dog who loves to wander, Kristen Pruitt said; sometimes now Petunia will stop outside, and just stare off into the woods.

The other day, they opened the door and Petunia trotted out, headed toward the alpaca barn. “Frankie!” Kristen Pruitt called, leaping forward to grab her collar. Petunia looked back at her, tail wagging. “Get her leash!” " - Susan Svrluga, The Washington Post.