Priceless Memories - Bob Barker [55]
Heading north was a mistake. If Mr. Hubbard had gone only one more block west, and then made his turn north and gone just one block, he would have ended up right in front of his new Hollywood home. It’s amazing what he almost accomplished.
As it was, Mr. Hubbard ended up five or six blocks up the hill above our home. I was able to stay on Mr. Hubbard’s trail by literally going door to door and by talking with passersby on the street. Practically every moment that I wasn’t taping Truth or Consequences, I was searching for Mr. Hubbard. My mother or Dorothy Jo would go with me so we could cover both sides of the street from the car.
At this time, we were doing Truth or Consequences in the old Metromedia building on Sunset Boulevard. George Putnam was anchoring the news broadcasts for Channel 11 in the same building. I was so desperate by this time that I went to George and begged for his help. “George, I know this is an awful lot to ask, with everything going on in the way of news and everything you have to do, but I am trying to find my dog. If you would do something on the news about it, it might help me.”
He said, “I’ll be glad to do that.”
I was astonished that he responded so quickly. I said, “Will you, really?”
“I will—really.”
“George,” I said, “you have no idea what this means to me.”
He said, “Maybe I do.” He asked me to come around his desk. I went around his desk, and under the desk, his dog was lying at his feet!
George Putnam went on the air that night and told the story of the missing Mr. Hubbard. He did that on the most watched broadcast, the 6:00 Evening News. After searching again for several hours the next morning, I called in to Dorothy Jo from a pay phone. When she answered, she was very excited.
“There’s a man up on the hill above us who thinks he has our dog!” I had thought I was on Mr. Hubbard’s trail—and I was, but I was a day’s travel behind him.
I talked with this gentleman on the telephone and I said, “Is he brown and white?”
“Yes.”
“Does he have scars along his right back leg?”
“Yes, he does.”
“That’s my dog!”
My heart was pounding as I went rushing up that hill. Mr. Hubbard was on the front porch and this gentleman was sitting beside him. Mr. Hubbard was lying there, just completely worn out by his travels. The kind man was petting him and comforting him.
When Mr. Hubbard saw me his tail began thumping loudly on the porch.
Our hero had indeed seen the story of Mr. Hubbard on George Putnam’s newscast, and within the hour, looked out his window and saw Mr. Hubbard sitting dejectedly in his driveway. Mr. Hubbard had apparently come to terms with the fact that he needed help and allowed this benefactor to take him in.
After profusely thanking the gentleman who saved Mr. Hubbard’s life and trying unsuccessfully to give him a reward, I brought the tired, weary, hungry Mr. Hubbard home to a reunion with Dorothy Jo and Mother, complete with tears and lots of laughter. My only regret is that we didn’t have a hidden camera. It would have been perfect for Truth.
Then I took him out in the yard. He was so hoarse that he could hardly make a sound. He had probably been barking at everything and everyone. He and I lay down in the grass to rest, but when he heard the dog next door barking, he dragged himself to his feet and made a sort of croaking sound as loudly as he could. He was back home and back in charge!
After Mr. Hubbard settled down for a rest, I called George Putnam. “You did it,” I said. “This man had seen the story about my missing dog on the news. When you showed a picture of Mr. Hubbard, he knew that he had the right dog. I just called to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
He said, “No, you’re not through yet. You’ve got to bring that dog down here and we’re going to show the world what we did.”
So I took Mr. Hubbard down, and we were on the 6:00 Evening News again and we told our story. I had gotten Mr. Hubbard back after two days and two nights in Hollywood, in