DOG'S OWNER OFFERS REWARD

KELSO -- Maurice Schlosser has 40 buffaloes, 35 elk, four camels, two zebras, seven llamas, 13 deer, six goats, 10 donkeys, nine white elk, two swans, a pony, two dogs and two cats on his farm three miles south of Kelso. There are wallabies, peacocks, emus, guineas and pheasants, an exotic collection of animals he raises just because he likes animals. But he'd give $1,000 just to have one more.

That animal is Molly, a 2-year-old miniature beagle that disappeared from the farm Dec. 3.

On fliers distributed around the area and flashing rented advertising signs placed along roadways and in newspaper want ads, Schlosser is offering a $1,000 reward for Molly's return. The reward is being offered with no questions asked.

They've gotten a few calls, but the beagles were all larger than Molly, who only weighs 8 pounds.

The amount of the reward does not seem excessive to Schlosser. "I'd give more than that," he said.

Molly was his special companion. She'd wait for him on the seat of his tractor or in the cab of his combine.

"While he combined, she ran hundreds of miles inside the cab," said Schlosser's daughter Kathy. "She went everywhere with him."

If someone scooped up Molly as a pet or as a hunting dog, they were disappointed. She doesn't like kids and she isn't a trained hunting dog. "She was a one-owner dog," Kathy said.

Molly even went to the tavern with Schlosser on Sunday afternoons.

The family suspects Molly's hunting instincts may have gotten her into trouble, however.

"She was probably trailing something and got lost," Kathy said. "We're pretty certain she's still alive but that somebody has her."

They hope that somebody just hasn't seen the ads yet.

Molly disappeared about noon that Thursday. She is small, her back is a dark brownish red, and she has specks of white on her back and at the tip of her tail. She has another white ring around her neck and more white on her stomach.

Her eyes are golden.

One of her unique characteristics is her walk. "She kind of pranced when she walked," Kathy said.

The phone numbers to call are (573) 545-3891 or (573) 264-1300 days.

Schlosser does love animals. In the past 13 years, his menagerie has grown from a few deer to a miniature Grant's Farm filled with beasts he invariably calls "Baby."

"You can't put a price on any kind of animal you've got," Schlosser says.

The search for Molly recently took him to an auction in Poplar Bluff where dogs are sold. He is attending another today in Paducah, Ky.

Kathy doubts whether any of the family members -- sister Sandy, brothers Randy and Tim, mother Margie and especially Maurice -- is going to rest until they know what happened to Molly. They're still hopeful she will be found.

"That would be the best Christmas present ever," she said.