# How Long Would You Look?



## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/21/us/lost-dog-montana-kalispell-spokane.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

I am so glad this had a happy ending. My last dog did a walk about when he slipped out of the gate, and I was a basket case. He was gone most of the day, until a nice woman brought him home. It doesn’t always go that way. DH and I are always alerting neighbors that their dogs are out or checking collars and making calls. It’s a terrible feeling wondering and worrying about a lost dog.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

OMG! What a tear jerker that was, especially the video. What amazing people and such a beautiful community. I know just where that is because it's not far from where I lived in Idaho. It's a lovely area and close knit people...a farming area mostly. 

It's hard to say how far I'd go to find my dog unless and until it happens. I might be pretty intense about it, especially since they are such tiny dogs. I shudder to think about it. Those loving peoples' hard work paid off. Amazing story. Thanks for sharing.

One time when I was dragging the hose through my side gate, Maurice must have scooted out when I had my back turned. These little dogs can shoot past your ankles and you don't see them. I went back into the back yard and couldn't find him...called and called. Panic! So I went back to the front...looked around, called. I thought how odd...he would have come to me...couldn't have gotten far as it was just a couple minutes at most that had passed. Thankfully, my neighborhood has very safe, low traffic roads within. The next thing I knew was my neighbor across the street had him, brought him in her house. When she saw me she came outside and asked if I was looking for a tiny black dog. lol. She knew it was Maurice. She said she saw him trotting down the road, called him and he came to her. I'm very glad my dogs love everyone because you hear of dogs running and they can't be caught because of their fear of people. So he ran right to her and she loved on him while she waited to get hold of me. I think she thought I wasn't there or something...can't remember exactly. But it sure makes you panic.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I can’t read it, I’ve already read my 2 articles for the months. Maybe someone can copy it here ?

I once had a female BT who was very hyperactif and she would escape from the fenced yard any chance she got. She always had her collar on with a tag with the city’s number on it. She would go in the neighborhood, find someone outside and make friends. Then the person would call the city, but by the time they took the message and called me, a day often passed. So they would keep her for the night, feed her, let her sleep with their kids and play with their dog ! For her it was heaven.

I was never afraid, I knew I would always get her back. I had gotten her from the SPCA and she had been abandoned for this exact reason. She had been running free in neighborhoods for her entire life. Sometimes habits are hard to break. We got better at it and she rarely escaped at the end but she still did it any chance she got !


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

On Thursday, Noelle and Francis got out of the yard though a hole in the fence I didn't know was there. Francis came back immediately. Noelle did not. I went out front and called. She didn't come back. After about five minutes of calling, I completely lost it. I got my shoes on and started walking. Half an hour later, neighbors heard me calling and said they saw a little dog in a back yard around the corner from our house. I went in the back yard, and Noelle came flying. Longest half hour ever.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Unfortunately, you can't see the video. It's the mom coming home in the car with the dog in the front seat. The dad, an older gentleman comes to the opened window and what an ecstatic greeting. He's just over flowing with joy and love. It's quite moving. But here's the story.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/21/us/lost-dog-montana-kalispell-spokane.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share


> By Mike Baker
> Published Sept. 21, 2019
> Updated Sept. 22, 2019, 12:01 p.m. ET
> 
> ...


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

That really must be a nice community. There was a long stretch in my life when I couldn’t afford to lose a job, much less pay room and board for over a month. I hope the USPS gives her her job back.

Thank God, you found Noelle! A SD is even more precious than our loving companion animals that are like family.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

i was beyond hysterical when I realized Noelle was gone. I said, "I need her back. My entire life will stop working if I don't get her back." And I meant it! I thought I'd secured the fence against escapes. Evidently, I was wrong. I don't own all the fences surrounding our yard and two of them are caving in. It's stressful. I don't trust the fences at all anymore. As soon as I can afford it, I'll hire a contractor to secure our yard. Until then, I've changed our potty routine. I act as if we don't have a fence at all. I don't need that kind of stress in my life.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I was coming back from the grocery store on Saturday when I saw two of my neighbors Brittany’s taking an unaccompanied stroll down the road. I called her and she had the same fence quandary. How did they get out? I’m pretty sure they dug out. They’ve done it before. I am always inspecting the wooden sections of our fence. Buck would have to dig deep to get out and he would get caught before he had a tunnel. She has about six Brittany’s, so they must work in shifts. Sweet dogs but they had no interest in jumping in my car when they had free range and an open road.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

That story is making it all over the internet. Friends of mine without dogs have emailed it to me. Such a heartwarming story, scary and with a happy ending.

Click, OMG - when I read that my heart jumped - you need Noelle and she needs you. I'm so glad she wasn't lost for long.

Losing my dog would be my worst nightmare - I'm so tightly bonded to my dog. We don't have a fenced yard so my dog is always on a leash and she's trained not to leave the house until she has been given the release word - we practice this every single time we leave the house and when ever we enter or leave buildings.

I've mentioned this before - I have a friend who lost her dog and the dog was never found. The story was on the news so many strangers as well as everyone from my dog club went out to help find her dog. She keeps a GPS tracking collar with fresh batteries on her current Malinois. I don't think you ever get over something like this.

We did have a cat sneak out when we had contractors in the house - he was lost for 2 days. We bought a trap and kept trapping the same raccoon. We went out calling his name constantly. Turns out he was in my next door neighbors garage too scared to move. You can't help but think the worst when your pet is missing. I had nightmares for weeks thinking the worst had happened.

OTOH, I have a friend that does aussie rescue. They had a dog that was on the run for a year. There was a site on line where people would post if they had seen the dog and all kinds of strangers went out to try to capture the dog. People put food out for it etc. At the end of the year the dog was finally captured and given to my friend to take care of. Her worst nightmare - this dog got loose again while under her control (she's never had that happen before). It was quickly caught again and this stranger brought the dog back to my friend - and they have developed a relationship because of this. Aussie rescue wanted to put the dog down because of it's reputation of running away. The dog is a really nice - gets along well with other dogs, just terrible fearful of people. My friend refused. She made an agreement with this rescue - she will keep the dog but will no longer be able to work with this particular rescue again for going against their wishes. She brought the dog to the agility class that I teach. Gorgeous dog, she's filled out and her coat has grown in. The dog was great with the other dogs, but we kept people a couple of feet away from her - the dog did allow me to hold her for going through tunnel or the recall practice. The lady who found the dog - she came to watch the agility class each week. She loved seeing how well the dog was doing. It's been several months and the dog is no longer interested in running. This is one special failed rescue with a happy story.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Thank you PB, this was so touching ! I’m so glad thay got Katie back.

Both Beckie and Merlin have gone out of the yard a few times. Beckie even got out of the yard at my mom’s, in winter at -35F. I was balling my eyes out. My daughter rushed outside without a coat and managed to get her back. She definitely would have died outside. It was late at night. She was young, maybe 8-9 months old.

I am almost positive both would come back if they got out. They’re not trying to escape, they’re just happy to run freely. They know the neighborhood and I believe they would find their way. They’re both mama’s dogs and they don’t even want to be outside if I’m not with them.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

It's funny this should come up. I have never had this problem before, but Navy got out a week ago after a user-related failure with my fence lock. 

We were home, the dog door to the backyard was open so he could pee as needed. I had just sat down on my couch with my husband when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number and almost didn't answer thinking it might be work-related (I try to protect my time off). I answered it despite my better judgment. The person on the other end said they had found a dog and was it mine?- I thought I was being scammed! I said "Nope, my dog's right here" and turned to where Navy was sitting. Of course the stinker wasn't there. I had a crazy moment of panic racing through the house yelling his name while holding the phone. I finally pulled myself together and went out the front door-- and there was my neighbor holding my dog and trying to talk sense to the crazy woman on the phone (me!)

Navy's total time of freedom: approximately 3 minutes. Years off my life: 10.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Once, while camping, my parents took Gracie over to some rocks for sunbathing. I was making my way over there a little more slowly when, through the trees, I saw Gracie go sprinting past, down the beach, looking for me! She was blinded by the terror of trying to find me. I'd never seen anything like it.

I shouted her name MULTIPLE TIMES before her head finally snapped around and she seemed to come to her senses. My heart races at the memory, because I can understand how even the best-behaved, most loyal dog can go missing. They go into a different state.

If I'd not walked by at that moment, she would have reached the edge of a dense forest and who knows what would have happened after that.

She'd never done anything like that before and never did anything like that again.


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## SamieNorman (Aug 9, 2019)

This is a hard story to read. Losing an animal is anyway, especially a lost/missing animal, is so hard. I have always told people that not knowing what happened to your animal is worse than knowing.

I myself have never stopped looking for my first pet, a tabby cat named Sage. She was my first pet-love and the one that showed me how to love animals no matter what. Sage was a rescue, and due to her unknown past, would not want to be touched or picked up, yet would only sleep under my legs under my blankets in bed. She was very peculiar, but I loved that about her most. Massive green eyes and a gorgeous coat. She was an outside/inside cat and would disappear for a few days and come back for a few days. This was normal for her because she was a big hunter and traveler. We live on a mountain so this is very normal for the cats in our neighborhood to travel around. Her "sister" Kitty (calico) who we adopted around the same time would go with her on these adventures and they would come back! 

One day, she walked down the driveway and never came back. This was almost 3 years ago, but I never stop looking for her. Every time I am on a website for lost/found animals I look for her, I look in the cats for adoption section in PetSmart, I look in the woods everyday on my walks with Norman. I posted on any website I could find for lost pets in my area. 
I have even had dreams about her coming home to me and I wake up with tears. Unfortunately she was not micro-chipped and I regret this.
I still keep hope that shes alive and just living in a secret cat kingdom lol!!

Now when Norman gets out of my sight (even with his invisible fence collar on) I always have a small heart drop and immediately search and call for him, knowing the pain of losing an animal makes it worse. Norman never leaves my side ever, so when he does (and its not chasing a cat or squirrel) I worry and think of the worst. My biggest fear is someone taking Norman away from me. I couldn't imagine someone taking my Norman from me... He is so pure and innocent. I would break down doors looking for him!! 

Sage on the other hand would NEVER let a stranger near her so I know she was not taken LOL! She was mean to everyone but her family.

For anyone who has a missing pet, no matter what kind, I am so sorry! Not knowing what happened, is truly heartbreaking. Your imagination can sometimes get the best of you in those situations. But never stop looking!! I have heard amazing stories of animals being found years after they are lost!! You never know!!


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

We have an email list called "Nextdoor" that goes out to everybody in our neighborhood. People post garage sales and looking for a babysitter or recommendations for a plumber or whatever on it. One morning last summer I had gotten up and let Zephyr out into the fenced back yard and went back inside to start up the computer and look at emails etc. Twenty minutes or so later there was a posting from Nextdoor about a lost dog with a tiny little thumbnail photo. I looked at it and thought it looked kind of like Zephyr. I opened the post with a bigger pic and "OMG THAT IS ZEPHYR!!!" But but but---he's right there! I just let him out in my yard! 

I got up and looked out my window and saw that the gate was open. Somebody had opened my gate in the night and I didn't notice when I let Zephyr out. He was not wearing a collar. Went back and looked at the posting again, and the people who had posted could not catch him. They had called animal control who had already come and picked him up. I called the police station and they contacted the officer who had picked him up and transferred my call to him. He was still at the vet center with Zephyr where they take lost dogs to see if they have a microchip and said I could come there to pick him up. Drove right over and the officer gave me a warning instead of a ticket ($265 for being out and not having a collar on). I think because I had called them before they had even tried to contact me. 

Went home and wrote a sincere thank you to the person who had tried to catch him and when they could not got hold of Animal Control to get him off of the street before he got hurt or killed, and then posted so I would know where he was and didn't have to drive around aimlessly looking for him. 

But OMG that jolt of panic when I first saw his picture and realized he was out on his own. And now I check the gate before letting him outside.


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