Tag Archives: Trapping

Frasier Story, as told by Frasier

Tuesday, January 26th, 2021, 1400 hrs.  Mom has me out to help shovel.  I don’t think so!  Then tells me it’s time for a walk. It’s a balmy 34 degrees and I’m feeling adventurous.  She tells me it’s time to switch leashes…she clicks, I twist…SUCCESS!  I’m free!!!! Run Frasier Run!!  Off to the field I go…WAIT! WHAT IS THIS COLD WHITE STUFF??  Ooop! Here she comes…let’s book it.  

I’ll head towards the houses…I think I know these ones.  We pass them on our walks.  Mom will know where to find me…lets see if she can catch me.  I think she’s calling for me.  But I’m having too much fun frolicking through the snow.  

Huh, I can’t see my Mom.  I’m sure she knows where to find me.  Dang these houses all look the same!  But I can sort of smell something familiar.  Just not quite sure where it’s coming from.  She still hasn’t found me, and it’s starting to get dark…and cold…

At last! I found my home.  I think. It’s really dark out now… MOM!! I’m here MOM.  Open up I’m here!!!  I’ll leave my footprints on the back patio so you know I was here!!  I’m done on my adventure Mom!  Please open the door! It’s cold…

Meanwhile, Frasier’s Mom sat, devastated she failed him.  She had food out by her front door, his blanket, his bed…If he visited that area it was hard to tell since the snow had been shoveled.  But he was definitely at the back door overnight.  His footprints were all over the patio, then went to the north, up a berm, into some trees and stopped at the very busy 2 lane road behind the house.  

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021, 0900 hrs.  I’m not sure what to do now. I’m a little hungry.  And cold.  I suppose I should look for a place to rest. I’ve been up all night trying to figure out what to do.  There’s a quiet area of woods right here so I’m going to explore them.  Ah ha!  I found a perfect spot.  Piles of wood, or something.  I can probably dig in here and rest for the day.  And maybe the night.  I’ve got to come up with a plan…

Thursday, January 28th, 2021, 1400 hrs.  DANG!  I’ve been spotted.  People saw me when they were on that busy road!  They got out of some big machine and called to me.  I had just woken from a nap under this warm deck on the front of this white house.  The sun was out and I was feeling good.  I must run!! 

I don’t know them.  I’m hiding back in the woods.  It’s dark again now but I see my mom.  She’s there with another person.  They are looking around my deck, maybe they see all my paw prints.  They put some big metal cage out.  What are they looking for?? What are they trying to catch??  Wait a minute…I know what that box is.  NO WAY…not gonna go near that again!  That thing almost ATE me last time!! (This was Frasier’s second time adventuring out)

Friday January 29th, 2021, 1130 hrs.  I found it, at least I think I did.  My home.  I’m not sure tho.  It kinda smells like my yard.  I’ll run around here again and leave my footprints. There’s food here.  Pieces of my favorite kibble and some treats!!  I’ll gobble all that up, but I’m still hungry.  I’ll just walk where there’s no snow right now, see if I can find some more food. It doesn’t hurt my feet as much.  I miss my Mom.  I hope she misses me too…

Little did Frasier know just what his mom was up to.  She had begun to plaster the area with flyers.  In fact, the people who saw him at the white house drove not ¼ mile and saw his flyer and called his mom.  A block away from home, someone working at the nearby farm had seen him walking down the street.  Another person saw a flyer and called to say they had seen him that day in the conifer trees that lined the back of the houses near where he lived.  People were starting to look for him. 

Friday, January 29th, 2020, 1900 hrs.  I found it again!!  I found my….what in the world??  Another big metal box?!?  Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!! Not happening.  I’m cold, I’m hungry but I am afraid of that thing!!!  I’d better go back to my safe spot. I’ve learned to go across the bigger road when it’s darker, and the big machines slow down.  I’m tired.  This isn’t really fun anymore. 

A picture containing text, mammal, dog, domestic cat

Description automatically generated

Fraiser’s mom and team realized since he was trapped the first time he was trap shy.  They decided to camouflage the trap as much as possible.  The weather started to turn and a snow storm came in January 31st.  Two days, no sightings, but not uncommon with the storm that came through. 

February 4th, 2021 Camouflaged trap – straw was added as the weather was predicted to turn colder. 

A picture containing outdoor, stone

Description automatically generated

February 2, 2021 0200 hrs.  I’m here! Mom I’m here. I’m leaving my prints, I’m eating the food but I don’t like this thing on the porch. I want to come closer to the doors but that thing is new and even though it has food I really don’t like it.  

A picture containing text, outdoor, mammal, bear

Description automatically generated

Frasier continued to come overnight.  2/4/2021 he was on camera 0115 am, 0500 am, 1030 pm, and 2/5/2021 at 0530 am.  At this point the team knew there had to be a change of plans.  He wanted nothing to do with the box trap. 

A picture containing ground, mammal, domestic cat

Description automatically generated
A picture containing mammal, lagomorph

Description automatically generated
A picture containing mammal, wave

Description automatically generated
A picture containing ground, dog, floor, indoor

Description automatically generated

Brainstorming took place and it was decided a missy trap needed to be used.  The problem was, Fraiser was coming overnight, and as we all know, it’s difficult to take a trapped pup out of the missy if you aren’t experienced.  Mom was more than willing to stay up and watch the trap, but the closest recovery team member was over ½ hour away, and it was too cold to leave him in there that long.  What to do…

The team decided that the best thing to do is make him as comfortable as possible. He came to the sliding doors, he knew where home was, so it was decided the best plan was to build the missy trap OFF the sliding doors.  That way, if he did get trapped, his foster would be able to stand to the side and hopefully slide the door open without spooking him too much and he’d come in.  A team of mom’s close friends gathered the evening of 2/5/2021 to assemble the missy.  It was cold.  Time was of the essence.  The missy was set up with the door and two sides, and the back side against the sliding doors.  

The temperature had stated to plummet.  A George Foreman grill was used to keep the food hot and smelly along with a plug in heated bowl.  Frasier’s blanket, mom’s clothes and hot food were all out and ready by 1000 pm.

Frasier didn’t disappoint.  0500 am 2/6/2021.  Look closely.

A picture containing text, outdoor, black, white

Description automatically generated

What the WHAT??? Really MOM???  NOPE, Not doing it… but man that food smells GOOOOOOD!!

One of the team members and Frasier’s mom stayed up most of the night of the 6th, taking turns to see if he showed.  Unfortunately, he didn’t get too close to the trap until early in the morning.  Still, he would not step in.  Everyone was getting concerned as the temperature on the 7th was predicted to be 5 above with the low at -9 degrees that night. 

24 hours later. 2/7/21 0400 am.

A picture containing text, black

Description automatically generated

I’m being brave mom!! I’m really trying!  I want to come home, but I’m scared! But I’m hungry!!

2/7/2021 9:00 pm temperature was hovering around zero degrees.

A deer in a fenced in area

Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Thank you for the food mom! I promise I’ll come back and eat more.  I promise I’ll try to get closer!

Frasier’s mom was ready.  One of the team members was ready.  Camera notifications were on full volume, phone’s close.  Bacon, hot dogs and warm food on the grill were ready.  It’s time!

Frasier didn’t disappoint.  2/8/2021 0200 am.  He at the cold food in the bowl, but the hot food was just too good to pass up.  Trap closed at 0221am.  FRASIER WAS SAFE. 

A picture containing text

Description automatically generated
A picture containing mammal

Description automatically generated
A picture containing mammal, lagomorph

Description automatically generated

Mom was able to slide the door open and he went right in. Never underestimate the survival skills and instincts of any dog.  Stories like these happen all the time.  Sometimes you just have to think outside the box and stay a step or two ahead.  Today marks his one-year trapaversary!  He’s come a long way. From shy and skittish to sitting on his mom’s lap enjoying scratches.  Happy to be home.  

A dog sitting on a couch

Description automatically generated with medium confidence
A dog on a leash on a bridge over a river

Description automatically generated with low confidence
A dog sitting on a couch

Description automatically generated

Thank you Elaine for sharing Frasier’s story!

We always say it takes a village. Every.Single.Time.

On 3/14/30 Roxy, a Cheweenie mix, went on a car ride with her mom to her work.  Unfortunately, she got away from her mom in a busy industrial park area, where there was a main road and a lot of construction going on.  She was wearing a collar with tags, sweater and dragging her leash. 

Her family put her on Lost Dogs Illinois, printed and distributed flyers and even brought out her favorite cousin dog to see if they could lure her out.  They had no luck, no calls.

Fast forward to 4/2/20.  A very observant man saw a small dog running along the ramp while he was exiting an expressway.  He tried to follow it and saw it go into a gas station parking lot. He went into the gas station and inquired about the dog and they told him they had been seeing the pup for 10 days and feeding it.  

Turns out this man had his own experience with a lost pup and knew who to reach out to in order to get this pup safe. 

A group text was started in order to get further information on where the dog had been seen, when, and what the feeding routine was.  

That night a trap and trail camera were set up.  The pup seemed to be on a daytime schedule but would start to normally be seen about 3:00 or 4:00 am.  Trap was zip tied at 11:00 PM but when leaving I happened to see her near the same ramp she was seen on earlier.  I turned around, reset the trap and waited. No show up to 12:00 am so the trap was zip tied open and baited with goodies.  

Once home I checked Helping Lost Pets to see what was missing from that area.  There she was. Roxy. Missing from about 1/3 mile north of where this pup was being seen.  But because it is a busy construction zone while they completely reconstruct a highway interchange, her owners didn’t do too much flyering to the south of that road, just mostly north.  Most people would not believe this little pup would be able to make it to the area she ended up at. 

4:27 am she showed up and ate everything in sight.  Only problem with that is I was planning on resetting and baiting at 5:15. I did, and she didn’t disappoint.  6:25 she showed up and was in the trap 2 minutes later. As soon as I saw her, I knew it was Roxy. I called her owner, no answer.  I text pictures and video, called a second time and then they called back. They could not believe I had her. She had been missing for 20 days!

I offered to drive her to her owners home so that we could let her out of the trap in a closed garage.  Roxy was chipped, but I was going to see what her reaction was once I got her home.  

There was no doubt she was home.  

Roxy’s story came together because of the Village we always mention.  From Mike who saw her on the ramp and stopped to inquire about her at Speedway, to Kathy and her crew who were feeding her, and to Mike’s wife Flo, who although they have lost their own dog, Fae, and have not yet found her, continues to reach out to, and has faith in, those of us who have the tools to complete the process.  

Never underestimate a dog’s instinct to survive.  Roxy lost her sweater, collar and leash at some point in those 20 days.  But she kept herself safe and found her resources, ‘til help arrived. Welcome home Roxy!!

Thank you Elaine!

Lucy’s Story – A Four Pound Chihuahua Endures Two Weeks of Nasty Weather

Lucy backed out of her harness March 24th while at a family friend’s house in a gated community. There were sightings the first few days but people were chasing after her trying to catch her. She was running in fear from everyone between the gated community and a nearby trailer park, squeezing in and out of the wire fencing.
Then the bad weather came. Rain, Rain and more rain. Lucy’s owner and a good friend, as well as some volunteers got together and flyered all around the last sighting areas. Intersection signs also went up. There was much concern with the cold and rain. A day or two went by without sightings. Then another sighting but outside the gated community about 1.5 miles south. Lucy’s owner was able to spot her alongside a very busy country road. Lucy looked right at her mom and turned and ran. It was at this point she realized Lucy would probably need to be humanely trapped, something she was concerned about and hesitant to do. The days went on with a sighting a day… she was in someone’s garage… she was sitting on someone’s front stoop…When she was in an area, we’d try to get her to stay with a feeding station monitored by a camera but Lucy wasn’t ready to set up a “safe space” yet. Her owner and good friend continued to flyer around sightings so we wouldn’t lose track of  Lucy’s travels.
More rain and more cool weather but still no Lucy. Another call came in; this sighting was in Lucy’s small neighborhood, 2.5 miles from where she was lost, and just four houses from her home. Again with the camera and feeding station with an additional feeding station set up at her house. No Lucy. Then another call from a few houses over. Lucy was running around and under the decking of the neighboring house, a log cabin. There were a lot of hiding spots in this neighborhood. We were hoping she had set up a “safe space”. We set up the camera and food station again and caught her on camera the next day!
We moved a trap in… no go. Then the weather turned bad again. Rain and rain and rain with freezing temps. At this point Lucy had been lost for almost 2 weeks. Residents were skeptical she was still alive, saying there are coyotes and hawks. I told them, you’d be surprised. With the cold weather setting in, out of concern, Lucy’s Mom sat in the rain from a distance while she called Lucy calmly. She could see under a lot of the decking and nope, no Lucy. This morning we baited and set the trap again…some yummy hot and steamy ribs and fried chicken! Within an hour we had Lucy on camera at the trap and within seconds, she had tripped it!!!
When her owner and I showed up to take her out of the trap (in a contained enclosed area), Lucy didn’t recognize her Mom at first and growled and showed her teeth. This is typical with a dog that’s been pushed into survival mode. Within a few minutes though, Lucy was wagging her tail and ready to get out!

TRAPPED Safely

Lucy getting hugs

After seeing the vet this afternoon, Lucy was given the all clear. She is dehydrated and needs to put some weight on but is pretty healthy overall after her nearly two week ordeal, proving that dogs are resourceful and survivors.  Great job Erika, Connie, Laura and everyone else that assisted with flyers, support and positive thoughts! Another lost dog is back home to safety!

Lucky relaxing….

Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing Lucy’s story.

 

Ace – Lost on a transport to his new home

Last February, Ace was being transported from Oklahoma to his new home in Wisconsin. Ace’s family met the transporter at the Petro gas station in Rochelle off Illinois-39.  Ace backed out of his collar and escaped.

Below is the map of Ace’s sightings. You will note that Ace stayed in close proximity of where he went missing (Petro station just left of the cloverleaf). Residents were told to let Ace settle in the area, keep a feeding station going and soon a trap was set up (yellow marker). Ace was caught almost immediately after the trap was set up. It was a Safe and Happy Reunion!

Click here to read more about Tips for Dogs that are lost other than home.

Juno – Lost From Somewhere Other Than Home

 Juno was out loose for 15 days. She was a shy pup who had been adopted in November. She got loose from her collar from a Petsmart in Schaumburg and any effort to get close to her did not work. 

This area of the western suburb was very busy with traffic, businesses and restaurants and close to the expressways. It was a dangerous area for her to be lost in because she could have easily darted into traffic and been hit.  The owners lived some distance from the area where she got loose and for the first week did not really know how to proceed. A few calls had been made to the local police of sightings but the owners thought animal control would catch Juno. They reached out to the previous foster who reached out for help.

A week later flyering was started  and a pattern began to emerge.  Juno had settled near a brewery, Ikea and some brush and water.  A feeding station and cameras were used to help determine better times when Juno would emerge and show herself. Employees saw her and called and were gently reminded to not chase Juno or feed her because a plan of action was in place to  capture her safely.

A humane  trap was set up with food for Juno. She was initially interested and realized the food was near. She ate some, circled some, left and came back and tested her surroundings even though she knew the noises, the cars and her routine. She would stick her head in and out. Juno was always alert and would also stretch her legs far out even when engaging the trap. After some time, it seemed she was so close but the door bounced down and Juno spooked! She ran away and did not come back that night or the next day.

We kept the feeding station  with a trap set and watched but Juno wanted nothing to do with it. Flyering continued. It was decided to just keep the cameras out and food available without the trap, to give Juno more time to feel comfortable and eat. It worked. She came back several times day/night.

Susan from Lost Dogs Illinois donated their outdoor kennel which her husband had refurbished to make a trap with a guillotine door. These traps are sometimes used for scared skittish pups and or for pups that may have spooked from conventional humane traps).   Because the traps are large and harder to transport, there use takes time and planning.

Two volunteers,  Frank and Tom worked on the trap and added  a laser trip function, which runs on a battery charger and 120lb magnetic door. We were able to transport this to the area where Juno was feeding. We assembled it and got cameras up to monitor Juno’s behavior.  Everyone volunteered their time to monitor the cameras and trap.  We never leave a trap set and unattended for safety.

After the trap was set up, it took Juno a full two days to get used to it.  (This could go quick or for some dogs takes days, weeks or longer of slowly moving food inside). On night one Juno was very aware the food was in and around the  trap. She did her dance around the trap and left and came for approximately 5 hours, then left until the following evening. When she returned, she did alot of the same back and forth. But, all kinds of good food eventually overcame her fear and and she safely entered the trap. Gotcha! 

 Even though Juno got loose from an unfamiliar area she still stuck fairly close ( within a 2 to 3 mile area).  Flyers generated calls about sightings, cameras helped track a pattern and feeding stations kept Juno coming back.  The patience of using the right trapping procedure paid off. This sweet pup was off the street!  

 

Thank you, Rosanne, for sharing Juno’s story!

When Every Thing Goes Right – Capture of Leia

When a good friend and someone I have learned much from, Katie C, reached out to me to help with another loose rescue pup name Leia. I said yes. We followed our usual routine and started  a group message with volunteers and the rescue. The rescue was totally engaged in doing whatever was needed and as was the foster family. This in itself helps the whole process in general. Sometimes we use the word “textbook” loosely because when helping with a lost dog anything and everything can happen. But , I do know this. There are some steps that have proven to make the journey easier. Leia went loose on a Saturday and was safely trapped by Tuesday morning

Steps taken:

  1. Flyer. Flyer. Flyer. (This was done immediately for Leia)
  2. Sightings start coming in

    Leia being sighted in a backyard.

  3. Speak with callers and get better details. Leia was seen several times in yards where flyers had been given to homeowners. Guess what? They called.
  4. We established a good area for a feeding station and camera and trap. All the meanwhile still flyering.
  5. Learned and saw for our own eyes Leia in the area and actually engaging the zip tied trap baited with irrestable food. We knew she was comfortable and….
  6. Set and watched the trap.
  7. Safely trapped Leia

Leia checking out the trap!

 

 

 

 

 

Gotcha Leia

 

 

To say this went like clockwork is true. Flyers generated sightings. Sightings told us areas where she was. Homeowners were willing to allow us to use the tools we needed. Finally, patience and observation helped us capture Leia safely.

 

 

Thank you, Rosanne, for sharing Leia’s story.

LDI Tips, Supporters Help Bring Rosie Home After 11 Days

Rosie snoozing

Rosie snoozing

Susan Hochgraber was so thrilled to see her Belgian Malinois again after 11 days that she almost didn’t mind the “guests” Rosie brought home with her.

Almost.

“Ugh, the emergency vet found 20 ticks on her the day we got her back,” Hochgraber said. “Then 10 more the next day, and our regular vet found eight more after that. Other than the ticks and a few cuts on her paws, though, she was OK.”

Hochgraber, a canine massage therapist from Midlothian, Ill., had barely had time to get to know the dog she rescued January 15, 2016 before Rosie escaped on April 12.

“Rosie had been rescued from the streets. It took a week and a half just to get her comfortable living with me,” Hochgraber said. “We had just finished her third week of obedience training when she escaped.”

Hochgraber had noticed that Rosie was beginning to jump at fences, so she instructed her dog walker to take off Rosie’s leash only after she had gotten the dog into the house. But the dog walker unleashed Rosie in the yard that day.

Rosie promptly jumped Hochgraber’s 4-ft.-high fence into a neighbor’s yard, and then double-jumped the neighbor’s gate fence into the street. She was gone in a flash.

Hochgraber turned to Lost Dogs Illinois,  FindFido’s service, Facebook, friends and neighbors, police departments in surrounding suburbs, and Perfect Pooches, a Chicago-area dog rescue and adoption agency, for advice on getting Rosie back.

“I did everything everyone suggested – flyers, postings, everything,” Hochgraber said. “People reported a lot of sightings, particularly around a park about two blocks from my house, and especially around one of the five ball fields at that park.”

People also reported seeing Rosie along the Metra railroad tracks that run between Midlothian and Robbins. Rosie apparently followed those tracks down to Robbins, where a woman named Charita lives with her family.

“Charita had seen our flyer and called me when she saw Rosie on April 21,” Hochgraber said. “I drove to Robbins, turned a corner and saw Rosie out in a field.”

Hochgraber called out to her dog, which got Rosie’s attention; but when she made a move towards her, the dog bolted in the opposite direction.

Volunteers from Perfect Pooches helped Hochgraber set up humane traps and round-the-clock surveillance in Charita’s backyard and near an abandoned house next to her home. They figured it might be Rosie’s “quiet place,” where she went for the night.

Hochgraber placed Rosie’s blankets in the traps, as well as towels that had the scent of her other dog, a German Shepherd named Buddy. The volunteers baited the traps with some of Rosie’s toys and treats like hot dogs and BBQ chicken from KFC.

The first night, Rosie managed to get the food and even lie on a blanket left inside the trap without tripping the door. The next night, she lay down next to the trap.

Is this a trap?

Is this a trap?

The third night, April 23, Rosie lay down inside the trap. stretched out, and tripped the gate door shut. The volunteer on duty waited five minutes to make sure Rosie was inside before calling Hochgraber with the good news.

Rosie almost trapped

Rosie almost trapped

Hochgraber said she plans to replace her 4-ft. fence with a 6-footer. She put a GPS collar with a tracker on Rosie, “and she is always on leash now when she goes out,” Hochgraber said.

“I’m grateful to Lost Dogs Illinois for all the help and support I got,” Hochgraber said. “LDI suggested things I wouldn’t have thought of doing, such as putting flyers up at gas stations and other high-traffic locations. I am also grateful to all the people who came out and helped me search for my baby girl.”

She added that the people who follow the LDI Facebook page were nothing short of “amazing” with all their reports of sightings and notes of encouragement.

“Their support helped me get through 11 days of hell,” Hochgraber said.

by Lydia Rypcinski

Bella, Bella Where are you?

Bella at home

Bella at home

Bella’s story as told by her family:

 At 7am Thursday, I received the call we had been waiting for, “Your dog is at the end of our driveway, but headed North when I opened the garage.”  “I live on Bordeaux & I have one of your flyers. It’s her. She looks good other than being thin.” said Marie. Off we went armed with heavy treats and for once, HOPE. I knew in my heart of hearts (and my gut) she was still in the area. Marie’s house was actually the house she was last seen at on Friday night by the neighbor (and our new BFF), Bob. We were told not to be excited & shouting her name because she’s scared. Danny dropped me where she ran off to with Lilly (our other dog) and he went to scour the other neighborhood just North.

The plan started. We called some folks at Foster2Home & also a woman named, Vicky, who gave us advice. We could finally make the call we were waiting for to safely trap her.  We called Lake County Animal Care to rent a humane trap.  I went home to get stinky food, her bowl, a lawn chair and some other things for a stake-out. Our girl was here & I wasn’t leaving till we had her. I set up a mini safety zone for her while I waited for Danny to get the trap.  I was at the end of Bob’s property with food, blankets, my clothes (for scent) and of course, Lilly’s markings. She would cry as we walked around the area confirming Bella was close and had been there.

I sat at the neighbors house waiting….no sightings. That was finally okay though, because she WAS there….6 days later. We decide to set up the trap at Marie’s house since she, as we found out by her son, was comfortable showing herself there. He saw her Sunday night there as well. I ran home to get even stinkier food, food for me, clothes, blankets, towels, Lilly, my computer, and even toilet paper. Yes, I was staying a while and wasn’t going to miss her! I parked my car at the neighbor’s half drive facing the trap and low and behold, l locked my keys in the car with Lilly AND my phone. I ran to Bob’s house to call & have Sandy get the second keys. She said she would, but needed to finish something first. So I decided to walk the field just West across the street that had no entrance. That was interesting to get through & added to the already outdoorsy smell I had going. I walked the entire field clicking her leash, using her squeaky toy, very calmly & quietly saying her name. I also waved bacon as it was windy. She was around, I could feel her. She could hear me, I just knew.

I went back to car to get the keys (yes, thank you Sandy) and set up my stakeout. We settled in, Lilly resting in her kennel and me popping open my computer and doing work. I figured it would be dusk before she’d come out. Boy was I wrong, an hour later something catches my right eye, I turn and there’s our Bella boo walking up the drive towards the car. OMG, OMG, OMG is what I felt and then thought, stay calm, grab food, a leash and be quiet. I got out leaving the door open and didn’t see her, so I started throwing food and quietly saying her name…and then the miracle happened, she POKED me with her nose from behind. I swung around and there she stood, tail wagging, eyes red and with a look like ” I’m freaking ready to go mom.  You can leash me and I’ ll lead the way.”  I am not sure how many times I said OMG in the next 30 seconds….I was shaking. She jumped in the front under the steering wheel and curled up on the pedals and looked at me like, let’s go. All I could think was, did this really happen and was it that easy???? The answer was YES. We had our girl back and I was taking her home. Finally after 6 of the longest days of my life.

I am ready to go home, Mom!

I am ready to go home, Mom!

What got us here….

#1, FAITH, the ability to believe without seeing.  Always keep your faith, trust your instincts (if I hadn’t we wouldn’t have focused there)

#2, ALL of YOU. Without you, I would’ve cracked and who knows if I’d be as persistent. The Facebook community is unreal how quickly things can get out and the love and support that comes with it.

#3,  a FLYER and some amazing people who grabbed on to this story and wanted to see her home. You all could imagine what we were going through and wanted her back, too!

And #4, BELLA and HER instincts! She was done with her adventure, smelled me out and found her way to me with that sweet face.

I’m still in disbelief AND I am now whole again. I cannot thank you ALL enough for your love and support. We are overwhelmed by this whole experience.

Bella and Lilly together finally!

Bella and Lilly together finally!

Reva is Safe!

 

Reva enjoying her first dinner after being reunited.

Reva enjoying her first dinner after being reunited.

‘Reva is safe! She was brought to her new home on Friday, September 4th. Since getting there, her owner has walked the same route with her daily.

Because Reva came from a feral/skittish lifestyle, she took the opportunity to bolt when a door was opened. Her harness broke in a freak accident and she took off. For the next 8 hours, she was spotted looping the subdivision her house is in and the golf course behind it. Reva knew what way Dan walked her only after 3 short days. Routine is essential with a new dog, especially a timid one. Smart cookie.

11996970_10105674118118623_1667677041_n

Dan and Denise quickly called the local police station as well as animal control. Flyers and posters went up, neighbors were asked not to chase her, but to call immediately with sightings. Reva came to the front and back of her new home 2 or 3 times. Her bed, fresh water and food were placed behind the house. We really believe not being chased kept her safe and in the area. As nightfall came, there weren’t any sightings of Reva for over 5 hours. A humane trap was set and baited behind the house next to her bed and Dan set watch. And then, an amazing phone call took place: Reva was in someone’s fenced in yard! The homeowners saw her, called Darien PD (which had Dan’s contact info and description of Reva) and Dan was able to pick her up from the house.

Accidents happen. Harnesses and leashes may break when you least expect it. We followed the advice our friends at LDI stress: do not chase and get the word out immediately. Because authorities were contacted, flyers stressing not to chase were posted and the neighbors didn’t disrupt Reva’s loop pattern, she is safe. Never underestimate the intelligence of a dog. Reva was able to retain her walking route only after a few short days, which is critical for a shy dog.

Thank you for the wonderful support, LDI!’

Thank you, Katie Campbell, for sharing Reva’s story!

 

Pebbles and the Good Samaritans who did not give up!

Peebles+after+the+capture+2

Pebbles

On an early January evening, while cooking dinner, one of my dogs started barking like crazy at our front door. I went to see why she was barking, and saw a black & white dog in the driveway across the street. I immediately went out and tried to call her, but she just looked at me, went up the driveway and was gone. I rang my neighbor’s doorbell and told them about her. They informed me that they had been seeing her for a couple of weeks. I called Animal Control because I thought it might be someone’s dog from our neighborhood. When the Animal Control officer arrived they did a “drive-by”, didn’t see her, and left. I checked Lost Dogs Illinois’ website to see if I could find any similar dogs that had been posted as missing in the previous two weeks with no luck.

A couple of days went by without a sighting. That Saturday we decided to walk around the neighborhood to see if we could spot her, and we did! We called Animal Control again. When the officer arrived I gave him a description of the dog. He informed me that they had been looking for the same dog for 6-8 weeks. I went back on the Lost Dogs Illinois website to search for missing dogs back to November or December. That is when I saw Pebbles. She had been missing since November 24th from Carpentersville. I wasn’t sure if that was really the dog I was seeing because we live in Elgin. We are about 10 miles from where she was last spotted. Could this really be Pebbles?

At first we were unsure if we should contact the person who posted her to LDI’s page. We weren’t positive it was Pebbles, because she wouldn’t let us get close enough to get a good look, but the similarities were uncanny. Our thought was “some hope is better than no hope” so we got in contact with Rayann, Pebbles’ foster mom. She informed us that Pebbles had gotten out while on a trial adoption with a family in Carpentersville.

Rayann and another woman came out the next night to help us search for her. We had no luck that night, but told Rayann we would not stop trying and would text her if we spotted Pebbles again. Steve spent countless hours tracking and searching the neighborhood. He was out there in a blizzard, and on many below-zero nights, hoping to find signs of where she was sheltering. He had a few leads, but never truly found her it. Pebbles did lead him on a couple of nice long walks around the neighborhood as she darted in between houses and through yards.

We then set up a feeding station at our house, handed out flyers, and knocked on peoples’ doors to generate sightings. It turned out that a lot of people had seen Pebbles. We installed video cameras at our house so we could watch and record when the dog was coming to eat. The first time we got her on video, I sent it to Rayann, and she confirmed it was in fact Pebbles!

At that point, we weren’t sure how we were going to catch her. That’s when I saw a post on LDI’s Facebook page about a dog that had been missing for a year and was recently caught. I commented on the post saying how it gave us hope about catching Pebbles. Susan Taney and Katie Campbell replied to my comment and from there we started messaging on Facebook.

Susan informed me that she had a trap we could borrow. The next night, Susan drove out to our house and showed us how to set the trap and explained how to lure Pebbles into it. We spent two weeks slowly moving the feeding station into the trap. Then, at 3:59am on February 22nd Pebbles worked up the nerve to go all the way into the trap. She set off the trap but, unfortunately, the trap door bounced and she was able to get out. Our hearts were broken. The next day we started the process of slowly moving the feeding station into the trap again. Pebbles was now so leery of the trap that she wouldn’t go anywhere near it. It was time to devise a new plan.

After consulting with Susan and Katie, we decided it would be best to try and get her into our backyard. My husband, Steve, is very handy and extremely talented when it comes to thinking outside the box and putting those ideas into motion. He thought that if we could get her into our backyard and figure out a way to get the gate to close behind her, we could catch her. He rigged up a whole pulley system with ropes and bungee cords tied to our gate, with the other end of the rope tied to a frozen hot dog. Pebbles had a history of taking the food we left out for her and running off with it to eat somewhere else.    If she tried to take the hot dog and run she would set off the trap, and the gate door would close behind her before she could get out. Once again, Pebbles outsmarted us. She came into our back yard several times, but each time decided to lie down and enjoy her hot dogs in peace. Again, it was time to figure out a new plan.

Steve made some adjustments to his design, and decided that he was going to attach a rope to the gate and bring it up to the front porch of our house. We were hopeful that when we saw her on the camera in the backyard, we could go out front and pull the rope to close the gate. We tried this every night for about a week, but Pebbles would never come when we were awake. She somehow knew exactly when we went to bed and would show up about 10 minutes later. We nicknamed her “Santa” because she “knew when we were sleeping and when we were awake”. She would then wander around our yard and peacefully eat her hot dogs.

Finally, on March 17th , Steve decided he was going to stay up late to see if she would come. It was around midnight when he saw her on the camera. Her head popped through the open gate and she looked around. She then came all the way into the yard and started sniffing around. Steve immediately went out our front door and pulled the rope with all his might to shut the gate. The gate was closed and she was now in our back yard! I was awakened when he said “I got her…she’s in the back yard!” I instantly called Rayann to tell her the news. She was so excited that she got dressed and headed out our way. Now we had to try to get the slip lead on her, and it wasn’t going to be easy. Pebbles is extremely fearful of people…even those whom she had been seeing and smelling, and who were feeding her daily.

I messaged Katie and Susan for advice. Katie suggested one of us go out there with food, sit down, and slowly scooch our way toward Pebbles. I armed myself with a bowl of cut up hot dogs and headed to the backyard. I sat down and had Pebbles in my sight, never making direct eye contact with her.   I used yawning and lip licking as calming signals, while pretending to eat the hot dog pieces and gently tossing some to her. Every couple of minutes I would scooch a little closer and she would move away a little more. After about an hour and a half I was able to get her in the corner behind our garage and shed. She let me get close enough that I could softly pet her and tell her it was going to be ok. I pulled the slip lead out of my pocket and gently slid it over her head. She never resisted. She knew her ordeal was over and she was safe. I called Steve to let him know that he and Rayann could come outside. Rayann was so happy to see Pebbles, and Pebbles was happy to see her too! We were all in tears.

Peebles+and+Amy+after+capture+2

Pebbles and Amy

On March 18th at 2:00am, after three months, several failed attempts, a blizzard, below zero temperatures, accidentally trapping a raccoon, and overwhelming concern for her safety, Pebbles was finally safe! Pebbles is now in her forever home with Rayann (who is going to adopt her!) and all of her doggie siblings. She got a bath, a new collar and tags, and is proudly strutting around showing everyone. A very happy ending to a long adventure for everyone!

Pebbles and Rayann

Pebbles and Rayann — Home At Last!

Thank you Amy for sharing your story!   You and  Steve rock as Good Samaritans!