Jeff H
Well-Known Member
Not a tracking story but a feel good dog story.
Saturday and Sunday I spent most of my day at the property working on my woodshed and other miscellaneous projects. Saturday was nice but Sunday was cold and about 3 o'clock it started to snow.
Once it started snowing I figured I had better start heading home before the roads got too bad. I was parked down a logging road on a long ridge top and noticed an SUV was headed down my road and headed toward my field where the road dead ends. My gate was open and I figured it was someone joyriding or exploring. Either way they are trespassing. I pulled down the road behind them and when they reached the field and started to turn around I approached the vehicle on foot. There was a lady driving and a young girl in the passenger seat. They were new neighbors searching for their lost dog. So I asked a couple questions:
What kind of dog is it? Pug (not exactly a dog built for wilderness survival)
How old is he? 10
How long has he been gone ? Three days. (Not good!)
Anything else I should know? His name is Sam and he's almost blind.
So they are new to the area and have lost their 10 year old, almost blind pug Sam three days ago. Great!
She asked that if I find him dead or alive to please let her know. I really didn't think the dog had a chance of being alive and I don't think she thought so either. I love dogs more than anything and it hurt me to see her anguishing so much over her lost pet. I lost my dog for three days years earlier and I know the heartache that goes along with that. So I figured I would do some searching instead of heading back home just yet. Figuring a 10 year old pug that can't see well couldn't go far and would probably stick to open areas I started grid searching my field. To be honest I figured if I found anything at all it would be blood, hair, and signs of a struggle. At the far end of field I cut a track. A small track that to be honest looked a lot like a bobcat or maybe a house cat. Both roam the property frequently. It was snowing pretty good now and the wind blowing hard so the tracks were not real clear. I followed the tracks along the field edge and down a power line easement. The tracks crossed the power line and headed back east toward where my truck was parked. It has only been snowing for an hour so whatever is making them is here now but it's snowing so hard I'm having trouble following and halfway back to the truck I can no longer see any of the track. I back track some but have lost the track in the new fallen snow. Bummer! I'm still not convinced that the track was made by the lost pug but I was certainly hopeful for a while. I get back to my truck start it up and start to warm up. I call the lady who's lost her dog and leave a message that my gate will be open in case she wants to search the property. Something catches my eye and there is Sam standing next to my truck in the snow looking no worse for wear.
The best part of this story is when I take him home to his owners. She thinks he's dead. When I ring the doorbell with Sam in my arms I hear the vacuum cleaner running so I just let myself in. She immediately goes to tears and cannot believe I just walked into her house with her lost dog. I cannot tell you how gratifying it is to reunite a lost dog with it's owner. I'm a dog lover to the core and I now know the only thing better than having a dog is being able to return one who has been lost. It was a wonderful feeling!
Saturday and Sunday I spent most of my day at the property working on my woodshed and other miscellaneous projects. Saturday was nice but Sunday was cold and about 3 o'clock it started to snow.
Once it started snowing I figured I had better start heading home before the roads got too bad. I was parked down a logging road on a long ridge top and noticed an SUV was headed down my road and headed toward my field where the road dead ends. My gate was open and I figured it was someone joyriding or exploring. Either way they are trespassing. I pulled down the road behind them and when they reached the field and started to turn around I approached the vehicle on foot. There was a lady driving and a young girl in the passenger seat. They were new neighbors searching for their lost dog. So I asked a couple questions:
What kind of dog is it? Pug (not exactly a dog built for wilderness survival)
How old is he? 10
How long has he been gone ? Three days. (Not good!)
Anything else I should know? His name is Sam and he's almost blind.
So they are new to the area and have lost their 10 year old, almost blind pug Sam three days ago. Great!
She asked that if I find him dead or alive to please let her know. I really didn't think the dog had a chance of being alive and I don't think she thought so either. I love dogs more than anything and it hurt me to see her anguishing so much over her lost pet. I lost my dog for three days years earlier and I know the heartache that goes along with that. So I figured I would do some searching instead of heading back home just yet. Figuring a 10 year old pug that can't see well couldn't go far and would probably stick to open areas I started grid searching my field. To be honest I figured if I found anything at all it would be blood, hair, and signs of a struggle. At the far end of field I cut a track. A small track that to be honest looked a lot like a bobcat or maybe a house cat. Both roam the property frequently. It was snowing pretty good now and the wind blowing hard so the tracks were not real clear. I followed the tracks along the field edge and down a power line easement. The tracks crossed the power line and headed back east toward where my truck was parked. It has only been snowing for an hour so whatever is making them is here now but it's snowing so hard I'm having trouble following and halfway back to the truck I can no longer see any of the track. I back track some but have lost the track in the new fallen snow. Bummer! I'm still not convinced that the track was made by the lost pug but I was certainly hopeful for a while. I get back to my truck start it up and start to warm up. I call the lady who's lost her dog and leave a message that my gate will be open in case she wants to search the property. Something catches my eye and there is Sam standing next to my truck in the snow looking no worse for wear.
The best part of this story is when I take him home to his owners. She thinks he's dead. When I ring the doorbell with Sam in my arms I hear the vacuum cleaner running so I just let myself in. She immediately goes to tears and cannot believe I just walked into her house with her lost dog. I cannot tell you how gratifying it is to reunite a lost dog with it's owner. I'm a dog lover to the core and I now know the only thing better than having a dog is being able to return one who has been lost. It was a wonderful feeling!
