Tonight as I was just getting out of the shower, The Reluctant Farmer called me and told me she needed my help immediately. She said she was driving down a road about 3 miles out of town and there was a dog running down the middle of the road, so she stopped. She tried to coax the dog to her, but the little dog went into survival mode and just bolted across a corn field, and towards some woods about 2 miles off the road. She asked me to come help her catch the little dog.
When I got there, the dog was gone. Other people had tried to help the little guy, but to no avail, and they had given up on him stating: "Oh, he probably lives around here." That didn't sit well with The Reluctant Farmer, because there is absolutely NO houses to be seen in the area where this little dog was found. At this point we knew we were either searching for a dog that had been dumped or a dog that was on the run and had been for a little while.
I put a long line on Ziggy, our Jack Russell Terrier, and decided to hike in the 2 miles to see if I could vizualize the little dog with his help. Right at the edge of the woods, Ziggy stopped and took scent and I knew we were close. I let Ziggy off leash and watched him get to work, and sure enough, 20 feet down the tree line, there was Sammy the dog in the underbrush. He was in bad shape. He was so thin, covered in mosquitoes and ticks, and wanted nothing to do with me. Thankfully, Ziggy ran an interference, saying hello to Sammy, and while that was going on I used a leash as a lasso him, catching only his 2 ears and his eyes. I bartered with God at that point and pulled out the famous: "If you just answer my prayer God, and let this leash slip around this dog's neck this time, I will never ask for another thing again, until we are out in a field catching stray dogs together the next time", and BAM! I flicked the leash and over his head and onto his neck it slid. Thank God!
I then picked the little fellow up, explained to him that he was safe, and immediately called my friend Julie. I described the dog I had found to Julie and she searched online on a missing pet website, and sure enough she found Sammy's owners.
Turns out Sammy is 14 years old, hard of hearing, has cataracts, and had been missing for 5 days! We were all so excited to get the little man back home to his owners who love him dearly. His dad is a pastor who is preaching his last sermon tomorrow before retirement, and has been sick about loosing this dog. All I can think is, at least his he will now be able to retire with his beloved companion at his side. Also, what a happy Mother's Day to Sammy's mom who now has her baby home.
Sometimes it takes a village.....
