Our 45-lb. Terrier mix, Hildie, disappeared from our yard in Sunland on Saturday, July 6th, after someone set off a series of fireworks that evening. While our 5' high wrought iron fence would normally contain our medium-sized dog, dogs do extraordinary things when they are frightened and Hildie proved that point.
Prior to the 4th of July, we had been sedating her to help her calm down every night. But that night, I saw that she was still groggy from the previous dosage and I was afraid I would harm her by giving her more tranqualizers. So we locked our gate and turned on the TV and went out for dinner. We were only gone for two hours.
When we returned, our other dogs were safe and sound in our home, but Hildie was gone. She never returned.
In the initial hours after we came home that evening, we scrambled in two different directions to try to find her, calling her up and down the streets in our neighborhood. But we live in a spread-out rural community where there are dense residential developments surrounded by hidden streets that wind their way through the hills. It was impossible to find her at night.
I am writing this now, five weeks later, to share what I have learned about looking for a lost dog. Many people have contacted me to say that they have never seen such a massive effort made for a lost dog. And while it's good to have my efforts acknowledged, I feel somehow insufficient still - because Hildie is still not home. I hope to share some valid methods I have tried with others in our community and mostly to repell misinformation about why people lose dogs and what to do to help the owners find them.
My hope is that others will find this blog helpful and contribute "positive stories" (I don't need to hear negative ones) that help provide me and others with the spiritual sustenance we need to keep hanging on. Ciao!
