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7 Year old GSD wandered off -- Doggone dog

8K views 33 replies 13 participants last post by  Susan_GSD_mom 
#1 ·
I have a 7 year old Rin Tin Tin look alike.

Yesterday morning after I let him outside for his usual routine, he wandered off around 8AM and haven't seen him since.

I took today off work and spend entire day driving, hiking and looking for my GSD Scooter. I live in a rural mountain area in eastern Tennessee with lots of small farms.

The neighbor down the hill has a bulldog named Lancaster that my Scooter likes to roam around with sometimes. I went to the neighbors house and the neighbor says Lancaster wanders off for sometimes 4 days before he comes back. I am wondering if Scooter would start this kind of behavior with his buddy.

I have left my information and dog description with neighbors within about 2 miles.

Anyone have this happen; and if so how did you find your dog or did he finally come back home??

I am growing gray hair at the moment, hoping the Sheriff or someone calls me!! :confused::(
 
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#5 ·
Wow! 5 miles?

My town only has 2,300 people and I'm over 2 miles from any main roads.
I took a hike yesterday down the hill towards his bulldog buddy Lancaster's house.
I found Scooters tracks and his poop. So I am starting to think Scooter and Lancaster are roaming the hills here. I have already met with all the farmers here and they said they will call my cell and said they would not shoot at a dog unless they were
attacking a calf. There is no animal shelter here, so the Sheriff's department here helps in that capacity as much as possible. I glad Scooter has his collar with rabies tag and a phone number on it.

I'm off again before work to search the dirt roads for tracks and hopefully find my best buddy.

Thanks for the input.
 
#6 ·
I have a friend who had a dog get loose from a vacation home in Florida. The dog wasn't familiar with the area and would not know how to find it's way back to them. They laid scent tracks (clothes and urine) in the dirt roads for the dog to come across and find it's way back to the area they were staying.

It took the dog three days, but it was found camped out on the third morning, on one of the T-shirts left for it. It had obvious signs that it had been in a scuffle with something, and required vet care. But it survived.
 
#8 ·
What a great idea Lilie! I will have to remember that one.

OP: I sure hope you find your dog. I am one of those people that will collect a stray dog if I see one. I will go way out of my way to do so. I've done it several times and it gives me great satisfaction to have a lost dog reunited with his owner.
 
#7 ·
Sending prayers for Scooter to be found safe and sound. Last summer our next door neighbors beagle ,terrier mix took offf due to fireworks on the fourth. He did everything your doing a week later he was a couple of miles from home distributing flers and someone said looks like thedog my MIL found and sure enough that's where his girl was.
 
#10 ·
Here is a picture of my best buddy "Scooter".
Came home today and still no news or whereabouts on him.
Missing since morning of 17 Sept 2014.

Have started driving throughout county posting flyers with picture and information.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and kind support!!
 
#14 ·
7 yr. old Wandered off - Scooter still missing

Any updates on Scooter? Hope you found him!
Thanks everyone for asking about Scooter,

I have been canvassing the neighborhoods and some businesses here in Tennessee; people are more than happy to pass the word and call me if they hear anything.

I took an account out with PetAmberAlert.com and I am hoping the media blasts on Facebook and Twitter will turn up something.
My wife has been out of town and comes home Friday; she does not know yet and I know she is going to cry her head off. :cry:

Its the beginning of deer hunting season here for bow and arrow; all farmers in my area have posted NO HUNTING signs everywhere just for me to help protect Scooter--I was very moved by that. :cool:

I do think someone has Scooter; problem is I think they intend to keep him, because no one has called the phone number on his rabies tag.

I did see a German Shepherd at the animal shelter in Charlotte, NC which is 2 hours away from me; its a longshot but I'm going to take off work early and stop by there and take a look.
 
#15 · (Edited)
So I lost my Nara once as she was off lead as it was just getting dark. We were near some woods and she must've smelled coyotes or deer. Despite having a 99% solid recall, this was her 1% opportunity to ignore me and be stubborn, possibly thinking she was chasing them away to keep me safe. She ran off into the woods and got lost in the maze of trails that we were both unfamiliar with. I immediately had to leave her there to get my other dogs home first, and grab some gear. I got a flashlight and a whistle, and returned to the woods. I would blow the whistle, yell NARA COME, then shine the light around in a 360 degree pattern, then repeat, as I walked the wooded trails in the dark. After each whistle/recall/flashlight, I would pause everything, stop walking, and listen for her to bark or the jingle/jangle of her dog tags, or just to listen for an animal running through the woods. This gave Nara the chance to hear my voice, hear the much louder whistle, and also see a light beam similar to a lighthouse or airport that would swipe through the forest. GSDs are smart, so I knew she would be smart enough to eventually figure out which direction the source of either the whistle or light was coming from, and as she got closer she would smell me and hear my voice.

There were streets and neighborhoods and farms surrounding these woods, so if she popped out somewhere she could get hit by a car or shot. I told myself, and announced out loud to whatever was listening, that I would stay out there until I either found her or I died, whichever came first, and I was not kidding. It took me 4 hours, with my heart beating like crazy thinking I just lost the first dog I've ever owned, but I finally heard her in a panic running all crazy through the woods, getting closer and closer to my sound and scent. It was a forest built into a mountain, so once I got an idea on her location, I walked the best I could through thorns and thick brush to get straight to her down the hill. She was also cutting through the brush to get to me. When we reached each other, I tackled and hugged her and she fell into my arms exhausted. We sat there for what seemed like an hour, just loving on each other and regaining our strength to find our way out. I've remained vigilant ever since and have not lost any of my dogs. That one incident scared me to death. I hope you are able to find your dog too! I know how you must feel, because I felt it during my 4-hour search. I can't imagine days.
 
#16 ·
If he is microchipped, the shelter can scan, let you know.
However, drive carefully, and we all hope its Scooter!
 
#17 ·
7 yr old Wandered off - Scooter still missing

The search is still on for Scooter.

My wife comes home tomorrow afternoon; Oh boy, this is going to be hard...

I did drive over to the Animal Shelter in Charlotte; man that is an immaculate facility!! I asked the ladies at the front desk about the number of the dog I came to see. We went to the kennel and it was NOT Scooter. I had a feeling it wasn't, but I had to see.

Anyway, I petted the tall skinny GSD through the cage and he was just the friendliest, calm and bright eyed teenage black/tan GSD. I asked if I could take him out and they brought him into a meeting room just for visiting with the animals there. :wub: (You all see where this is going now). I am such a SUCKER! :)

They told me he was picked up at the Charlotte Airport wandering around the Air Cargo holding area. He was half starved and very, very skinny.
He only weighs 62 lbs. :sick:

The ladies said there is a special going on this month and you can adopt him for $10.00 as long as you bring us 6 cans of food, or 2 boxes of milk-bones. I brought back 6 cans of food, and brought this poor guy home. He is about 1.5 yrs. old and healthy considering what he's been through. He loves riding in my truck, loves going on walks and is semi leash trained. I'm feeding him a cup or two at a time. The vet at the animal shelter said to feed him a few times a day, but a little at a time to let his digestive system get back to normal. He was neutered as well, so he's on bed rest after his morning walks.
I'll put up some pictures once I get him cleaned up and add some weight on him. I think I'll call him Maxwell.

I am not ever giving up on finding my Scooter though; I was able to call a couple of shelters in Virginia and the people I talked to said they are 1000% sure there are no GSD's there right now. They did get the PetAmberAlert FAX yesterday and said they have it posted in the office and would let me know if they hear or see anything.

I'm going to a shelter about an hour from me tomorrow afternoon since they don't have their dogs on line for viewing.

Staying positive and focused on finding my buddy. He's out there, I just know it. ;)
 
#19 ·
Hey Oz, sorry it wasn't Scooter, but glad you found Maxwell. Great name! Fingers crossed Scooter comes home.
 
#21 ·
7 yr old GSD wandered off - Scooter update

I have been reaching out further last weekend in my area looking for Scooter.
I decided after talking to our town's vet that I should go to the neighboring county Sheriff and ask if a dog-napping ring is in their area. There is a mega sized flea market in Washington county and they have anything and everything there. The vet (Dr.Taylor) told me a few years ago there was a ring of people snatching purebred dogs and flipping them at the flea market. I talked to the Sheriff's office and they said there hasn't been activity in years; so I went to the flea market and after meeting a couple of vendors I hired a couple of their teenage kids to do some undercover work for me and nobody had brought any adult GSD's to market yesterday.
So I have eyes and ears at the mega-flea market.

So, while driving back home I got a call on my cell phone. It was a hunter calling me about Scooter. He has several game cameras set up in the area and he has captured Scooter's picture on his camera about 5 days ago; Scooter is running around with a pack of dogs, at least two are female Aha!

I was relieved that someone has called me. I drove all afternoon in the area about 3 miles further from the house and I talked to lots of people and they would also keep a lookout for Scooter.
Then another hit, I ran across a retired Navy SEAL that has a large farm and he said he SAW Scooter 3 days ago. His wife is a huge animal lover; they have cattle and goats on the farm including their 5 dogs. She said she didn't need a reward and was going to start looking for Scooter; Wow! I was really humbled after meeting these folks. The man is disabled and we talked a little bit about the campaigns he was involved with. I'm retired military as well and was wearing camouflage pants I used in Afghanistan and we had a nice conversation and now we have a bond--that helps a lot!! :happyboogie:

Maxwell is doing great; I have loosened his collar because he has picked up some weight, but he stopped eating and is getting very picky what he eats.:D

My wife took Scooter's disappearance hard, but is doing better after meeting her adopted boy Maxwell; she made him a scrambled egg and half a pancake for his breakfast and he really liked that.
I'm having my vet doctor in North Carolina run a full blood panel on Maxwell to see if there is anything going on with him.
He is such a good boy and is bonding well with us.

I'll update everyone with news later...
 
#22 ·
So so glad to hear! Scooter is alive and well and has found friends, now, he just needs to come home to meet Maxwell, another new friend to meet. Please keep the updates coming, thanks.
 
#23 ·
thanks for the update. I have been wondering and thinking about Scooter. Sounds like you are getting closer and have more allies.

Meanwhile, Maxwell has stolen a piece of your heart. That's great.

Best of luck in your search,

Michael
 
#24 · (Edited)
Not sure what other animals you have in the wild around you, but have you thought about putting out a baited trap with raw meat, and then hide nearby and wait for him? I know our indoor cats sometimes escape when our children accidentally hold the door open too long, and we have coyotes around us. We have put out bowls of kibble and chunks of raw meat, and it seems that no matter how far away the cat has wandered, they smell the food and come home. It has worked almost everytime. We set up the food bowls so we can view them from our windows, and sure enough, eventually our lost cat is sitting there chowing down until we rush out to grab them.

Just a thought and an idea that has worked for us about 90% of the time. And I'm pretty sure dogs have much better noses than cats. This might require you to hide nearby in the woods or wherever the latest sighting of your Scooter was, but it might be worth it if it means you can get him back. Utilize those camouflage pants again!

- From one vet to another!
 
#25 ·
Not a bad idea C.

But we have a lot of coyotes and bobcats and I don't want to bring in anymore predators for the farmers to deal with.
My next step is to put my dogs bed in a hefty bag and give it to a **** hunter and see if his dogs can track him down. He wants $250 for 3 days, so this weekend I will do this. I have not received anymore leads on Scooter so I'm going to let a professional hunter take a swing at it.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Not a bad idea C.

But we have a lot of coyotes and bobcats and I don't want to bring in anymore predators for the farmers to deal with.
My next step is to put my dogs bed in a hefty bag and give it to a **** hunter and see if his dogs can track him down. He wants $250 for 3 days, so this weekend I will do this. I have not received anymore leads on Scooter so I'm going to let a professional hunter take a swing at it.

and have his dogs tracked other dogs before? There are dogs that are trained to track lost dogs. You might want to look into them before paying the **** hunter
I'd be wary of both. I know there are people out there posing as certified SAR K9 handlers who search for lost pets, but the people in my SAR community made it clear that these people are mostly fakes. I've never heard of a reputable, qualified SAR person/group who can actually succeed at this type of work. And most of the time they charge a lot of money, knowing they can't find your pet, but will tell you something generic so you feel better that you received some sort of closure, while they take your money and run. Yikes...haha! They seem to prey on little old ladies and desperate owners of lost pets. Please be careful and do your research.

I just want to see you get your boy back alive and soon!
 
#28 ·
Ozzie, any update on Scooter? Hope and pray he is home safe and sound with you, wifey and Maxwell! How is Maxwell doing?
 
#29 ·
Hi D.

Maxwell is doing great; his blood work came back perfect and he is up to 76lbs.
His neuter surgery is healed and he's going to the doggie Salon for the "the works".
Also added some flyers to the GSD rescue centers Facebook page in West Virginia and Virginia.

Keep you fingers crossed!
 
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