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Lost Dog! Kieras' Missing.

1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  selzer 
#1 ·
Last Friday after work, about 7 oclock in East Texas, still plenty of sunshine, I drove to some local trails to walk my dogs. I also had my kids. Atom, my 2 year old rambunctious son and my 9 month old daughter Ember in her favorite spot, in her carrier on my back!

It was getting dark, so I opted to just walk in this huge parking lot and field connected to the college campus I live by. Wide open sky and plenty of light, right across the street (busy 4 way) from our towns deserted bike trails which would have been pretty dark under the trees.

As I was strapping Ember in, (haha) Kiera, my 9 year old poodle (20 lbs) jumped out of the car and came to my side. She is very off leash trained and obedience trained. Strong down stay and recall for sure. I have not used a leash with her for over 5 years. She was just sniffing around having a great ol time. Jupiter (GSD) and Atom (son) were still in the car.

Getting my daughter strapped on my back in her carrier is a little tough by myself but I've done it MANY times. I gave it my focus for about 30 seconds and we were finally ready to go.

I don't see Kiera.

I walk to the other side of the car and she is no where in sight. I call her name. Nothing. 30 seconds and she just disappeared.

I am parked in a parking lot that is the size 5 football fields long and about 4 fields wide. No one in sight Huge. No time for her to get across any direction. The only way she could have went is across the road in to the woods. I call my wife, she comes and gets the kids. Jupiter and I start a search party. I screamed my head off in the woods until midnight going on until Saturday hoping she would come back. No avail.

I really thought she was gone and THEN remembered the phone number was wrong on her collar BUT she was micro chipped.

I call my vet along with every other vet in town to let them know she is missing the next morning when i get to work. The animal shelter opened at 11 that day it was about 9 in the morning

After talking to the one closest to vet to where she was lost, the receptionist called and said that someone had found her! I rushed to get her and found out this happened. My fault and a lesson learned but it was SO Stressful and tearful haha I thought she was gone because she had never ran off before.

This is what happened, pretty simple.

While i was buckling Emberlin, Kiera walked to the sidewalk next to the busy street. I didn't see this but its what the lady told me. As the lady drove up she said she saw a cute dog sitting by the road and thought she was going to get hit by a car driving by. Again I didnt know (my fault) but Kiera has curb boundries. She will not get in to the street without my hand signal and "go". However she loves people to a fault and the lady stopped, opened her car door, grabbed kiera off the curb and pulled her in the car. JUST like a drive by kidnapping you see in the movies lol. I had NO idea.

They posted lost dog signs that I saw all the way to pick her up. So there was no ill intentions and I had actually sold a truck to their daughter 2 weeks ago at the dealership I work at.

It definitely has me on "reset" about Kiera just running around everywhere off leash and to be careful as she can literally just be "picked up" She is safe at home now. Thank goodness. What an experience.
 
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#2 ·
The lady's actions renews some of my faith in the better qualities humans possess.......

I hope you can find out who this thoughtful lady was and offer your thanks appropriately.

Glad you have your Kiera back where she belongs.


SuperG
 
#6 ·
The lady's actions renews some of my faith in the better qualities humans possess.......

I hope you can find out who this thoughtful lady was and offer your thanks appropriately.

Glad you have your Kiera back where she belongs.

I got her name and I have her number saved from the signs! I let her know that I was happy Kiera was safe and thanked her! She said Kiera was such a great dog overnight that she is going to let me work with her mix dog. small. She asked if i had her a trainer and i told her it was all me. lol I"ll just let them play and try and let Kiera show her some manners. She sets the best examples.


SuperG
I'm glad you got her back. Not everybody is crazy. When I lived with my mom we had a collie. One day someone did not shut the gate right and she got out. She was missing for two weeks. Signs were posted everywhere. Walking the streets calling her name numerous times a day. My dad happened to be in the supermarket and saw an older lady staring at the sign we posted. (I truly think he caught her off guard) he asked her about it and she replied that her daughter found a dog that fits the description. The lady was incredibly concerned about the reward and asked my dad about a few times. My dad told her to take him where the dog was. It was our collie the daughter had in her house. she lived less then one block away from us. I walked my dog all the time- a set routine and daily passed this one house for over 8 years. She also asked about the reward my dad just took our dog back and left. We were lucky we found her and just to think she was less then a block away about 10 houses straight down from where we lived. Not one found dog poster put up. We also past the house many times looking for her. There was no doubt she knew who the dog belonged to.
Jenny! That makes me sick to know she was that close to you. Gate latch mess up? Sounds fishy! Prolly like me and thought she ran off but got snatched! good heads up by Dad!

@Casto Glad you found your dog! It is really hard to lose a dog that is accustomed to being off leash. I think the woman that stopped should have looked around to see if she could have found an owner before leaving with your dog.

First of all, Im glad shes safe. Secondly, haha I agree!! The way the parking lot is you have to walk UP to the sidewalks from where I was I could only see the tops of vehicles as the drove by. Drivers would have to intentionally look my direction to see my car so i get it I guess but she should turned in the driveway 50 ft ahead of her and investigated.

I always complain that I dont get to spend enough time in nature with my dogs. lol Jupiter had fun looking for Kiera in the woods all night!

@Jenny720 Glad you got your Collie back too. Odd that she didn't bark or carry on when you were walking and calling for her. That person was pretty stupid to think they could get away with it in the long run. Surely at some point in time, somebody would have seen the Collie and recognized it as yours.
I cant imagine the looks I would give that house from that point forward.... it's time to move!!! haha
 
#3 · (Edited)
I'm glad you got her back. Not everybody is crazy. When I lived with my mom we had a collie. One day someone did not shut the gate right and she got out. She was missing for two weeks. Signs were posted everywhere. Walking the streets calling her name numerous times a day. My dad happened to be in the supermarket and saw an older lady staring at the sign we posted. (I truly think he caught her off guard) he asked her about it and she replied that her daughter found a dog that fits the description. The lady was incredibly concerned about the reward and asked my dad about a few times. My dad told her to take him where the dog was. It was our collie the daughter had in her house. she lived less then one block away from us. I walked my dog all the time- a set routine and daily passed this one house for over 8 years. She also asked about the reward my dad just took our dog back and left. We were lucky we found her and just to think she was less then a block away about 10 houses straight down from where we lived. Not one found dog poster put up. We also past the house many times looking for her. There was no doubt she knew who the dog belonged to.
 
#4 ·
@Casto Glad you found your dog! It is really hard to lose a dog that is accustomed to being off leash. I think the woman that stopped should have looked around to see if she could have found an owner before leaving with your dog.
@Jenny720 Glad you got your Collie back too. Odd that she didn't bark or carry on when you were walking and calling for her. That person was pretty stupid to think they could get away with it in the long run. Surely at some point in time, somebody would have seen the Collie and recognized it as yours.
 
#5 · (Edited)
@Casto Glad you found your dog! It is really hard to lose a dog that is accustomed to being off leash. I think the woman that stopped should have looked around to see if she could have found an owner before leaving with your dog.

@Jenny720 Glad you got your Collie back too. Odd that she didn't bark or carry on when you were walking and calling for her. That person was pretty stupid to think they could get away with it in the long run. Surely at some point in time, somebody would have seen the Collie and recognized it as yours.
Thank you. Odd maybe. I think the whole thing was odd. Even now rehashing this story. Thinking about how the strangeness of it all. The lady could of drowned at our calls. Yes we always wondered if she was planning to sell her. These people were really sketchy people by far and could of not been that naive or maybe they were. I think pretty much everybody on that block would of known who she belonged to if she decided to take her out of her house/ backyard. A collie is always a site to be seen! My best friend lived 4 houses away on the opposite side of the street- no joke!!!!! It was the timing of it all on how we found her was incredibly wild.
 
#8 ·
Having a lost dog is probably the worst feeling in the world save having a missing child, which I can only imagine.

I am glad you got her back.

It sounds like a lot of distractions you are working with when out for a walk. Probably best to keep the critters safely crated until the kids are in their perambulators or whatever gadgets you make up for keeping them safe and comfortable. I don't know if I would attempt 2 kids and 2 dogs in one walk, I've done four kids and one dog, but the bigger kids were able to help with the littler kids, and then I just had to oversee them and the veteran dog. Of course it is all tougher when the kids aren't yours and you aren't totally sure what they might do. Even so, I can certainly see missing your dog for 30 seconds or so, while someone "saved" it from becoming road pizza.

Another thing is age. Aging hits dogs at different times. Once upon a time, I was out walking and the Principle's wife who lived across the street from me, was out working with her flowers. Her dog was little and old. It wandered right into the busy highway. She said it never did that before. I have a couple of almost 11 year old dogs now, and they are still fine. But Babsy has been missing a step here and there -- not as quick to run when she hears a dish set on the floor, or when I say "Bedtime!" At nine, I could take her to work everyday in the busy city without a leash, at 11 I think it would be ok, maybe. There was no maybe a years ago. Just throwing that out there. Old dogs are a pleasure to have, but at some point, they may start making mistakes.
 
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