Even though Teddy and I have spent so much time together and we have such a strong bond, he still has an innate curiosity to run. I keep a tight leash on him always, and very rarely will I entrust him to others’ watch. I’ve had a few scares here and there, but the worst was the first time he ever got loose.
Lost Dog
It happened two weeks after I had brought him home. He was still timid but had gotten used to me. I wasn’t working at the time, so I never left him alone for more than a few hours at a time. When I knew that I would be at an all-day conference, I arranged for a neighbor to let him out to potty and for a walk.
An hour into the conference, I received a very frantic voicemail from my neighbor. He was trying to put Teddy’s leash on while standing in the front doorway and Teddy had pushed his way through his legs and out the front door. He was used to handling his dog in a more carefree manner, so he didn’t heed my warning about Teddy being a potential flight risk.
My heart sank to the floor. I took off running through the halls of the campus of UMSL. It was pouring outside, so I was drenched by the time I got back to my car. All I could think about was how fast I could get home to look for Teddy.
As I walked around my neighborhood in the pouring rain calling for Teddy, I started enlisting the help of other GPG volunteers and friends on Facebook on my phone. After messages and texts back and forth, a search party had formed and would meet at my house. I was so touched to be helped by people I’d never even met. A friend I hadn’t talked to in a while also unexpectedly responded to my post for help.
We split up and search for Teddy in smaller groups around the neighborhood by car, while other GPG volunteers were creating a “Lost” flyer for me and getting it to the printer. Even though I started by car, I ended up doing most of my search by foot. I walked all over the streets of my neighborhood, knocking on doors and handing out and posting flyers — all while trying to share information about him on social media and forums. The rain never stopped pouring that day. I knew Teddy was just as scared as I was.
Teddy Sighting
Later in the afternoon, I spotted Teddy turning into a side street. I was so relieved that he didn’t try to cross a busy street instead. He was heading my way, so I called out to him. He ended up crossing the street instead. Luckily, cars turning onto the street were aware of him and stopping. As he was running past me on the other side of the street, my first reaction was to run after him. I hadn’t been in this predicament before, so I didn’t know that running after a scared dog is the LAST thing I should have done.
I ran after him for several minutes before we got to a creek. He hesitated at first but ended up jumping into the creek and crossing over into someone’s yard. It took me longer to make my way down to the water, so by the time I made it on the other side, he was gone.
A GPG volunteer and his first foster mom had been with me during most of this, but then it got dark and the search ended for the day. I didn’t know what I could do in the dark, so I also stopped for the day. I laid in bed, worried about Teddy all night. It was raining hard and tornado sirens were going off. I thought about how cold and terrified he must be after having been in a cozy home for weeks now. I couldn’t give up, so I got up and continue to drive around the neighborhood.
At one point, I thought I saw an animal about his size running across the street near the creek where I last saw him. I drove around that area and walked around with my flashlight to see if I could spot the animal. A cop drove up to me and I had to explain to him what I was doing. It was 2 a.m.and I looked pretty suspicious. I showed him my lost dog flyer to convince him that I was on the street for good reasons. He seemed to feel bad for me and wished me luck in finding Teddy. I went to bed without finding him that night.
The Call
It was weird that I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I was numbed with fear that something bad had happened to Teddy. I didn’t realize I had become so attached to him. I prayed that I would find him soon. If I saw him again, I would never let him go.
My search went on the next day, and so did the rain. As terrible as the rain had been, I hoped it deterred him from traveling too far. I spent the day with my friend knocking on doors and handing out flyers again. I got a lot of calls about Teddy sightings but none of the descriptions fit. Then I got a promising lead.
A man called and said he found a dog that looked just like Teddy and gave a brief description. Then, someone else took over the phone and told me that his friend was not serious. His friend saw my flyer and thought it would be funny to pretend to save the day. He apologized for his friend’s prank. I was devastated. How can people be so cruel?
I was so heartbroken that I didn’t even know how to react. I didn’t want to give up hope, but I knew that the longer he stayed missing, then the less likely he would be found. Being a shelter volunteer, lost dogs were not new to me. Even after the prank call, I was still hoping for the next.
The next caller said that a dog had somehow gotten into their fenced yard. It was currently taking shelter under a bush. I was skeptical but went to them. They lived just a couple of houses away from where I ended the door-knocking before taking a break. The husband had seen my flyer at the nearby grocery store.
The elderly couple let me into their home and pointed out a shrub in their backyard. It took me a minute to see the dog because its coat camouflaged against the brownish shrub. It looked like Teddy, so I got closer. When I realized it was him, it took everything in me not to cry out and run to him. Instead, I proceeded slowly and handed him pieces of a burger I went me. He had to have been starving. Slowly he came walked out and took the food I put down for him. I was so relieved when I got that slip lead around his neck. I finally cried.
