It's already been a bad week. Last Wednesday we finally had to take our 16 year old black lab and have her put to sleep. That left us with five dogs. I posted that in the LFTS thread, but I didn't want to put this post there. First, we live on a gravel road that goes through a huge forested area. Today my wife decided to go for a walk at a local lake. I opened the gate for her (we have to do it manually since we don't have gate openers yet) and she left at around 8:30 am. She got home at 10:00 am and I opened the gate for her again. It wasn't until around 2:45 that we noticed my beagle Elly May was missing. Evidently she managed to sneak out the gate either when my wife left or when she got home and I didn't see her. I always look to make sure the dogs are in before I shut the gate, but somehow I didn't notice she was out. Maybe she was behind a tree when I looked. We've been frantically driving up and down the road for hours looking and calling for her. We've stomped through the woods looking and calling. I've stopped at every house for two miles in both directions asking if they've seen her and telling them to let us know if they see her. I knocked on the door of a few places where I was almost afraid I was going to get shot. (There are a lot of meth heads around here.) Nothing. She's just gone. I'll be up all night checking the gate to see if she's come home, but if she does find her way home it will most likely be tomorrow. I would think she'd be huddled up somewhere trying to stay warm now. If she doesn't come home by tomorrow I know she won't be coming home. She's never spent a night outdoors and the low tonight is supposed to be 24 degrees. If she doesn't succumb to hypothermia, there are quite a few loose dogs, mostly pit bulls, in the area along with a fair amount of predators. My wife and I are both upset at ourselves for not noticing she was gone. It's not unusual to not see her though. She spends a lot of time covered up in blankets in our room so nothing seemed out of place. Tomorrow we will call any animal shelters and vet offices in the area since Elly May is microchipped, but I have a feeling that won't help since I doubt anyone who lives here knows what a veterinarian is. I feel like such an a-hole for letting this happen.
One more pic that better illustrates our relationship. This was the first deer she found for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That sucks, hoping for the best. You said she likes to hunker up in the blankets. Gather some of them blankets and put in a shallow box or just on the ground. Might help her nose find the way if needed and help give her warmth and comfort if she does manage her way back. My dog has always been a runner/escape artist. Has always been my biggest fear and biggest expense to keep it from happening. Hope to read better news in the coming hours
That really blows.. this will sound very odd but, I lost my lab out on a wildlife management area once and couldn’t find her. My wife is a veterinarian and with talking with her colleagues they said to bring her dog bed out there and leave it so she could smell something familiar. Of course I thought why and there’s no way this is going to do anything.... well, after looking for hours that night I did just that. I was absolutely floored when I went back at first light and saw she was laying on her bed. Not saying it will work this time but It’s worth a shot.
@cls74 & @arrowflinger1, I should have added that I have a sleeping bag and two blankets she loves to cover up in outside the gate just in case she does come back.
Damn, so sorry to hear this. This pulls at my heart big time being a beagle owner. I just sent some prayers for her to come home safe.
Take a jacket that has your scent on it and leave it out for her. When she comes back she'll wait for you there. I did this one time with my coonhound. Praying for her safe return
That's another good idea. Thanks! I just took the flannel shirt/jacket I've been wearing for a few days out there also.
Just a thought, I'm doing all the thinking I can, any chance you can get a few of the other dogs outside and worked up barking and what not? Might give her some sounds she's familiar with to head that way. When one dog starts barking it gets the rest of them up there to see what is going on, maybe they can call her home just the same.
Definitely worth a shot. Now that you mention it, deer walk by at all times of the night and we always hear our dogs going nuts. Maybe the nighttime deer traffic keeps the dogs spun up and that will lead her home.
dogs have amazing noses. I bet you find her close bud. keep at it. I know it's hard to keep faith but do the best the you can do. she probably didn't go far.
Sorry to hear it. I don’t have any better ideas to offer than what is already suggested. Praying you find in the morning.
If you can get a crock pot and put hot dogs in it with bacon and leave it uncovered the smell will bring them back, worked for me and my good buddy is in the animal business he swears by this.
Unfortunately, it would also bring every unfenced, off-leash dog in the county as well as area house cats. We actually cooked a turkey today. My wife had the idea of leaving the turkey carcass outside the gate. I finally brought it back in and threw it in the trash after chasing off two cats. It dawned on me that if she did come home and another dog was on the food we left out then that dog might chase her off again or worse, kill her. I'll just have to take my chances with bedding and my shirt.
I sure hope she is there for you this morning. Beagles are good at tracking and she should be able to track her way home. Good luck.
