The Pit in the Box

PETE

Lost: Unknown

Retrieved:  March 27 2014

Outcome: Transferred to Rescue

Case Manager: Jen Eidbo

pete

Pete

Minneapolis residents Josh and Ashley woke at 3 a.m. to their dog Casey barking, and when they looked out the window, the saw a dog outside their house. Possibly a bull terrier/Vizsla mix, the dog was there the next day, too, but ran when Josh tried to catch him. They placed a shelter–a cardboard box lined with a sleeping bag–in their front yard and started putting out food, and the dog seemed pleased to have both.

Although Josh reached out to local rescues to help “Pete,” sadly none were able to come to his aid. However, we learned about Pete through our network of friends and rescue advocates, and Retriever Jen Eidbo went to the house to help.

She found Pete lying in the box–shaking with fear–so she immediately sat to one side and asked Josh to bring her pieces of hotdog and a leash. Pete sniffed her hand with no issues. Jen fed him dog treats and slowly gained his trust. In time, he let her pet his neck, ears and muzzle.

With every piece of hotdog, Jen moved the leash a little closer. When she was finally able to get the leash around his neck, Pete was still shaking but did not attempt to bolt.

They then opened the top of the box and petted Pete for a while, but he wouldn’t come out on his own. So Jen gently pulled the sleeping bag out from under him, causing him to slowly stand and walk out. With a little coaxing, Pete was led into the house and into a crate lined with the same bedding that had comforted him for the last couple of days.

Josh and Ashley fostered Pete for several days until a rescue was found. He was transferred to 4 Luv of Dog for placement into a permanent home.

A Winter Survivor

YUKON

Lost: Unknown

Retrieved: March 22, 2014

Outcome: Transferred to Chesapeake Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin

Case Manager: Greg James

In March 2014, we learned about a stray Chesapeake Bay Retriever who had shown up in the North Branch, Minnesota, area the previous fall. Fed by several Good Samaritan families, the Chessie had survived on his own in a wooded area through the harsh winter of 2013-2014.

Yukon

Yukon, who turned out to be
remarkably friendly, receives
some affection from Retriever
founder, Greg James.

This dog was seemingly friendly, but was not willing to let anyone get within 100 feet to try to help him.

An action plan was put in place and the Retrievers team set out the Missy Trap to try to bring this survivor in from the cold.  Because the families had done such a good job of getting the dog into a feeding routine, he was remaining in the general area and returning to the same two locations for food.

We set up the Missy Trap at 4 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon as the Chessie sat and watched from a distance.  Initially, we’d planned to lock the gate open for the night to allow him to get comfortable with the trap. But since he was not scared away by our commotion, we decided to try to catch him that same day.

For four hours, we observed him from inside a parked vehicle as he walked hesitantly around the trap, too skittish to enter. But eventually, the aroma of the tasty bait and treats inside overpowered his fear. Once he was far enough into the trap, we triggered the gate to close, and we had him.

We named him Winter. He is as kind a dog you could ever meet, and he seemed to be relieved when we caught him. He spent his first night with one of the Retriever team members, and the following morning was transported to the Chesapeake Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin.  He is doing very well in foster care and they have renamed him Yukon.

Check Your Chip

MicrochipIt’s spring, and for many owners, that means it’s time for your dog’s annual checkup.

While you’re there, be sure to have your vet verify that your dog’s microchip is still present and operating. Failures are rare, but sometimes microchips let us down. They stop working, or they migrate from the original implantation site, making it difficult to find when scanning.

A yearly checkup of your dog’s microchip will help ensure that he’s prepared in case you two get separated.

For everything you always wanted to know about microchips, see this article from the American Veterinary Medical association:  Microchipping of Animals.