Lost Dog!

While celebrating New Year's Eve at the Wilson's house, I got a phone call at 10:42 pm from our neighbor at the opposite end of our street, Bianca, saying that her sister, Patty, found our dog! It was Nellie and her paws were all bloody. We had no idea she was missing. Patty and Bianca had her all cleaned up and almost asleep when we arrived to take her home.

This is the small hole that Nellie had ripped up her paws digging. Notice the two big rocks on each side. We had blocked the gate off with tables on their side, rocks and rebar, but Nellie got through anyway. Rustin was the first one home that night and soon discovered that Jake was GONE!!!

 When we got home we found Nellie's bloody footprints all over our front walk and front door. So I guess when she escaped, she quickly decided to try and get back in the front door?!

Poor little Nellie!

She even tried to open the door!

Our hearts were broken as we searched for Jake out in the cold, foggy night until 2:00am! 

The next day when we were putting up posters and looking for him again, my stomach muscles were aching from calling out his name for so many hours the night before.

Liza took the picture I used on my fliers.

We had sent out emails, talked to friends at church, posted on Facebook, and put up fliers (about 40 on Sunday and then 60 or so on Monday- printed 200) and tried to call dog shelters (which were all closed for the holiday) but we still hadn't found Jake and as day number two, with Jake gone wore on, we were really starting to wonder if we would ever see him again! 

Then at 4:00, Monday afternoon, I got the best phone call EVER!!!!

"We found your dog!" were the best words ever spoken! I was so excited! I got their name, phone number and address and ran inside (I was on my bike headed out to put up more fliers when they called) and yelled up to Olivia, "Someone found JAKEY!!!" I could hear her feet pounding on the floor above me and she bounded down the hall and stairs! It felt almost too good to be true!

We drove 1.5 miles to their neighborhood and heard the whole story from our heroes, Madison McClure and JoLynn Gherkin!!! Around 8:30 on New Year's Eve, they were walking down the street from a friend's house (FAR from our house, across both Guadalupe and Val Vista, both very busy streets) and this grey and white dog just started following them. They could tell he was lost so they took him home. They tried to guess his name (Bob? Bud?) and see if he would lead them to his house (no chance, he was totally lost). They fed him and played with him and said he was very well behaved! On Monday, Madison, who lives in Stonecreek neighborhood, saw one of my fliers (Olivia and I had just put them up that afternoon!) and knew it was the dog they had found, so they called the number on the flier. I had put a $50 reward on the poster so I GLADLY wrote them each a check for $25. Best money I ever spent! Thanks girls for rescuing Jake and taking such good care of him. We were hoping that he had been found by people like you!

Happy, safe and sound, snuggling with his sister, Nellie and little bro, Jasper. Phew!!!!! 

Prayers answered!!

p.s. All 3 dogs are wearing new dog tags with our phone number on it! And we have got the gate totally blocked off and will be reinforcing it with concrete pavers or something, very soon!