Safely Home: Lil Jake Gets a Lil Lost

. What a way to start the New Year! In September we adopted Jake from our local ASPCA (Camden, Delaware). During the first two -weeks of adoption we found out the hard way that Jake is a “runner”. He just can’t help himself. Open door and he is gone. Workers were repairing our shed roof. Jake needed to go out so I closed the gates went into get Jake. The lead worker who knew Jake was a runner went up the ladder. Another worker came into the yard through the gate. Jake said “yeah open gate ” . By the time I got back into the yard with his collar, tags and leash Jake was a cross the field about 100 yards. Jake stopped when I called his name – turned around looked at me and ran into the woods. Apparently found a trail and ran until it ended near street and houses toward the back of our neighbor. Fortunately a Good Samaritan saw him as he ended the trail near her home.

walked the trail while my husband drove over to a big vacant field he likes to run in. We continued this routine for several hours. Stopping at home only long enough to call PetLink and check emails.phone messages. The Good Samaritan and kind neighbor called Jake over and when she knelt down he walked over to her. She had to take her children to school so she locked Jake in her horse trailer so he would be safe. When she returned home she called Kent County Animal Control and within a very short period of time (~3 hours) our phones and doorbells started alarming. As I was greeting Kent County Animal Control Officer at the front door PetLink was call with the great news that Jake was found!

As Jake’s parents we are from the old school where run away dogs are never reunited with their family. My husband I could not look at each other, let alone talk about never seeing Jake again. PetLink changed all that! The ability to initiate an emergent phone call and let the Internet and websites take over allow us a second chance with our precious pooch. Now this you will not believe…this past summer John and I are watching TV and see a horse running in the street past our house. We run outside not able to stop the horse but able to watch him run. Within seconds we see a truck and with a horse trailer coming towards us. We wave the driver down and give her the direction in which the horse ran. Happily she reunited with her horse at the first intersection. Both horse and owner were safe. Yes, you are correct, the lady in the horse trailer who was looking for her horse was the same lady who found and kept JAke safe until we could be reunited.