A Dog’s Escape Hits Home

This is not a business post…it’s a life post. So if you are too busy thinking about your work to read about actual life…then please do, keep working. I’m sure eventually your life will wake you up….like mine did.

I believe I have always lived life in an accepting manner. Crisis, when it reached us, burst through our doors, paused to create havoc, and then, moved on swiftly. I dealt with it, and never looked back; I never thought of it as a “learning opportunity.”

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But yesterday morning, our dog Skye got out of our backyard…and then all hell broke loose inside me.

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I was never a pet lover. When proposed by my family, I was vehemently against getting one. Leveraging the excuse, “I’m not a dog person,” I invoked the secret credo of all those who supposedly couldn’t understand the obsession.  We were different.

Then, 5 years ago, the most beautiful Siberian husky puppy sprung into my life, and my whole perspective changed.   As time went on, she became my fearless and most jovial companion, engaging all with her ebullience, delight, and the promise of instant camaraderie for all who would partake in her friendship.   Unknowingly, she quickly became the inner core of our family.

That fateful morning, our initial search through the house, yielding nothing, led us to re-examine the yard.   There, we uncovered her escape path, and true terror set in: “Skye was gone.”

My joyful, gorgeous, ice blue-eyed husky, whose “welcome home greeting” is unparalleled and whose love is unconditional, had vanished. An insane array of thoughts flashed through my mind: “What if she’s hurt? What if someone took her? Will we ever find her? I can’t imagine life without her!” I was numb and empty, and powerless.

Initially, my family and I began the search…but about 45 minutes in, I started calling friends and neighbors. Everyone, knowing Skye’s exuberant and loving nature, instantly were ready to assist. Before I could even process (and I couldn’t process…I was in panic mode), folks had started driving around our neighborhood, dividing and conquering various sub-divisions.

Pretty soon, her “missing status,” was posted on our neighborhood Facebook pages and Tweeted to several hundred followers on our town’s connection group. Frustration growing, as area after area was declared empty, I remember asking myself, “What would a dog want to do?” As if getting into my dog’s psyche would provide all the answers.

The search continued. Paper flyers were made.  Kids rode bikes while others walked around canvassing the neighborhoods. Every iPhone notification offered a promise of hope…and a few moments later, despair, when the answer was unchanged, “she’s not here.” 

While driving around nearby streets yet again, I actually stopped to ask some joggers about her, who before I could get the words out, asked me, “Have you seen a husky?” I replied with exuberance, “that’s my husky that’s lost!” They reconfirmed their concern of having seen her on Facebook, and keeping an eye out for her.

And before I could fathom the scope of it all: the dynamic interaction in the community, the endless cacophony of beeps & text messages, and the flurry of social media activity on a Sunday morning, my family and I were overwhelmed with the massive support we saw.  Skye was everyone’s dog…everyone was on it!

Upon what seemed like the 100th refresh of messages on my phone, the sought after news finally came. I saw I had been tagged in a Facebook post on a Lost Pets page, one that I hadn’t even known existed a half hour earlier….“Skye has been found!!!”    

Pheww….Deep breath. My heart skips a beat. My sanity returns. Ten minutes later, the little culprit was in our possession, returning with great fanfare after having newly achieved celebrity status.

Through this endeavor, we  gained a new appreciation for the neighborhood that we have lived in, off and on for 15 years.  We were truly humbled by the community support in the search for our dog, and are deeply grateful to everyone who participated.  Skye’s return would not have been possible without this base or the advent of social media that championed our cause.

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It is true what Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  

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Life happens so very quickly.   Skye is just a dog…but part of this family and this community. I would have probably found her much sooner, had I been prepared. There are other things (as inevitable as pets running away) that we should also be prepared for, when life throws us an unexpected curve ball (see both lists below):

Pet Lover’s To-Do List:

• HomeAgain – Pet microchipping so that if they get caught, and someone scans them, they will be identified. Skye had this…but someone has to “scan” for it.   Be sure to keep the Pet ID handy and a clear description of the dog (I could not remember anything when they asked me) with markings, collar, tags, etc.
• Pod Trackers: A dog GPS device that is an attachment for your pet’s collar, giving you exact locations and an alert to your phone if the pet is detected to be outside the parameters that you set. (Just ordered)
• Engraved Collar (tags fall off) with stitched in name and phone number: (Just ordered.)
• Join FB/Twitter accounts for Lost Pets in your neighborhood. (Now a Member/Follower!)

Family To Do List:

• Emergency numbers on your fridge of family, friends, hospitals, etc.
• Medical records (within easy access) including insurance information.
• Updated family wills within known access by important family members.
• Home insurance, car insurance and other pertinent info that you may need in case of emergencies.

Take the time to appreciate what you have but also to be prepared, so that if Crisis does come knocking, you can simply answer the door, say “no thanks…we got this covered,” and slam it shut.

P.S. Skye’s adventure ended a few hours after she was missing and roughly 2 miles away from home. She was dirty from swimming in a pond she found, but no worse for wear. All “escape” routes have been shut down in the yard, but until she’s wearing the GPS tag, we’re all going to be a little on edge. Thanks to all who helped in Sunday morning search!