I received one of those calls last night. You know the kind that give you the feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach, heartache for the pet owner, and a sense of complete helplessness. Raleigh, and his mom Meredith, were in town to visit Meredith’s sister Marcia. Raleigh is a 14 year old Shiba Inu; a classic example of the breed. Golden tan with white on his face and chest and a glorious tail that curls back on his back. Like most 14 year old dogs his hips, hearing, and eye sight aren’t what they used to be. The sisters wanted to take Raleigh out for some gentle hiking around central Dixon. The road up past the Co-op leads to a ball field, long neglected and unused, but still a favorite for letting a dog run loose and explore. So on Monday they headed up for a walk on a gorgeous fall day. All was fine.

On Tuesday morning Raleigh was let out to go potty before he and Meredith headed back home to Colorado. He didn’t come back in. He was gone! Travel plans were scrapped. Meredith couldn’t leave until she knew something, anything. Raleigh didn’t know the community but he would probably remember the route to the ball field! The sisters headed back up to search, sure they would find him; nothing. They searched all over Dixon, but there was no sign of Raleigh. They searched the rest of the day and still no sign of him. I’ve been on searches like this. They are mind numbing and emotionally draining. You reach a point where you just can’t go on. They reached that point and headed home to call me.

Lately we have all seen the evidence, and heard the yips and howls of Coyote; often closer than usual. Scat in front yards not far from the house. Reports of Bobcat and Mountain Lion have come in all year. Even a bear, if a dog got to close, would do serious harm. An old dog out on a chilly night with limited sight, hearing and mobility didn’t have a chance. When Marcia called to ask if I’d heard anything, I hadn’t, it didn’t look good for Raleigh. We all knew it. I suggested putting out food and clothes that Meredith had worn and carry her scent. It might help him find his way back if he was close by. Sometimes old dogs go off to die alone, sometimes they get disoriented and wander, unable to find their way in an unfamiliar place. No one wants to lose a beloved pet this way and these days everything is harder. Losses cut deeper, fear has more power, but love is stronger.

This morning the notice that he was missing, appeared in our local news/email service called The Town Crier. I still had heard nothing. That is never good. I was in Santa Fe running errands and having lunch with a friend when a text came in from Michael. I’ve worked with Michael trapping a feral cat and her kittens more than once, on his property. He has a way with animals. Michael lives up the second arroyo, a dirt road, by the Fire Station. His house is not easy to find tucked back into the trees. But, Raleigh had found it! Michael said an older tan and white dog had just wandered into his yard. He said it had a curly tail. Michael asked if I knew of any dog like that, that was missing. I excitedly texted back that his name was Raleigh and he’d been missing for 24 hours and his owner was very worried! Michael doesn’t get The Town Crier so he had not seen the post. Luckily he knew to contact DAPS.

I immediately called Marcia; no answer. The post had Meredith’s cell number so I called her. She sounded very quiet at first like she was bracing for bad news. I asked her if she knew the arroyo by the Fire Station, no she said but Marcia does! Before she handed over the phone I informed her that Raleigh was with Michael. “He’s OK?” she quietly asked fighting back the tears; disbelief damping her voice. “Yes, he just now wandered into the yard.” I croaked, as I was already crying. None of us expected Raleigh to be OK. So many thoughts ran through my head; how did he survive the night alone? were did he go? why did he go? None of it mattered! He was OK.

Marcia and Meredith ran right up to get him. I let Michael know they were on the way. He let me know that they had picked Raleigh up. Then I received this note from Michael: [sic] “U really do a fine community service. They called u. I called u. U put us together & the animal is home where he belongs. Without u, that could not have happened. I would have had a lost stray dog, crying @ me, hungry & confused. They would have been heartsick @ losing him. Thank u 4 being who u r & what u do. I sure m grateful, having u in this town.”

That made the tears flow once more. I do love this community and the work I do is truly a labor of love. Be well Raleigh! Thank you Michael.