Photo credit: Loui Art
This blog is different than my typical post...I had a most unfortunate and stressful situation unfold the other day. There are seven dogs here in the Chaplin household...all rescues. We just recently moved back to Indianapolis from Arizona. The house we are in is fenced in the front and in the back. The back is privacy fence with a chain link gate. I've checked the area and plugged holes in places because my dogs are 4-11 pounds in size. I have been letting them out back and leaving the door open, and staying close around to keep an eye on them. Monday was no different. It was a beautiful day, so after a later than usual dinner, about 6:30, I let them out afterwords. I thought they had all come back inside, but for whatever reason, I didn't do the usual 'head count'. I was pretty sure Taegan had come in, but in retrospect, I believe she must have gone back outside before I got the door closed. I went about doing chores, and was finally ready to sit down and do some further research on another dog blog I intend to write. Three of the pups like to sit with me...Scrap, Maebelle and Taegan. So I'm looking around...no Taegan. Then I think, 'oh no...is she still outside'? (by this time probably close to an hour had passed) I called for her inside expecting her to pop her head out from a hiding spot. Nothing. I opened the back door thinking she'd be standing on the step waiting to get in. No Taegan. A frantic search of the back yard proved nil. I ran back in the house yelling her name. She is always so good when I call for her to come to me. The no show had me very concerned. It only took about ten more minutes of this useless searching to realize she was gone!
Panic set in. It's now a little after 8 p.m. and it's dark. She weighs about 5 pounds and is pretty much black in color. A little white in places and gray in face, she will be 13 later this month. I quickly called my friend Bob, asking if he could help, that Taegan was no where to be found. He came over...we walked the neighborhood calling out her name. I actually literally ran looking for her, hoping the more ground I could cover, the quicker I could find her. I was beside myself. It was a horrible feeling...a sick feeling. I have cared for dogs since 1995. I've had at least a couple dozen in my home over the years because of fostering for rescue. I've never had a dog go missing. This was something new, and very unwelcome! Next we got in my van and drove around, increasing the parameter of the search. Nothing. Back home, then my friend went back to his house. I really didn't know what to do. I felt so helpless. Where is she? Which direction did she go? She could be anywhere. Like trying to find a needle in a haystack! Just overwhelming!
I couldn't sleep, I couldn't rest. I sat on the porch, hoping and praying she would some how find her way back, and I wanted to be there to let her in the front gate. I went back and forth, walking the neighborhood, sitting on the porch, driving around. Minutes and hours passed...no Taegan. All manner of thoughts went through my head. What if somebody took her and they are being mean to her? Has she been hit by a car, and is laying in the street hurt? I burst out crying...it was just too much. I cannot believe this has happened! Finally daylight broke, then came the rain! Oh no! Taegan doesn't like the rain and she's out in this! Someone suggested calling the local animal pound. They didn't open until 10, so I found out you had to come in person to physically see if your dog was there. It was a stressful drive. It was raining and so dreary out, and my little girl was missing. After I got there I had to sign in and they took certain information. Then I had to wait for someone to come up front to take me back to the small dog room to look. It was such a sad area...all these other little doggies waiting to be claimed, but no Taegan. I was really hoping she was there so we could just go home and get rest. I was so wore out, by this time having gone some 28 hours plus without any sleep.
So I drove back home, disappointed and even more worried than ever. The minutes seemed to drag on and on. About 12:30 I got a call from a woman who had seen my post on a social media lost pet page. She asked me if I had found my dog yet, and I said, 'no'. She told me she had see Taegan that morning, running in the street, and that she almost got hit...that people tried to catch her and she ran away. That really concerned me...it was hours later now. What would the chance be that she would still be in that area? Well, I thought it was a long shot, but worth a try. I drove over there, walked around for some time, calling out to Taegan....nothing. Drove around....nothing. Came back home. Feelings of guilt overwhelmed me. This was my fault. It I had only made sure she had come in, done my usual head count, all this would not have happened. Oh, how I longed to go back in time and change it. I posted to my Facebook page that Taegan had been spotted and asked if anyone was available to help look for her. I had a friend, Amy respond that she could come with her son Ethan and help me look mid-afternoon.
It was good that the rain finally stopped. We went back to the neighborhood where the lady said she had been that morning. Even though I hadn't seen Taegan when I went after that, it was the only lead I had. Amy drove and we went zig-zagging through the streets. Lots of people were out...walking, sitting on their porch. We were asking everybody we could, 'hey, have you seen a small black Chihuahua?' Finally two different people on two separate streets said they had indeed seen her. In fact, one person said they almost hit her as she crossed the street! We continued to drive around calling out to Taegan. Certainly we had to be getting close. There were lots of cats around...everywhere it seemed...and a couple times we got kind of excited thinking it was Taegan.
We came to the end of the street...back to the busy intersection. While sitting at the stop sign, we looked ahead, and there she was! It was Taegan...close to the curb, but standing in the street. I flew out of the passenger side door of my friend's car and sprinted across the street, I really don't recall much about that moment. I called to Taegan, and about the time I put my hand down to grab her, she ran! At least it was back into the neighborhood and not along the busier street. I started chasing her. I finally sat down and called to her, hoping she would turn around, see me sitting down and come to me, but she didn't. She kept running. I realized I had no choice but to run after her. Good thing I'm a runner...it came in handy. She momentarily stopped by a parked car. I think she intended to hide under it. She was so stressed, I believe she didn't even realize who I was. By her doing this, it gave me the opportunity to grab her, which I did...and I held her tight. About that time my friend and her son pulled up in their car, got out, and we all hugged and cried! Finally Taegan was SAFE! We got in the car, and I posted we had her. There were so many of my friends that had been following my posts and were very concerned, so I had to let them know. Taegan was so hungry....I had brought a bag of treats, and she was gobbling them down like there was no tomorrow!
It was so good to get her back in our pack. Other than being wet and hungry, she hadn't gotten hurt...quite amazing really! Her 22 hour adventure certainly could have ended otherwise. There are pets who get out and never come back...that was another thought that passed through my mind while I was sitting on the porch in the wee hours of the morning. I wasn't trying to be negative in thinking that, I was being realistic that it could be a possibility. It has been a reflective last 24 hours for me. I know she didn't realize what she was doing when she got away from the back yard (I believe she squeezed thru the side of the gate, which I have now blocked), she couldn't know she was jeopardizing her safety. I wonder what went through her mind while she was out. What did she do during all that time? What did she encounter? She must have not been able to get out of the rain since she was wet. Maybe she drank from some puddles to try and quench her thirst, a far cry from the filtered water at home. Most likely hadn't eaten. Did she wonder where I was, and how to get back home? I think she must have realized something wasn't right. I've done very little reading on dog behavior...I focus on the nutrition end, so anything I think is pure speculation on my part. I wouldn't wish this ordeal on anybody. It about put me over the edge...thoughts I posted on my page spoke loudly in that manner.
So the Chaplin household is getting back to normal now, and I've learned from this ordeal...I will certainly be more careful, although I'm so careful anyway, or so I thought. This was just one of those moments that I can't explain. I don't think I could have forgiven myself if something bad had happened to her. I am her protector, and I had failed her. The burden was extremely heavy and hard to deal with. I'm glad it's over. By the time I got to bed, I had been 38 hours without sleep, that in itself is stressful, but Taegan was worth every bit of my energy, and I would do anything, go any length to save her or any of my pups. I am thankful God watched over her, even though I struggled being angry at Him for allowing this to happen, as this is a worst case nightmare for me. I wonder if she remembers any of it, or if it's far from her memory now that she is home. There is a lot to being a pet parent...it's a huge responsibility. These little ones are always reliant on our help...to go potty, to eat and drink...to be cared for medically, and certainly to watch out for their safety, the small ones being especially vulnerable. It is truly a privilege to have them share our lives. What a blessing they are. If yours are safe at home tonight, give them an extra hug and kiss, not all are so fortunate.
