Finding Liberty

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the unthinkable happened.

While visiting my hometown in the U.P. my older dog, Liberty, ducked out of her collar and made a mad dash into the woods while on a walk with my dogsitter and friend who had so graciously offered to host my pups for a couple nights. Liberty (aka Libby) is very afraid of busy roads and cars since she had been hit by one as a young pup so her reaction wasn’t surprising given her history and timid demeanor.

At first she was running the gas pipeline just west of Chassell and I thought finding her wouldn’t be too difficult. But as nightfall set in and we only had one sighting, my heart sank. Thinking of my little pup out there alone in the woods, in the dark, in the cold was gutwrenching.

One day turned into two and three into four. When a snowstorm hit the Copper Country on Nov. 30 my hopes sank further. It brought 7 inches of snow, 40 mph gusting winds, and plummeting temperatures, which got as low as 18 degrees.

There were many sightings but every time a person tried to get close, she bolted. How would we find her?

My friends, the local Humane Society, and the entire Chassell community were so kind in helping with the search. A live trap was placed, drones were flown, and a “lost dog” flyer was posted in local businesses and shared through dozens of online groups and social media sites. Everyone seemed to be looking for Liberty.

My friends and I hiked for miles, drove the surrounding roads, grilled pounds of bacon and hash to attract her, and staked out areas where new sightings were reported. We knew she was still out there and we refused to give up the search.

The search finally culminated on Dec. 2, ironically at 9:06 a.m., when I got a call from Colleen who had spotted Libby in her yard just north of the Pilgrim River. Her young sons had tried to feed her but she again ran off into the woods in their neighborhood. Just minutes before, another tip had come in from a man who woke up to find Libby sleeping on his porch in the same neighborhood.

I took off hiking with a bag of bacon and treats and followed Libby’s tracks, which were evident in the fresh snow. After about 45 minutes, I was getting frustrated and decided to take a break and call my friend who had made the flyers to ask her to update them. I did a 360 scan of the woods carefully while the phone was dialing. Nothing. Just bright sun casting shadows through the bare tree branches.

I had the phone on speaker and just a minute into our conversation, I glanced up and there was Liberty, just 20 yards away! I quickly hung up, fell to my knees, removed my hunter-orange chook, and quietly said her name and held out some bacon. She immediately recognized me, wagged her tail, and gingerly approached. I could see that sense of relief in her eyes. It was as if her heart and mine could finally unclench and we could breathe again.

The tears flowed for me as I watched her eat and I was able to slip on her collar and leash. As we exited the woods, a lady drove by and said “it’s that dog!” as she recognized that we had been reunited.

The experience of losing and then finding my pup has been a bit surreal. I wonder so many things. Where did she sleep on all those cold nights? Did she encounter other animals? What did she eat? Did she travel at night? Did she wonder where I was?

But most of all, as the anxiety has now subsided, I am grateful. Grateful that Liberty is safe, just a bit thinner and with sore paws. Grateful that so many people carved out time and energy in their busy lives to find my pup. I felt like an entire community shared the burden of my pain and worry, and the same community now shares my joy.

In times of trouble, people need people. Kindnesses of this magnitude will never be forgotten.