A runaway

[Kerstin Thaens]

Has anyone been desperate, broken-hearted, hopeless, scared, miserable ... at the same time? This is how I felt last Sunday. We walked our three dogs in the nearby forest on a sunny and bright autumn day when the youngest setter girl 'Summer' (8 months) suddenly disappeared in a forest plantation area chasing deer. First we thought:"Ok, let us wait a bit, she is a hunting dog and finds her way back easily." We did not move, waited, whistled, shouted her name - but nothing happened. After 30 min. I decided to go back to the car park in case she would have taken that direction, my husband stayed where Summer had left us. Time went by 1 hour, 2 hours ... we called a good friend (hunter) and asked for help. Then I took our off-road vehicle and drove through the forest along the muddy tracks trying to find her. Meanwhile a feeling of despair arose deep inside me. The worst thoughts circled my mind: Summer alone in the woods during night, run over by cars, picked up by strangers, never found alive ... I missed her so much and could not do anything to get her back!
..... 4 hours later: it was getting dark and we were still searching the vast woodland!
..... 5 hours later: my mobile was ringing! Hope???
Yes! My husband had called the police for help and they had told him that a hunting dog, probably a setter, had been caught by a dog-loving family in a village a few kilometres away. That setter was now on the way to the next animal shelter where we could pick it up the next morning.
It took a load of our mind!!!
We could hardly await the next morning.

The story has fortunately a happy ending!

Do not believe that it would not happen to you: Life teaches you a lesson!

[Cheryl Gorey]

I am so happy you got your girl, Summer back safe and sound. I understand the pain and anguish you went through.... I wasn't so lucky, I lost my young boy 3 years ago when he ran off and tragically died on the road. We miss him so much and think of him often. Give Summer a big hug. I am so glad for you and your family.

[Caroline Klebl]

Da habt ihr ja nochmal richtig Glück gehabt, unser Schorschi ist am 01.02.09 auch abgehauen und wir bekamen ihn leider nicht lebend wieder. Es war der Tag an dem wir Cracker aus Ungarn holten. Ich freue mich so für euch das es ein Happy End gab und bestimmt jeder weis was ihr in der Zeit für Angst hattet.

liebe Grüße Caro

[sammi pease]

Ooh..poor you, you must have been frantic....so glad she is back with you...strangely...we were in the forest for our weekly Sunday visit with the two girls...and had to stay for an extra hour to help a young couple find their (mother's) jack russell...who had gone walkabout....he was found eventually...but it is such stressful experience. hope little Summer is okay...do you think she will have learnt any lesson...???? hope so...

[McBIRDY - Jean DUHANT]

Happy for you with this happy ending !
We have a similar case with two young girls, escaped from our home on the road but not with a happy ending ! We have lost both of them , touched by a car !! It was terrible !
You have had a lot of chance !! Take care of her ans give her many hugs from us !

[karen jewitt]

Hi, I lost my little one in the woods 5 min from home,I was frantic... she was only 9 weeks old but she found her way home safely, but after that night I was awake thinking about what could have happend, she had crossed a road near a bend the car's come round that bend at some speed. It did her good she come back straight away when i call her now. I hope Summer is ok now give her a big hug from us

[Marta Galuszka]

Gled that this story has happy ending:)

[Anna Kazimierowicz]

I experienced that years ago with my Kruszyna. We were with friends (3 persons and 6 or 7 dogs) on huge meadows not far from my apartment. We walked very long, circled a bit, and then decided to go home. After some time we noticed Kruszyna was missing. So we turned back (beeing still on meadows), looked for her, whistled and called her. After 1-2 hours searching we gave up. Going home I was horrified, I was still thinking how to find her, what could have happen, where to announce her missing...
Could you imagine my happines... - when I opened door Kruszyna was at home.
When we started going back she was ahead of us. And when we searched her on meadows she was on the way home. Smart girl!!!

[Chantal McIlveen-Wright]

I really love to see happy ending like this one and happy to see that although a lot of us had this horrible experience ... there is a happy ending.

My one was hardly 4 months old, and while walking nicely with me in the wood, out of nowhere came racing 3 greyhounds, who decided to chase my wee little man... everything went so fast, I saw my dog running away, with these 3 monsters behind him. There were no chance he can compete, but even as pup our beloved Irish setters are very very smart ... and he figured out straight away that being so small he could go where the greyhounds couldn't. Then came 2 men, one of them the owner of the greyhounds, saying that he has no way to get his dogs back when they are chasing something. I will pass all my insults and murdering instincts, then I saw the greyhounds caming back but not my wee boy. I was frantic, went through every single bushes, calling my dog like a mad one. After a while I went back to the car park and here he was waiting for me!!!! He was so young and did not know this wood very well, but .... to see him waiting nicely beside the car was the most beautiful day of my life.

So Kerstin, I do believe it can happen to all of us, but I strongly hope that we will all have a nice ending!!!