She got out.
Our veteran foster, Sarah, was at work when she got the call that no pet owner ever wants to get. It was 9:30 A.M. on a hot summer day in Savannah when she realized that Renegade foster dog, Raquel, was missing. She had slipped out of a small hole in the fence encompassing Sarah’s backyard. Raquel was new to rescue and would likely not be able to find her way back to her foster home.
Sarah immediately dropped everything and raced home to help search for Raquel. During her drive home, Sarah was reasoning that, since Raquel was a shy, submissive pup that she must be hiding inside or in the bushes, maybe even found her way to her neighbor's yard. But, when she finally arrived home, she confirmed the worst: Raquel was nowhere to be found.
Sarah started walking around her neighborhood trying to coax the small black dog back home. Others joined the search, calling out her name and checking possible hiding spots. Several hours passed without a sign of Raquel. Sarah took to social media posting her picture on Facebook Lost & Found pages as well as Nextdoor. Another experienced foster parent, Yvonne, came over to help set up a trap determined to capture the scared pup.
A few hours later, a good Samaritan messaged Sarah stating that there had been a sighting.
Thankfully, the community member who had spotted Raquel was extremely helpful and told her the exact direction that she had headed just a few moments earlier. Finally, Sarah had a lead. But, how was she going to coax such a shy dog back to safety? Thinking on her feet, she grabs her foster dog, Cinnamon, and hits the road again.
She drove around the area for a while with no luck. However, thinking quickly, she realized that there was a huge wooded area that might make a perfect hiding spot for Raquel. Sarah and Cinnamon tramped through the thick woods for a while. But, it was so big and dense that there were dozens of places a frightened dog could hide and the bugs were eating the pair alive.
Sarah felt defeated. She took Cinnamon back to her car and cried. When will the nightmare be over with? She was sure she was in the woods but had no luck finding her missing foster dog.
But, she continued driving around determined to bring Raquel home.
And then, out of the blue, she spots her.
It was Raquel!
She was running through a residential yard. Parking her car, Sarah followed Raquel, keeping her eyes on her as long as she could. Tears still streaming down her face, another good Samaritan helped her follow the trail. For a while, Sarah would finally spot Raquel only for her to dart in the opposite direction.
She and Cinnamon continued to pursue any leads that neighbors had as they tracked her every move. Neighbors came out in full force to help the search. The rag-tag search party traveled through many backyards and streets looking for Raquel until she was spotted once more at the original location where Sarah had sighted her. By that time, Raquel was in “survival mode,” a common headspace for lost, frightened dogs.
It was then that Sarah turned to Cinnamon. She knew that there was no way that Raquel would simply walk up to her at this point. It was up to Cinnamon now.
Go get her, Cinnamon.
Sarah dropped Cinnamon’s leash trusting that she would help her scared foster sister. Walking over to Raquel, it was like a switch had flipped. Raquel recognized Cinnamon immediately and was thrilled to see her.
Both happily trotted back to Sarah’s side.
Thanks to the quick thinking of our foster parent, Sarah, and the kind heart of a Pitbull, Cinnamon, Raquel was safely returned to her foster home.
Without Cinnamon, things could have taken a turn for the worst. We are so grateful for Sarah and her heroic foster dog, Cinnamon who continues to show the world how amazing Pitbulls can be.
Cinnamon and Raquel are both still searching for their forever homes. Apply to adopt these beautiful girls today!
