Dog Lost for 10 Days Scared and Alone, Christmas Miracle When He Returns Home

By Amanda Thomason December 23, 2018 at 3:56pm

The world is a very large place for little dogs, and when a family pup escapes and gets turned around, there’s no guarantee it will make it back home.

There are dangers stray dogs of any size face: speeding cars, unkind people and large animals, to name a few. Pint-sized pups are even more at risk because their size makes them more difficult to spot and easier for carnivores and birds of prey to pick up.

On Dec. 12, a little cream-colored Pomeranian named Dexter got away from the person watching him. His owner was out of town, and unfortunately, the pet sitter wasn’t able to catch him.

As many small breeds are, Dexter was nervous and flighty. He was unlikely to respond to people calling him, and to top it all off, he and his family had recently moved, so he didn’t know his way around very well.

His owner, Mike Wollack, posted on Facebook on Dec. 12, trying to get the word out to people who might come across him.

“Hello, my dog Dexter has gone missing,” he wrote. “I am currently out of town. And he got out on the sitter. Please be on the look out. He’s a 5yr old Blonde Pomeranian. He is very skidish (sic). Probably will be hiding. Not sure if he has his color (sic) on. I am not home but can message or call me. Please see picture.”

Dexter wasn’t the only little blonde dog on the lam. Another dog who fit his description was on the loose as well, and when it was picked up, Wollack got the disappointing news that it wasn’t his Dexter.

Illinois Valley Animal Rescue and other well-meaning commenters gave Wollack advice about how to lure his dog back. Wollack ended up setting out live traps, hoping to catch more than just the local raccoons.

A Search and Rescue unit with K9s even helped out, as did a man with a drone. At one point, as Wollack had sighted Dexter, a bird swooped down and dove at the terrified pup.

Fortunately, it wasn’t able to snag Dexter, but neither was Wollock. Finally, 10 days after his initial escape, Dexter was caught.

“Hello All,” wrote Wollack in a Facebook update. “Dexter Home. I want to thank everyone for all the effort they put in to getting Dexter home. He was recovered from a live trap that we set near American Nickoloed around 4:45pm today.”

He thanked everyone involved for their assistance, and made sure to get Dexter checked out at the vet’s.

“Dexter was recovered from a live trap today at 4:45pm. He just cleared the vet and they said he is down 2lb but everything else is good! Thank you everyone for getting him home!”

Now Dexter’s back safe, just in time to celebrate the holidays. No doubt he’ll be getting extra hugs and snuggles this Christmas as his family appreciates his presence and the assistance of all the kind people who helped bring him home.

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