Washington Woman Quits Job, Takes 57 Days To Find Her Lost Dog, Katie

[hlthe2b]

This one hit me where I live because I can absolutely understand the wrenching heartache that would make her (and her husband) spend 57 days, enlisting the help of strangers throughout the community, searching overnight for weeks using night vision goggles, following up each and every lead, and ultimately quiting a job in order to try to find their beloved dog. Worth reading the full story. The NYT write up is particularly poignant if you can access it behind the paywall. Alternately, see the huffpo link

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/carole-king-verne-katie-lost-dog-border-collie-washington-montana-kalispell_n_5d870f87e4b0849d472a6934

A dog-smitten woman in Washington state quit her job as a postal carrier and spent 57 days searching with her husband for their beloved lost border collie, Katie. They finally found Katie thanks to the help of a community of strangers in a small town in another state.

Katie managed to escape from a hotel room in July during a trip to Montana with owners Carole and Verne King. Though the dog loves people, she’s also skittish and was lost in a strange place near the vast open space of Glacier National Park — so the Kings knew they faced a challenge.

They reached out on social media, posted hundreds of flyers in the small town of Kalispell, tirelessly fielded calls, and drove and walked for miles, yelling Katie’s name and whistling, KCRA-TV reported.

Carole King finally spotted her a week ago in the shade of a tree with the help of strangers who pointed Katie out. “I just bear-hugged her,” she told the Daily Inter Lake newspaper. “People are stopping in their vehicles, getting out and hugging us. I think the whole neighborhood knew that we found her.”

When King took the dog to a vet clinic, “the doctor walked up to her and she said, ‘Is this the famous Katie?’ And her eyes welled up with tears,” King said. “That touched me.”

Katie had lost 12 pounds, was severely dehydrated and was on the brink of starvation — but she’s expected to completely recover.

“I never gave up. I never lost hope,” King told the newspaper. “I think what I got out of this was the kindness of strangers.”

She Quit Her Job. He Got Night Goggles. They Searched 57 Days for Their Dog.
A couple combed a rural Montana community for their Border collie, Katie.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/21/us/lost-dog-montana-kalispell-spokane.html

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[customerserviceguy]

1. If the dog is this skittish

hopefully on the next vacation, they'll consider boarding her at a kennel.

[hlthe2b]

2. The dog managed to open the hotel door after freaking out over a quick moving thunderstorm.

Not hard to imagine it could have happened at home almost as readily.

[customerserviceguy]

3. At home

the dog would probably be in familiar territory, and there would be neighbors, etc. who would recognize the dog, if this couple was from a small town.

So, is kenneling a dog like this a bad idea?

[hlthe2b]

4. I'm not saying boarding is wrong but nor is it wrong to want to take your dog with you.

It wasn't fireworks, but an unexpected thunderstorm and presumably it had never happened before.

I just don't know why we have to blame these two loving people rather than celebrate their story in turning around a potential tragedy. I found it truly heart-warming.

I'm sure if they knew then what they know now, they would have brought a crate for the dog or boarded it. But, you know what? I have known veterinary clinic/boarding facilities and shelters that have LOST dogs who managed to get loose--sometimes managing to free other dogs along with them. Some dogs are real escape artists So, nothing is a sure bet.

[customerserviceguy]

6. I'm not blaming them

but I hope they learned a lesson here about taking a skittish dog along with them on a vacation. Maybe having the dog watched by family members (even if you have to pay them) who are known to the dog is a better solution to the next vacation.

[Karadeniz]

5. Good that they were in a position to quit everything...and that they didn't just write Katie off.

[secondwind]

7. A co-worker of mine and her husband lost two Siamese cats in the Grand Canyon. Never saw them again

This was 30 years or so ago, and they mourned those cats for a long time. It’s a bit of a gamble to take favored pets into the wilderness, I’m not sure I would do that to my dog.

You just never know.

[hlthe2b]

9. Good heavens. That is sad, but in this case they took the dog to a hotel in a town in Montana.

I've traveled with my dogs all over the country and obviously in July, one would have to leave the dog in a hotel, rather than in the car. Are you suggesting dogs should never be taken hiking with their owners in the mountains, the forest, the wilderness? For me, living in Colorado, that could mean going as short a distance as across town to one of the foothills trails. I rely on training, my dog's desire to stick with me and of course a good leash, but theoretically, we could get separated just 15 miles from home in a wilderness situation. I don't get the impression this couple was anything but cautious. Though a crate to use in the hotel is certainly a good idea and one I typically would have gone with.

I feel for your friends. Cats are quite a bit different than dogs in terms of how well they travel, how easily they escape and how vulnerable they are. That's why this story is so poignant for me, because I don't think I'd ever get over losing a pet that way and I can really relate to the immense efforts this couple undertook. Most of us would not be able to do what they did, though. I think that is why it is newsworthy.

Just so happy this story ended well for all concerned. As you point out, they often don't.

[Bluepinky]

8. I'm impressed that Katie was able to open the hotel room door.

I’ve heard that border collies are very smart dogs.

So glad this story has a happy ending and Katie was reunited with her family. I can relate to wanting to bring your dog with you on vacation when hiking is involved if your dog loves to hike. Our dog loves to hike with me, and I seek out different places for us to hike. On some of our vacations, I look for places where a dog is allowed so we can bring her with us.