Her temporary caretaker, with the help of her husband, put a bowl of her food out overnight and checked it this morning to find it empty! To the husband's surprise when he looked up, Vixen was right there in her beloved back yard!!
After an initial attempt to lead her in to the house via a hot dog trail, they called in Woofs, and Ricky came right away. Vixen knows Ricky, and she did come to him, but she didn't exactly let him get his hands on it. That took more like an hour and a half! But she was eventually contained in the house, and she's now back at Woofs! She'll stay there until Antonia returns.
So it was certainly scary, but it was HUGE to learn that she would stay so close to home, and even return right to her regular spot. This is very, very good news -- I guess it's news about Vixen that we wouldn't know if she hadn't -- again -- managed to get herself out of not one collar but two this time, one with a GPS.
Antonia had everything ready, ever since Vixen was lost before. Scent articles are bagged and ready, a few of the old fliers, and she'd left AWOL Dogs and Woofs numbers with the caretaker. Nadene from AWOL Dogs and Cindy from Woofs! were out ASAP after gettng the call, just moments after Vixen bolted. And Nadene and I will admit to having saved the large signs that had been made by AWOL Dogs member Sonia when she was last on the run. Usually I operate on the theory that it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy to save those big signs . . . but I just didn't want to take a chance. Nadene, who lives very close to Antonia and Vixen, had her two large signs up within hours!
Well, for now, Vixen is safe. We will all do as we always do after each lost dog recovery effort, and determine what lessons there are to be learned. Antonia certainly did that before, and will do so again this time. Hopefully there will be no more escapes for her . . . but she is a challenge. And she's a scaredy cat!!!
Nancy Despeaux
PS Here's Vixen, looking much more the way we'd like her looking, just a few days after her latest adventure. Thanks to Woofs! for this one:
