Sunday, February 22, 2015

Finding Marcy



It was love at first sight when Macey, a 2 year old shih tzu, first met her adoptive family. Jim, Polly, and their dog, Miley, came to meet Macey at an adoption event at Petco in Toledo. Macey’s kisses flowed freely to Jim and Polly, and Macey and Miley seemed to get along well. At that point, Jim and Polly knew that they wanted Macey to join their family.

The following week, their wish came true. They made it official and Macey came home to start her new life in Erie, Michigan. She went from being a homeless dog to being a member of the family, enjoying her new life, especially her doggie sister, Miley. The two played and played as if they had known each other for years.
Five days after being adopted, the unthinkable happened. Macey and Miley were let outside for potty time, and Macey took off. Her family lost sight of her just as she was running across the street towards a wooded area. They spent the next several hours searching the woods, calling for Macey. She was nowhere to be found.
 

Polly contacted Planned Pethood to share the news of Macey’s disappearance. Within minutes, Macey’s picture was posted on PPI’s Facebook page, and Polly registered Macey’s brand new microchip and alerted the Monroe County Animal Shelter. At the time, outside temperatures hovered around twenty degrees.

The following day, reality hit. Macey was gone. She was only wearing her new pink collar and a Planned Pethood ID tag. PPI volunteers drove out to the area of Macey’s home. All they could see were wooded areas and bare fields. There were also many houses that included barns and other types of out buildings. It was hoped that Macey had found shelter. Volunteers began to talk to neighbors. Neighbors agreed to watch for Macey, and many of them spoke of the coyote population in the area, concerned for Macey’s safety.

Meanwhile, Macey’s family continued to search, printing and distributing flyers to households on nearby country roads. By this point, Macey’s picture graced every lost pet website in the area. Hundreds of community members shared her picture on Facebook, while on the edge of their seats for little Macey.
By 4:30 p.m., an organized search was started. Six Planned Pethood volunteers showed up, ready to comb the woods by Macey’s house. Macey’s little paw prints could be seen going towards the woods, but the paw prints suddenly stopped. Spread out in a line, volunteers made their way through the snow, branches, and pickers. There was no sign of Macey. Her owner had also just completed another search of the area with no luck. The search continued until dark.


Day 2 turned into day 3, and there was still no sign of Macey. There was nothing. Nobody had seen her, and hope was beginning to fade. Between the frigid temps and the coyotes, the situation was looking very grave. By evening, temps had fallen ever lower.

Day 4 started out with temperatures struggling to make it above 0 degrees. It was freezing. At just 10 lbs., Macey surely could not survive for long. At 9:30 a.m., Polly called one of the Planned Pethood volunteers. Polly exclaimed, “Macey has been spotted on Samaria Road!” Polly and the volunteer both left work and raced to the scene, where they found a couple of neighbors searching a property, which included a home and several greenhouses. The people who had spotted Macey had been driving by, and remembered seeing the flyer about the missing dog. They pointed in the direction in which Macey was running. After searching the property, which included wood piles, a creek, and evergreen trees, Beth and Polly took the search to the neighboring farm. They spotted hundreds of doggie paw prints in the snow, each another sign that Macey was indeed alive.
While searching the farm, the home owner came outside and reported seeing Macey running towards the field behind the property. She called out, but Macey kept running, heading south towards Erie Road. Polly and her adult son began searching in the direction in which Macey was reportedly headed. While searching, they did not find Macey, but they did spot a coyote.

Another PPI volunteer arrived at the farm, toting a trap, with the hopes that Macey would be attracted to the warmth and food that was placed inside. The trap was set, and the waiting game began again. With temps dangerously slow, the trap would need to be checked often.
Meanwhile, PPI’s FIXX line received several calls regarding sightings of Macey, all stating that she was heading south. One caller noted that she had called Macey, but again, Macey was running scared. The sighting updates were posted on Facebook, and animal lovers from the area began to drive out to the area to help search. So many people spent the morning and afternoon searching, all concerned for little Macey.
The trap was checked every hour or so during the afternoon, each time reported as being empty. Macey’s safe haven continued to wait for her return, and with every check of the trap, the situation was starting to look hopeless again.


At around 5:00 p.m. on day 4, Polly received a call. A gentleman was on the other end of the line, stating that he had Macey! He also called Planned Pethood’s FIXX line to report the good news. He had been outside talking to a friend that had just stopped by his house. He saw a little dog run behind a building on his property. He ran inside to get dog food and treats. He took the food behind the building and saw Macey by a wood pile. She was scared, exhausted, and shivering. He was able to grab her after offering her food. He retrieved a box and blankets and put Macey inside while he called Polly and Planned Pethood.

Polly called her husband, Jim, and he was on his way home from work. He stopped at the home and picked Macey up. While Jim was talking to Macey’s rescuer, Macey heard Jim’s voice and instantly perked up. Macey was soon on her way home with her dad.

Polly and Jim report that Macey did lose a few pounds during her time away. However, she is doing remarkably well. She has been resting a lot and eating a lot. In the warmth of her home, she follows Jim around constantly. Polly stated, “We are very happy and blessed to have Macey back. Thank you for all your prayers”.
Jim and Polly wish to thank everyone who helped with the search efforts. Planned Pethood would also like to thank their dedicated volunteers for caring enough to help find Macey. In addition, the volunteers wish to thank all of the community members who got involved to help bring Macey home. We just love happy endings!

1 comment:

  1. So glad she's home. I also posted her picture on FB and then found out she belonged to in laws of a woman who works in my building. We have 2 rescues from Planned Pethood and love them both dearly and would be so sad if they got away, but is great knowing there are so many people out there who would help in finding them. Great job to all the volunteers etc who helped.

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