Koko, a Chocolate Labradoodle

This story came from the Missing Pet Partnership website, from their Testimonials section. (I actually did some cut & pasting so it's close but not word for word the way the dog's owner told the story.) It's a good illustration of why it's good to seek help from the experienced when faced with the task of looking for a lost dog.

Koko became separated from me in the Cedar River Watershed, east of Seattle. I had her off leash because I had her hiking with me in the past without any problem. When I called her name in a likely too loud and frightening tone, she bolted into an awful swampy area full of blackberries, thick brush, and water.

I thought for sure she would become tangled and trapped, leaving her easy prey to cougars, bobcats or coyotes in the area. It was a very large swamp (wetland) and I looked for her until 10 p.m. before finally returning home having to give the bad news to my daughter and wife.

The next day began at 4:00 a.m. I returned to the swamp, thinking for sure Koko was trapped in the blackberries yet too scared to make any noise.

A fellow employee at the watershed called SARS and they told us about MPP and so I called Kat who was in L.A. at the time. She was very generous with her time, explaining to me all the things to consider in trying to find a lost dog. She also told me to call Jim Branson who has a tracking dog named Kelsy. After talking with Kat and getting all of that very helpful and encouraging advice, I met with Jim at the site. I was amazed at how soon he was able to arrive at the scene. He arrived within a couple hours without Kelsy to size up the situation and interview me. We looked for Koko until evening again sat in.

Jim advised that I leave a feeding station with some scent items at the scene that night. The next morning we planned to post signs provided by MPP, and then use Kelsy to determine if Koko was in the swamp area.
I had brought my wife and daughter to help. Jim had previously cautioned us to be very careful if we came across Koko. To our delight, she was at the feeding station when we arrived. So we followed Jim's advice and slowly got out of our vehicles and walked around talking to each other as if Koko wasn't there. We did not want her to become scared again and run off.

We played catch with each other using a tennis ball and frisbee. Koko ran up when the frisbee hit the ground at my daughter's feet. It was a very joyful moment when my daughter gave Koko a big hug and we had her back on lease.

The amazing thing is that Koko spent two nights somewhere nearby in below freezing temperatures and she looked just as clean and groomed as she did before she ran away. She somehow got out of the swamp and must have found shelter in some higher ground under cover of trees.

I am very grateful to MPP and particularly Jim Branson and his dog Kelsy for helping me find "Koko", my 9 month old chocolate Labradoodle. Kelsy was ready to do her job but fortunately for us, her services were not needed.

Thank you Kat and Jim for this happy ending!!!

Source: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/testimonials-seattle.php