By Nancy White, GateHouse News Service
Posted Feb 18, 2010 @ 11:57 AM
Shadow, a seven-year-old, 90-pound black lab, had the adventure of a lifetime when he escaped from his backyard last Friday. He was missing from his family, the Dicksons of King Street, for four days before being reunited with his family on Tuesday.
Cohasset — There is a “miracle dog” among us.
Shadow, a seven-year-old, 90-pound black lab, made a great escape from this invisibly fenced yard last Friday morning.
For the next two days and nights he made his way through Wompatuck State Park – braving the cold, wild animals and whatever else Mother Nature threw at him. On Sunday afternoon he had traveled all the way to Hingham Centre on Route 228.
There he stumbled upon a bit of luck. Passersby and a neighbor in the area spotted the lab and after much coaxing was able to leash him. Then began the challenge of locating its owner.
Shadow, who is the beloved pet of the Dicksons of King Street, is big and tall, even by Labrador retriever standards. His coat is short and silky and he absolutely hates the cold, owner Kelly Dickson said.
He also will do anything for food, Dickson said. He has escaped from the invisible fence a few times before through a weak spot in the backyard, but had always returned within an hour -- after taking a peek through the neighbor’s trash cans.
At first when Shadow disappeared from the yard, they figured he would return on his own. But, when he didn’t return by nightfall, that’s when they got worried. The Dicksons started making phone calls alerting the Cohasset police and the Animal Control Officers in Cohasset and nearby towns. They called local vets and the Scituate Animal Shelter.
They tracked his big paw prints to a birdfeeder in Kendall Village. They drove up and down Route 3A looking for him.
“I told my daughter, ‘he’s a big boy, we’re going to be able to spot him,” Dickson said. Friends jumped in to lend their resources and networks to spread the word about Shadow. Signs went up alerting people of the lost lab.
Family friend Dama Dow and her family aided in the search and posted messages and pictures on Facebook, which included dozens of Cohasset resident friends. E-mails were sent out to different networks to alert people of the missing down. St. Stephen’s, the Dicksons’ church, pitched in to spread the word.
“It was a really nice community effort that went into this, I can’t even tell you,” Dickson said.
Then on Tuesday the Cohasset Police dispatcher Chris Grant received a call from Hingham resident Brendon Potter. They had found a black lab near their home in central Hingham.
Potter and his wife, Jane, spotted the black lab outside their home on Sunday afternoon.
“Nobody was around him and he looked confused and spooked,” Potter said of his first encounter with Shadow. An unknown Cohasset family pulled over to try to coax the dog to safety. Shadow bolted, cut through yards, and went around the block. Potter joined the effort with a leash and eventually they were able to get Shadow. He brought him home; it was clear almost immediately Shadow was a loved dog who was really scared and spooked.
Potter began to call around to see if a missing dog had been reported. With Monday being a holiday and many vets and animal control officers out of the office, he put up signs on Route 228 saying “Dog Found.”
Meanwhile, Shadow settled in, ate some dog food and nestled in some blankets. On an attempt to reach the Cohasset Animal Control Officer Paul Murphy, Potter was put in touch with the police dispatcher Chris Grant who put two and two together.
Dickson was put in touch with Potter, who made sure they were talking about the same dog. Shadow’s tall stature, silky black hair, the dislike of the cold, the invisible fence collar were the telltale signs.
“He is just the sweetest, sweetest dog,” Potter said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Dicksons were at last reunited with Shadow.
“When we brought Shadow out of the house, boy was he happy! There was no doubt he knew them,” Potter said. “We were so thrilled to have him reunited with his family, that was our goal.”
Dickson said she regrets not having Shadow wear his collar and tags. His invisible fence collar is large, making it difficult for him to wear two collars.
“I was stupid, I could have saved everybody so much heartache,” Dickson said. She and her family have already gone to the pet supply store to get him and his golden lab sister, Lexi, new collars and have ordered tags.
But, perhaps, she knew all along Shadow would find a way back to them.
“This dog can survive anything. He’s bitten through nine volts batteries, eats chocolate like there is no tomorrow, eaten a refrigerator’s worth of food,” Dickson said. “He’s a character.”
Dickson reported Shadow is “no worse for the wear.”
“He has no cuts, scratches, just a few thistles on his back end,” Dickson said, as she watched him lounge on her bed. “He is happy to be home. This is a happy ending.”
Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/cohasset/features/x1468647756/Lost-dog-finds-his-way-home
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