The Rawlings Family Says Buck Was In Desert For 6 Weeks
March 21, 2011
OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- One North County family has been reunited with their dog after he was missing in the desert for six weeks.
The Rawlings family was on an off-roading weekend in January when their beloved pet pug-mix Buck was spooked in the desert.
Steve Rawlings was off-roading with two of his daughters and their dog in Johnson Valley, Calif., when their jeep crashed. Buck then jumped out of the jeep and ran away.
"He didn't dart off, but little by little, he got further and further away," said Steve.
As day turned to night, there was still no sign of Buck. Steve said he began to wonder if Buck would ever return.
"I would go out every hour or so and call for him, thinking he would come my way, but it didn't happen," said Steve.
The family posted fliers near the camp site, searched the Internet and even called San Bernardino radio stations for help.
The Rawlings received about six leads. None were promising, so the family began to lose hope.
"I thought coyotes… I figured the weather couldn't be good for him," said Steve.
But last Saturday night, which was six weeks since Buck had disappeared, family received the phone call they were waiting for.
"[The caller said,] 'It's a boy, red collar, blue tags' and that's when I knew it was him," said Michelle. "I was screaming."
A woman who runs a dog rescue in Twentynine Palms, which is more than 50 miles away from Johnson Valley, called the family to say she spotted a stray dog on her property. It took her two weeks to gain the dog's trust until she could get close enough to see the number on his collar.
"When we saw him – actually saw him – it sunk in," said Steve.
The family said their reunion last Saturday night was special, even for 7-year-old Sabrina, who was afraid Buck had forgotten her.
"It was exciting because he remembered us," she said.
The Rawlings family is extremely thankful to the San Bernardino family who reunited them with Buck and said it is a miracle that he is home.
Source (with video): http://www.10news.com/news/27272048/detail.html
Video HERE
Another (longer) version of the story is at: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/oceanside/article_62683fa4-a511-576f-929a-96ba5a05a3e6.html
Printer-friendly version HERE
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