MAY 20, 2010 2:19PM
Kathie Gagne's happy reunion with her Boston terrier, Brady, who went missing at the Dover International Speedway in Delaware last weekend. Brady was reunited with Kathie and her husband, Chris, after a several day search that was aided by the online community.
It was Saturday morning, May 15th, that Kathie Gagne last saw her beloved Boston terrier, Brady.
She and her husband Chris had driven from their home in Manchester, Connecticut, to the Dover International Speedway in Delaware, where they were spending the weekend at a campsite near the NASCAR track with their two dogs.
Saturday morning, the unthinkable happened. In one of those moments that becomes a pet owner's nightmare, Brady slipped his leash after being spooked by a German shepherd. The table his leash had been tethered to tipped over, Brady bolted, and they couldn't catch him. Their hearts sunk as they desperately tried to find Brady.
Almost immediately, Kathie posted messages on the Internet asking for help, and sites like Woof! (a message board for Boston terrier owners) responded generously. Facebook and Twitter joined in the hunt, with pictures of Brady and his description broadcasting online and in the local media as Kathie distributed flyers with Brady's story and description. The racing community joined in the search.
By Monday Brady still hadn't been found, but random sightings of a dog meeting his description near the race track were filtering in, and Kathie held out hope that somehow someone would find Brady, who was not microchipped, and get him to trust them enough to come to them. She knew he was a runner and was likely frightened, and she worried for his safety. Still, she hoped for a happy ending.
The word continued to spread. A Facebook page was set up for Brady's search and rescue effort (Find Brady the Boston | Facebook), and Boston terrier owners and others did their part to do everything they could to bring Brady home.
Wednesday morning, Kathie and Chris got hopeful news. Some crab fishermen who'd been driving near the race track early Wednesday spotted a dog that met Brady's description and called Kathie around 8:30 a.m. Immediately, Kathie jumped into her truck with Chris and her other dog, Lucy, and sped to where they were, but Brady had become frightened and eluded them. After a dramatic chase through a horse farm, under a truck and finally into a ditch, one of the fishermen subdued Brady and returned him to the loving arms of his mother, where he collapsed in a sea of kisses and happy dog licks.
Through the combined efforts of those in the community and online, not only was Brady returned to his family, but also another Boston terrier who'd been reported missing. Kathie reports that 2-year-old Brady is doing well, got promptly checked out by a veterinarian, where he had a few ticks removed and was found to be a little dehydrated, but is happy to be back where he belongs.
She is appreciative to Drew and Mike particularly, the fishermen who returned Brady to her after his big adventure, and to all the others who helped with Brady's rescue, something that became a lot more than they bargained for in a weekend of camping and NASCAR.
Source: http://open.salon.com/blog/kathy_riordan/2010/05/20/the_emotional_return_of_brady_the_boston_terrier
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