Elusive yellow Lab is back with family
Ron Devlin , Reading Eagle
Originally Published: 2/7/2011
Two weeks after slipping out of the Spring Township Petco and living on the lam, Duke, front, reunites with owner Shawna Beidler, left front, and her parents, Todd and Sheila Bubbenmoyer of Richmond Township. Sheila is holding Dukes best friend, Chloe, a chihuahua.
Duke, the missing dog who was the subject of an intensive manhunt, was back home Sunday night with his family in Richmond Township.
After two weeks on the lam, the 2-year-old yellow Labrador curled up on a cushion next to his master, 19-year-old Shawna Beidler.
"Our prayers were answered," said Shawna, gently stroking Duke's head.
Duke's long journey home ended just in time for his third birthday, which is today.
Shawna and her parents, Sheila and Todd Bubbenmoyer, haven't had a restful night since Duke bolted from the Petco store in Broadcasting Square on Jan. 23.
Duke was being sized up for a new collar when, spooked by a stranger, he darted from the Spring Township store and fled to an open field across Broadcasting Road.
"He had never done that before," said Sheila, who owns Tidy Cleaning Co. in Richmond Township.
Duke proved a resourceful escapee, eluding a cadre of searchers for 14 days.
Though he had been spotted numerous times in the area near where he escaped, Duke avoided capture.
Todd, 43, who works night shift at a Boyertown foundry, tromped through snow-covered fields in pursuit of the errant animal.
Even the family's German shepherd, Hope, was unsuccessful in luring her canine companion. Todd had taken her to the area where Duke had been seen, thinking he would respond to her familiar scent.
A group of animal advocates finally lured Duke into a trap Sunday with a generous helping of dog food, wet and dry. Most of the searchers didn't know Duke or his family.
"A lot of people came together over this dog," Todd said. "We're so very thankful to them."
Nadine Essick of Womelsdorf, who spent days searching for Duke, said she was driven by a love of animals.
"If I know about an animal in distress, I have to do something about it," she said. "I have to know in my heart and mind that I did all I was capable of doing."
Essick, part of a group of searchers from Peacock Bridge Kennel in Bern Township, said the Humane Society of Berks County lent them a trap.
Once, Duke managed to go in the trap, eat the food and get out without triggering the gate. He wasn't so lucky the second time, and was captured Sunday afternoon.
"He dropped a few pounds and didn't smell very well, but he's healthy," Sheila said.
"We're so thankful and relieved," she said. "For the first time in two weeks, we'll get a good night's sleep."
Source: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=284777
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