I’ve mentioned Pepper on HT a few times. She’s a Covid orphan puppy that was getting sent to the pound when I adopted her to be a bird dog for my sons. She’s always been a good dog with the quirky behavior of a shorthair. She’s not as fast as my setters but has areas she out performs them on some bird species especially ducks. Pepper retrieves over 100 ducks a season.
My son goes out glassing on Monday and looses track of Pepper. No collar on the dog. Pepper hardly gets more than 150 yards from people. He freaks out a bit and starts grid searching thinking she’s lost. Nothing. He calls me freaking out. He concerned about coyotes, wolves, lions, cliffs, etc. Pepper knows the country. I suggest leaving a blanket and water. He spends until dark with no Pepper.
He goes up with my setters to search for her Day 2. No Pepper but the setters were finding a bunch of grouse. Setter bird circus. “I can’t get anything done because the setters are always finding birds.” I suggest Pepper might be miles away and to start slow creeping dirt roads in the area. No houses with 10 miles of the spot. Wife starts an internet search and puts out a missing dog notice.
Wednesday Day 3 is the same. Clay’s back at the separation point with no luck. He did say the food was gone and water half gone. He spends half the days searching.
I get up as he leaves at 5am for an update. Day 4. He’s going to check the separation point. He thinks she’s dead. Wife and I continue to say positive thoughts to him. We all have heard stories of long time missing dogs.
I’m sitting at my desk this morning and get the call - she’s waiting for him at the blanket! Great news! No one knows where she went the last four days but did come back for Clay. Both are very happy to see each other. I told Clay to buy her a snack on the way home.
My son goes out glassing on Monday and looses track of Pepper. No collar on the dog. Pepper hardly gets more than 150 yards from people. He freaks out a bit and starts grid searching thinking she’s lost. Nothing. He calls me freaking out. He concerned about coyotes, wolves, lions, cliffs, etc. Pepper knows the country. I suggest leaving a blanket and water. He spends until dark with no Pepper.
He goes up with my setters to search for her Day 2. No Pepper but the setters were finding a bunch of grouse. Setter bird circus. “I can’t get anything done because the setters are always finding birds.” I suggest Pepper might be miles away and to start slow creeping dirt roads in the area. No houses with 10 miles of the spot. Wife starts an internet search and puts out a missing dog notice.
Wednesday Day 3 is the same. Clay’s back at the separation point with no luck. He did say the food was gone and water half gone. He spends half the days searching.
I get up as he leaves at 5am for an update. Day 4. He’s going to check the separation point. He thinks she’s dead. Wife and I continue to say positive thoughts to him. We all have heard stories of long time missing dogs.
I’m sitting at my desk this morning and get the call - she’s waiting for him at the blanket! Great news! No one knows where she went the last four days but did come back for Clay. Both are very happy to see each other. I told Clay to buy her a snack on the way home.
