MACON, Ga. — We dote on our pets. They are like family, but sometimes, that four-legged family member can get away.
It's a nightmare of a situation if you lose your dog, but one woman used dogged determination and the help of some newfound friends to bring her pal home.
Aprille Oxenford and her best friend Dublin were walking on the trails at Amerson River Park. Dublin got spooked and ran off into the woods, and what followed is a true story of a person's dedication to their beloved best friend.
"For three days, I searched the woods and I even brought a friend that had a tracking dog," Aprille said.
That was just the beginning of an agonizing journey.
"I started putting out signs everywhere," she said.
Aprille says she staked at least 70 signs into the ground and it paid off.
Folks in Macon started to report Dublin sightings on the interstate and at the Ocmulgee National Monument, but weeks had passed by, so the frantic teacher from Thomaston reached out for help on the West Coast.
She called Babs Fry.
"Most times, we make very significant changes, the first being, 'back off,'" Babs explained.
Babs is a pet recovery specialist in California.
She has a nonprofit called A Way Home for Animals, and helps people for free. She recommended a trap, but that came with extensive guidance.
"Don't set up a trap without talking to a trapper," she stated.
Now, we are at the 7-week mark. Dublin showed up on trail cameras, but it wasn't until they used chicken livers a week or so later that the dog took the bait.
"I was so relieved I was able to bring her back," Aprille said. "I ran. I was parked around the corner and watching as my phone -- I had a wireless camera, so I saw it happening -- and as soon as she went in the trap, I just got down there as quick as I could."
When Dublin disappeared, she was a strapping 70 pounds. She lost half of her body weight over the almost two-month journey. She also had a broken jaw.
"We think Dublin might have been hit by a car at one point. She was seen on the interstate so many times," Aprille said.
Her wounds will heal and Dublin is already putting on weight. Aprille got a new collar and leash for her girl and she'll forever be indebted to folks that took the time to help out.
"We had a lot of people praying for Dublin," Aprille said with a smile. "God really took care of her and brought her back to us, and it is a miracle."
Here are some tips if your dog gets lost.
Fry says stay where the dog went missing. Almost always, they'll return back to where they left.
When you see your lost dog, don't call out to them and shout. If they think you're panicked, they'll panic and run off again.
Walk around the area they disappeared with stuff that smells like the person the dog has bonded to, like socks or even underwear. Smelly food that they like will also work.
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