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Golden retriever adopts African painted dogs at zoo
FILE - A golden retriever served as an unlikely surrogate mother to a litter of endangered African painted dogs born at a zoo in Indiana. (Potawatomi Zoo via Storyful)
BLUE RIVER, Colo. - A beloved family dog who had been missing for 10 days was recently found safe and sound, nestled among snowdrifts and fallen trees just a short distance from her home in Colorado.
On the morning of Feb. 22, Pepper, a 6-year-old Bernese/black lab mix, went missing from her home in Blue River. The family promptly contacted Summit Lost Pet Rescue a few hours later, and volunteers immediately sprang into action to help locate her.
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Pepper went missing from her home on Feb. 22, 2024. (Summit Lost Pet Rescue)
"We sent them our standard search protocols – put out a scent station on their front porch (owner's dirty clothes and dog bed), set up cameras, made social media posts to spread awareness, hung neon (colored) signs in the neighborhood, and boots on the ground search," Melissa Davis, the rescue's executive director, said in a Facebook post this week.
Neighbors were also given flyers and asked to check their garages, decks, tree wells and any other places where Pepper might be stuck.
"The snow is very deep down in Blue River with very high snowbanks," Davis said. "Since there were zero sightings of her, we assumed that she was either stuck someplace nearby or got picked up and left Blue River."
Family members and volunteers expanded their search to nearby trails. Davis said it was more likely that Pepper was stuck in the snow, so they spent a lot of time snowshoeing and searching in areas where she could be stuck.
"We noticed many dog tracks that were circling the neighborhood near her house with no human prints nearby, so it could've been Pepper, and we kept track of these prints as clues," Davids added. "Although she never showed up on our cameras, so we didn't know for sure."
After the 10th day of searching, a Summit Lost Pet Rescue volunteer and his dog returned to the creek to continue their search for Pepper.
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Pepper got stuck in a small part of the creek with snow and trees around. (Summit Lost Pet Rescue)
"We often take our dogs on searches with us and use them as ‘magnet dogs,’" Davis said. "When pets go missing, they often are afraid of humans, but have a better trust with other dogs."
During this particular search, Pepper was found trapped in a narrow section of the creek, surrounded by snowdrifts and fallen trees.
"A black dog under muddy black tree roots made it very hard for Kevin (the volunteer) to see her, but his dog Finn did," Davis said. "Eventually, Kevin saw her tag shining on her collar. He immediately contacted the owner, who arrived with his son to help."
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Pepper was saved by her owners who used special tools to cross a deep creek. It took three people to rescue her. (Summit Lost Pet Rescue)
Pepper's owners managed to use calming techniques and trek through the deep creek with snowshoes and poles to rescue her. It took three people to retrieve her successfully.
"Ultimately, she was stuck 714 feet from her house," Davis said.
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