04/23/2025
How I Once Lost a Client’s Dog – And the Lessons I Learned
Today, April 23, is National Lost Dog Awareness Day – a day to raise awareness about missing dogs, celebrate reunions, and highlight the importance of pet safety.
It’s also an opportunity for me to share a story that I never shared before – the story of how I once lost a client’s dog, the angels who helped us, and the invaluable lesson I learned.
It was a warm and beautiful September morning. I had driven up to the studio where I’d been recording The Way of Life Method audiobook. My girls Nejra and Bruna were with me, along with our client dog Skylar, a severely reactive mini Aussie who was boarding with us.
The studio was on a beautiful rural property, and I’d taken the dogs with me on several occasions, leaving them safely crated in the van with windows and doors open so that they could enjoy the fresh air, sights, and sounds. I would step out during breaks and we would walk around and hang out on the grass for a few moments.
That day, we were using brand new Ruff Land kennels that I’d paid a small fortune for. I secured Nejra and Bruna, and thought I secured Skylar in her double-door/double-latch crate. As it turns out, I did not.
I made my way to the studio and enjoyed a quick chat with Alex, our studio engineer, before we began recording. Time flew by and we were ready to break for lunch.
Eager to be out with my girls, I returned to my van and greeted Bruna and Nejra. I walked to the side door where Skylar was and, to my utter shock, both crate doors were closed but no Skylar.
What the…?
I moved closer and looked inside – no Skylar.
I checked the latches, finding that the bottom had not been inserted correctly. Skylar must have pushed hard at it, and being the little thing that she was, she’d managed to wiggle herself out and take off.
The reality set in and I heard myself screaming her name…
“Skylaaaar!!!”
“Skylaaaar!!!”
“Skylaaaar!!!”
Alex must have heard me. He stepped out, looking panicked as he too was a dog lover.
I ran around the property looking for Skylar but she was nowhere to be found.
I decided to drive off to look for her.
I approached the nearest major intersection and I found a woman with her car parked at the opening of a wooded trail, seemingly looking for something.
I shouted out, “Have you seen a little white and brown dog by any chance? An Aussie?”
“Yes!” she said, “I saw her go into these woods just now!”
“Can you move your car please?” I asked frantically.
Once her car was out of the way, I drove the van into the trail, bouncing on rocks and logs, and sliding on mud. I arrived at a pond and could not drive any further. I got out running and calling out for Skylar, seeing her scurrying at a distance.
The Birkenstocks I was wearing weren’t going to cut it. I threw them in the van and started running barefoot.
The woman drove her car in after me. Soon after another one joined us. Team Chelsea, a local volunteer-run pet search group, had been called – no doubt by my kind host, Alex.
Two hours in, my legs and feet bloody and sore, I returned to my vehicle to check on my girls and catch my breath. The woman suggested I take them home, that it was getting hot for them, and to come back later to keep looking.
“No way,” I said.
I checked my phone and found a message from Alex saying that Skylar had turned up at the property!
I drove back in a frenzy, parked, and started looking for her, unsuccessfully. Team Chelsea called to tell me that she’d been spotted further north. “By the highway,” they said.
My heart sank.
I drove off again and decided it was time to inform Skylar’s mom, Judi.
I’ll never forget the kindness and compassion that Judi showed me. She asked a few questions and then paused and said, “I am sure you will find her.”
We hung up and I kept on driving, dreading the sight of a dead dog on the side of the road.
I decided to return to Alex’s and think about what to do. By then, Team Chelsea volunteers were out in full force and the local police had been notified.
Moments after I arrived, Alex’s wife ran out of the house, jubilant.
“She’s been found! A girl and her mom found her and they’re on their way with her!”
I could not believe it. Tears streamed down my face as I fell to the ground exhausted but not yet willing to believe that this could be true.
Moments later, a pickup truck pulled into the driveway, the passenger door opening swiftly, and there was Skylar – muddy and covered in burrs, but alive and none the worse for wear.
I thanked everyone profusely, crying tears of relief, joy, and exhaustion – the Team Chelsea volunteers, my host Alex and his wife, and of course the woman and her daughter who had managed to catch Skylar and drive her over.
On the way back, I said silent prayers of gratitude and asked for forgiveness – forgiveness for having judged people who lost their dogs.
Every time I used to walk by a “Lost Dog” sign, I felt awful for the lost dog – but I also judged.
“How can people lose their dogs?” I would wonder, shaking my head.
But now I knew how, and here I was, learning this lesson for myself – not only a lesson in safety but a lesson in humility, empathy, and compassion.
I was changed by this experience – by the gratitude I felt for the small army of people who made this possible and the absence of judgment from everyone I dealt with that day – Alex and his wife, the incredible Team Chelsea volunteers, and especially Skylar’s mom Judi.
“It happens to the best of us!” they all said.
There are many reasons why dogs end up going missing. For example, dogs can follow their natural instincts to chase after critters, explore new areas, or follow a scent trail, which can lead them to stray from their handlers.
Dogs might also be startled by loud noises such as fireworks or thunderstorms, which can scare them and cause them to take off in a panic.
Dogs can also get lost as a result of lack of human oversight, as in my case with Skylar. There could be gaps in fences, faulty containment equipment, or people unintentionally leaving their doors and gates open, giving dogs an escape opportunity.
Dogs can also get lost as a result of poor handling, poor supervision, poor recall training, failure to address behavior issues such as separation anxiety, or a lack of stimulation, exercise, and enrichment creating boredom and leading dogs to escape.
How does the Way of Life Method work to prevent dogs from getting lost? In these three ways:
Agency and freedom at the right time and with the right relationship. There is so much talk about agency and freedom for dogs, but not enough about the right time to give that gift. When a dog is in a new or troubled relationship, agency and choice are stressful. When they have bond and stability, freedom is a gift.
Careful management of space and boundaries. At the core of the Method is a thoughtful approach to how dogs are managed, beginning with tight control of space and boundaries at Stage 1/Foundations graduating to dogs exercising greater autonomy and freedom at Stage 3/Integration.
Relationship can do what no amount of recall training can. When stability is instilled in the dog, with the resulting bond that it creates, dogs are not only responsive to our calls if they wander but tend to stick around in any environment.
As we celebrate National Lost Dog Awareness Day, I hope that all lost dogs are reunited with their people, and not a moment too soon!
In closing, if you want to build a stronger bond with your dogs using the Way of Life Method, book a free call with us. Regardless of what brings you to us, you will not be judged.
https://calendly.com/wayoflifedogtraining/discovery-call
Way of Life Dog Training coaches clients in fostering deep bonds with their dogs.
