17/01/2025
❤️❤️YOU HAD US WORRIED BUDDY❤️❤️
This young dog was brought to our attention from a fuzzy picture of a trail cam back in October but he disappeared with no more sightings so we believed it to be just an owned dog roaming and had gone home.
Then messages starting coming in about him being seen on trail cams and security cams on Hamilton Rd.
We investigated and put up trail cameras and some feeding stations. The owner of the property had been putting out deer carcass so we believe he was attracted to that and it was keeping him in the area. Once we confirmed he was coming consistently we deployed our box trap in the hopes that he would fit. He would. The homeowner was kind enough to box up the deer carcass so that his only source of food was near and in the trap. Being super suspicious and nervous it took several days for him to go near it and then eventually to get the food at the back of the trap. This was our cue to set up trap watches for the next day. Three of us sat in the brutal cold in our cars that we could not start for fear of scaring him away. He approached from the back fields and went to the trap. Because he was still super skittish, he jumped at a noise we could not hear and bumped the side of the trap triggering it to close. He was not in it fully so it hit him on the shoulders and he backed out. He didn’t immediately run away but looked confused as he couldn’t get to the food now. He eventually left and we reset it. He returned rather quickly but would only circle the trap without attempting to go in. He left again but we weren’t giving up. We added some incentive by putting some wet food trailing into the trap. Thankfully he returned again not too long after. As we watched with our collective breaths held, he did the “stretch” and set off the trip plate and the door hit him on the back, again. Devastation all around. We should have had him. We made sure to leave him some supper and left for the day.
The next day we built the “Beast” and began the conditioning process all over again. Sigh. Sorry little guy. It took a few days for him to go all the way in as he was again super suspicious of this big new magical feeding monster. Once he was comfortable going in, we put the top on the trap and were going to set the following day. At this point some illegal hunters were spotted on the property. There was rifle fire then ATV’s and a whole lot of commotion where he had been feeling safe. Then he disappeared for over a week.
Posters and flyers were put up in areas we were guessing he would have headed. Driving around was done but nothing. We needed a sighting. We were beginning to worry. We finally started getting calls but he had moved to Belleville in an area we were familiar with as a few years ago we secured a boxer named Jilly in the same place.
The neighborhoods knew us already from the previous encounter and were ready to help. Several houses put food and cameras out and kept watch. He was being seen in the fields between Palmer Rd, Marshall Rd and Bridge St W so we place several cameras in the area with our own feeding stations. A friend of a volunteer (who has become a volunteer herself) lived in the immediate vicinity so we had easy access to the area. At the same time, he was being seen on camera and being fed in the back yard of a house on Marshall Rd. This is where we had to make a choice on where to put the trap as we would have to stop feeding in one location so he only had one food source and would continue to come back there. His patterns made the choice for us and we chose the field beside Sherwood Crescent.
The beast was built and conditioning began. Even though he had seen the trap at the house on Hamilton Rd and was comfortable with it he was not a fan of the magically feeding monster this time around. We had to move the feeding bowls back to the front of the trap and go slow. This took a few days but he gathered the courage to feed out of a bowl at the back of the trap. That meant we were setting the trap the next day. Time to gather volunteers and set trap watches. We were ready but the weather had other ideas. Seeing as the snow was blowing and sticky, we could not use the sensor for fear some accumulation would cause a break in the laser beam. closing the door prematurely and frightening him again. Thankfully our newly recruited volunteer could see the trap from her house so we utilized the remote control.
All we needed now was Buddy to come get some grub. Well, I wouldn’t be writing this if that didn’t happen. It was quick though. He was in the back field then all of a sudden, the message “HE’S IN!”
We all ran to the trap to a barking frightened pup. He was super quick to settle down though and take treats. Meanwhile a volunteer had gone to get the owner. You will see the reunion below. Insanely beautiful.
Buddy had been missing since end October. He was extremely good at fending for himself when we or others weren’t feeding him. He has lost some weight but is in great condition considering.
Our sincere thanks go out to the public for all of the sightings and not attempting to secure him. Many thanks to the Yarrow family for feeding and setting a camera then stopping the food when we asked. (which is hard to do)
Lastly, a huge thank you to our volunteers for staying the course for this little guy. He didn’t make it easy but we never give up and always BELIEVE.
Reuinion videos in comments.
