01/05/2026
There are rescue cases that test not only your skill, but your resolve, cases that demand patience, strategy, and an unwavering belief that giving up is not an option. This was one of them.
She was first reported running terrified and along dangerous Route 84 in Greenville, New York. From there, she moved relentlessly through Unionville, Pine Island, Warwick, and Chester, NY covering ground at a pace that made it clear she was not slowing down. She would appear just long enough to be seen, then vanish again, always one step ahead, always moving.
Our only option was to track the sightings, map her movement, and look for a pattern in the chaos. And eventually, one emerged.
By the time she reached Chester, NY it became evident that she was traveling the power lines, a superhighway for lost dogs. She appeared on properties and roads that backed directly up to them, using the lines as a safe, uninterrupted route from point A to point B without being seen. Understanding this was pivotal. Her survival depended on it, and so did our strategy.
Like so many dogs in survival mode, she stayed hidden during daylight hours, emerging at dusk. Time and again, she surfaced on properties bordering these power lines. But she never stayed long enough for food to reach her. We were constantly chasing shadows and arriving moments too late. We are deeply grateful to the property owners who placed food in front of their cameras at our request, even though she never lingered long enough to find it.
Then, this morning, the call came, the one we had been waiting for. She appeared on a large, quiet property directly abutting the power lines. The homeowner had been away, leaving the land undisturbed, but his security cameras caught her on the property at 7:30 a.m., and again at 10:30 a.m. I knew instantly this was our chance.
I grabbed my keys, threw on clothes, and drove the hour and a half back to Chester. There would be no mistakes. No rushing. No spooking her. I carefully passed through the gated entrance, carried the heavy trap halfway up the long, winding driveway, and then walked the remainder on foot, trailing liquid smoke just far enough to remain unseen, leading it straight back to the trap.
Her paw prints were everywhere in the snow up and down the driveway. We could only hope she hadn’t already left. I waited all day in the car. Watching and hoping.
Then my heart dropped.
A report came in of a black shepherd spotted over three miles away in Warwick. Looking at the map, it wasn’t impossible. It was three miles straight through the woods and it would have been nothing for this dog. I feared we had lost our chance. I drove to the new location but found no sign of her. I was preparing to pull the trap when my phone rang again.
Thankfully she was still there. The property owner had just seen her on his cameras on the very property where the trap was set. Relief washed over me. He watched as her nose lifted into the air. He said “she smells something”. That something was the liquid smoke I had trailed.
My camera triggered as she ran down the driveway at full speed, then stopped abruptly at the start of the scent trail of the liquid smoke. Her nose dropped to the ground. She followed it intently, even rolling in it, all the way down the drive. And then, finally, she entered the trap.
With the closing of that door, her long, dangerous odyssey came to an end.
This rescue would not have been possible without the community. Thank you to my friend Nicole Moellman and her husband in Warwick, who allowed their phone number to be used to get the sightings, they fielded calls, and relayed critical sighting information that shaped this rescue. Thank you to the residents of Warwick and Chester who allowed access to their properties and placed food at our request. And deepest gratitude to Kevin Kern, whose generosity and trust allowed us to do what was needed to bring this girl to safety.
In mapping her journey, she traveled over 100 plus miles from where she was first seen on the highway to where she was finally captured in Chester, New York and all the stops in between. One hundred miles of survival, resilience and determination.
She is now safe and sound at the Warwick Valley Humane Society, where she will remain on a stray hold while efforts continue to identify her owner or determine next steps for her future. After everything she endured, she is finally warm, protected, and no longer alone.
This rescue is a powerful reminder of what these dogs are capable of and why we never stop believing. They are stronger than we imagine. They can and do survive. And they are waiting for us…Never give up.
If you would like to make a donation, your support helps fund and sustain this life saving work allowing us to respond quickly, deploy equipment, and remain on the ground for as long as it takes to bring lost dogs home safely. Every contribution makes a difference, and we are deeply grateful for your continued support.
