Tucker K-9 Search & Rescue

01/07/2025

This little cutie is home safe! Brownie dug out of his fenced in yard (unaltered male so we all know what he was looking for 😎) and ended up pretty far away. He showed up in someone’s backyard and just decided to hang out but she had large breed dogs and for his safety couldn’t bring him inside so she contacted us for help. We were busy so we asked a Rescue friend to pick him up and meet us. We scanned him but found no microchip so we posted him on the Lost & Found pages. He hung out with us for the afternoon getting lots of love and kisses (he was definitely a little love bug ❤️) and later that day KC saw a post on Nextdoor of a lost dog that looked like him and the area matched. So it turned out to be this little cutie… we made contact to verify and then hand delivered this precious cargo back to his family. They were very happy to have him home safely and so was his little doggie pal. The two pups immediately sniffed like “where have you been” kissed noses and then took off running & playing down the hallway like no time was missed 😊
We absolutely love happy endings
🐾❤️🐾

01/02/2025

When you come rollin’ in at sunrise after pulling an all nighter trapping two furkids that desperately needed help.
Warm beds, full bellies… for everybody as it should be.
Not all is right with the world but this is our way of starting off 2025 trying to make it a better place for as many as we can 🐾❤️🐾
Happy New Year from Tucker K-9 Search & Rescue

12/30/2024

The day after holidays celebrated with fireworks are by far when we see the most lost pets and devastation upon livestock and wildlife.
PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR ANIMALS ON THAT LIST!
Check your fences, make sure your pets have collars on (we highly recommend with reflective material) and tags, update microchip contact info. Some pets require meds to help keep them calm. We see posts every year of someone’s little Chihuahua having a heart attack from the sheer terror of their neighbor’s fireworks display… meds can help them get through this so call your vet today and get that prescription filled. There are natural calming meds that you can purchase as well.
Keep your pets indoors after dark, you can put p*e pads down so you don’t have to risk taking them outside and losing them over fireworks and if you have a fence still put them on a leash and walk them inside the fence. If you have a new pet or foster pet DO NOT take them
outside on New Years Eve night period.
These are all simple little things you can do to help keep your pets safe!
AND PETSITTERS… be smart, be responsible! You have someone’s beloved pet in your care and they are trusting you to keep that animal safe.

12/25/2024

You might want to buckle up for this little Christmas Miracle!
I wasn’t along for the ride on this save and kinda glad I wasn’t as I don’t think my nerves could have taken it.
Picture this… Interstate 485 - Christmas Day - Heavy Traffic - 70+ mph sp*ed - And you come upon 3 women in the median trying to save a little dog! That’s what KC came up on just a little while ago.
The dog was running back and forth between the women so Kelly pulled over and watched in hopes the dog would go to one of them. She was reluctant to get out of the vehicle in fear this wound scare the dog into traffic but that’s exactly what the dog did anyway. She bolted across three lanes of traffic. KC said “I just closed my eyes and prayed”… those prayers worked because the little dog somehow made it. She then hid behind the guard rail but the incline behind her was too steep so she kept poking her head out from under the rail to try and work up the nerve to attempt crossing back over to the median again. KC would blow the horn each time she tried to hopefully scare her back and that worked a few times until she darted back across, miraculously making it across three lanes back into the median.
Here’s where it really gets intense… One of the ladies, an older lady, panicked and ran onto the 485 trying to stop the traffic 😫 The dog is in the middle lane and so is the lady and anyone who drives the 485 knows that cars on that interstate do not stop for anything they will mow you over because if they stop they will get plowed into as well. That rate of sp*ed and so many vehicles you just can’t safely stop.
KC at that point was now focused on the lady’s safety so she jumped out of her vehicle running towards her jumping over the steel wire and as the lady was waving her arms yelling for traffic to stop or at least slow down the dog panicked and cowered down. Remember this is happening in the middle freaking lane on the 485!
KC grabbed the lady as the lady bent down and snatched the dog up by its collar and KC was able to pull her and the dog safely off of the 485. She then passed the dog into Kelly’s arms and everybody made it back into the median.
OMG what a story and on Christmas Day at that!
Luna, the dog, had on a collar with tags and phone number so KC took her home to her family. The owner had tears in his eyes when he heard the story and got her back but we sure hope they find a better way to contain her than relying on invisible fencing. This same dog was seen by the 485 last week and she has less than ZERO concept of traffic! She actually lives on the opposite side of the 485 so she’s been playing Russian roulette too many times and if she makes her way back to the 485 again she may not get that miracle the next time.
Please keep your animals safe and contained they are like children with no concept of the dangers all around them.

12/14/2024

CHARLIE IS SAFE!
We saw the post about a dog named Charlie that had gone missing around the hospital in Monroe NC. I was running a few errands nearby last night and decided to drive around the area and look for Charlie. He had been seen there the night before but no sightings yesterday and I didn’t see him either so I left. On my way home I got a message from someone saying a “beagle looking dog had been laying in the bushes near the hospital all day”. I knew instantly this had to be Charlie!
So I asked for more information and headed back, luckily I had a trap with me. I found Charlie right away and called his owner.
They had been searching for him a lot but he was not really in a place that he would be seen easily. He was hiding behind a tree by some bushes in one of the hospital employee parking lots which was almost empty. I think that’s why he picked this spot, very quiet and hardly any activity. I learned from his owner that the day before they had just driven two hours away to get Charlie from someone who was rehoming him. Charlie was scared and confused so I knew the chances of him going to them or anyone was going to be very unlikely. The old “survival mode” had kicked in I could see it in his eyes and his skittish behavior. So I explained to his new owner that trapping him would probably play out much better than approaching him. So I asked that they sit tight and let me try and get him in the trap. They agreed and were so hopeful and trusting.
I was alone so I called KC to let her know my location and what was going on. When we’re working and not together we always have the other on the phone with our location and details for safety.
Charlie watched me unload and set the trap from about 50 ft away. He was cautious and I could tell he was going to bolt if I got too close or took notice of him. So I pretended not to see him and all I had with me was dog food to bait the trap. Well no surprise that didn’t do the trick he didn’t even get up but I knew what he couldn’t resist…. Bojangles was only a half a mile away so I hit the drive through. Once I baited the trap with hot chicken it was only minutes before Charlie wandered over and went right in for it!
I loaded him up still in the trap and drove him one street over to his new home. He was very tense and unsure but once he saw his new mom he remembered her and his little tail started wagging. He only wanted her as he had already started to form a bond with her and I was happy and relieved to see this. Charlie will be a huge flight risk for awhile but hopefully he’ll settle in with his new family quickly.
Be a good boy Charlie and stay safe!
🐾❤️🐾

12/08/2024

AXEL IS SAFE… and this little guy is one lucky pup! He did some serious traveling crossing major roads in one of the busiest high traffic areas of Charlotte. Axel’s mom was away on a business trip when she got the call that he had escaped on a walk. Axel was in an area that was not his home and he wasn’t with his regular pet sitter. The call you never want to get… that your pup is lost at night in freezing temperatures in an unfamiliar area. However, his mom jumped into high gear, hired us and headed back home to help find her sweet boy.
Axel was a rescue from a bad situation. He was feral when adopted and it took months of lots of love and patience to make progress with him. The bond between him and his mom had grown tremendously over the past year. She adores him and he loves her just as much. We knew he was not going to go to a stranger so every second of him being out there lost, scared, and in freezing temperatures surrounded by busy roads was very emotionally draining as you could imagine.
No sightings came in after the first night and day and then the day after he was finally spotted 1.8 miles away. Axel’s mom was on it and we weren’t far behind. When we arrived he was sitting in the grass not far from Johnston Rd and his mom was about 50 yards away sitting hoping he would pick up her scent and recognize her. This went on for a couple of hours but Axel was mostly napping and didn’t move. We were sneaking trap placement all around him in the distance and everything was set and ready before it got dark. We all waited patiently hoping that once he decided to start moving he would easily find one of the traps. Darkness set in and we couldn’t see him anymore so KC and I were doing drivebys on Johnston Rd to get eyes on him. He stayed in the same spot forever and then something spooked him, possibly fireworks. He was then suddenly on a mission to cross crazy busy Johnston Rd and thank God he tried this at the very same moment that we did a drive by. We literally scared him out of the highway to save his life. Had he kept going he would not have made it and as if that wasn’t scary enough by the time we were able to get through the traffic and make a u-turn there he was trying to cross again. KC literally hung out of the window yelling and scared the 💩 out of him. He took off as fast as those little legs would carry him but thankfully in the opposite direction of the highway. He was in a frenzy and was able to get out of our sight pretty quickly and the thermal drone could not even find him after that. But his fate would have been sealed had we not detoured him the only way we could.
So the next day there was a lot of driving and searching from us and his mom but no sightings. We had no idea where he was going to turn up next but at 2:44 a.m. a text message came in with a sighting. Axel was in a completely different area so we sent the info to his mom and she immediately got up and went to the area of the sighting. Within just a few minutes she was texting us that she got him!
All of the components were right… 3 am in the morning = quiet, very minimal traffic, no people or loud noises or distractions. She searched and called for him which in most cases sends them running away but in all of this calm Axel was apparently able to focus completely on his mom’s voice and scent and he did run but he ran straight into her arms. We love this kind of happy ending! 🐾❤️🐾

12/01/2024

We have another HAPPY TAIL to share with you!
Lady, a gorgeous little 10 month old Pomeranian puppy only weighing in at around 4 lbs escaped her new owner upon arrival at their home on Friday afternoon.
She made a run for it as fast as her little legs would carry her. Bradley her new Dad was frantically trying to catch her as she ran multiple circles around the home and then off she went under the fence into the cow pasture.
We arrived after dark to set up humane traps and we couldn’t see the lay of the land that well but it looked endless so much space and so many places she could be. We spotlight searched with no luck and recommended a thermal drone search. The drone search went on for 2 hours spotting lots of cows, goats, deer and other wildlife but no Lady.
We paused the search as it got late and were hopeful that she would return as they often do in the a.m. hours after everything got still and quiet and find one of the 3 traps we strategically placed.
We of course monitor 24/7 with cellular cameras and Bradley was also checking the traps every 2 hours just in case cell signal happened to fail. When temps drop we can never be too careful with watching the traps as we do not want any animal contained in freezing weather so we take extra precautions during extreme weather. Trapping responsibly and safely is a MUST (just wanted to reiterate that).
So Lady apparently shortly after she ran off found herself the perfect hiding spot and stayed hunkered down. She’s a smart cookie as no person or drone or predator was able to find her. We had a coyote show up in the background on one of our cameras and we could hear the pack in the woods. This naturally was very concerning but we also know how resilient these little small dogs can be and as much as we hoped she would venture back and find one of our traps we are actually thankful that she didn’t try to. We believe she made it through the night by staying hidden where she most likely took shelter at a nearby goat farm.
We had planned to come back out and help search the next day. The previous owners who btw were also very distraught had arrived later that night from the other side of Asheville to try and help out. This was great because we were able to use a few of their scent articles and have them leave their car windows slightly opened for more scent. They stayed the night to help search the next day and the three of them headed out at first light and started looking for Lady. There is a creek on the property that has a significantly steep drop off and it intersects into a Y at one point and this part of the creek was less steep and easier to navigate so the drone operator flagged this area as a place that she may turn up.
That area was heavily focused on during the drone search but she wasn’t there at that time.
Bradley and previous owners began searching at daylight and headed to the creek.. and low and behold there was Lady in that exact location where the creek Y’s sitting pretty on a rock, dry and unscathed. She waited until daylight and had most likely picked up the scent from the articles and the car and was making her way back. We had already initially explained to everyone in depth about “survival mode” and what to do if they got eyes on her. Lady’s previous owner approached her slowly and got down low and started using little phrases that she would remember. This worked beautifully! She was very cautious at first but once she recognized who he was she made her way to him and was ecstatic to be in his arms.
We love these kind of happy endings! Lady has a beautiful new home with a fur sister and a wonderful couple who will spoil her rotten. We think Grandma will be spoiling her pretty good as well 😊 She’s got a lot to look forward to so now she can go live her best life 🐾❤️🐾
Also one more thing… the community was ALL in for helping to try and get her safe. Lady’s family was very grateful for this!

11/25/2024

Pawsitive Impact NC Dog Rescue
(a 501c3 non-profit dog rescue) ❤️
& Tucker K-9 Search & Rescue are
Owned/Operated by 🇺🇸Female Veterans

❤️Donations are greatly appreciated and support our life saving mission❤️

Zelle/PayPal: [email protected]
Venmo:
https://www.pincdogrescue.org/donate

The official music video for Lauren Daigle's "Rescue" from her album, Look Up Child, out now!Watch the "Hold On To Me" Music Video: https://youtu.be/R1EwKway...

11/22/2024

11/22/2024

11/12/2024

DANNY TRAPPED & SAFE!
Quick Update:
We’re not back in full swing yet as we are still working to get fencing completed and a few other things to be “move in ready”. We’re getting there but it’s just a lot of work. However, we did break away to help this little guy who was a stray that we had originally captured a few months ago. He’s one of the tough ones being semi feral = high flight risk and sure enough in true fashion he took off through the ornamental fencing (the black fencing with 4” spacing) almost immediately after being transferred into a new foster home.
Of course everyone involved was very upset because Danny had made a lot of progress over the past few months. The new foster Mom was also devastated and very worried.
We work closely with our friends over at Peanut’s Place and when they call we try to help as they do the same for us. We capture quite a few matted hot messes that are never reclaimed and have a story that never gets told. Many are just discarded breeder money makers that eventually become useless so they get dumped and some are from neglectful owners that could not care less where their dogs are or what happens to them.
Colleen has taken quite a few in need that were severely matted and neglected and in need of a lot of medical care. We are so grateful for her help and that works both ways so we didn’t hesitate to jump into action and try to get her Danny Boy safe.
Thanks to the MillBridge community it wasn’t long until the sightings came pouring in. Danny had on a martingale collar with leash still attached and we can all imagine the possible horrible scenario of that outcome. So that made it even more imperative to get him safe quickly so we did what we do and started setting traps. We placed a trap in the area he had been spotted several times and we also set one back at the foster home where he escaped from. Most folks are very skeptical with believing a dog will return to a location that they don’t really know very well. Sometimes they’ve only been there for minutes but somehow they still know where to return to. Just goes to show… that nose is such a powerful gift and scent articles, laying scent trails and baiting a trap can help guide them back to the scene and this is exactly what happened. When all was quiet Danny found his way back to the foster home that he had been in for less than an hour. He obviously worked up an appetite during his adventure and the trap was set and ready with a meal in it and one of Danny’s stuffed toys. He went straight in without any hesitation.
Never underestimate man’s best friend… they are truly magical and much smarter than we sometimes give them credit for!
Stay safe Danny Boy you are very loved now! 🐾❤️🐾

10/17/2024

This is one of the most important videos that you’ll ever watch if you have a pet that has gone missing. Watching this video and preparing yourself with this knowledge beforehand is golden… God forbid it happens but if it does you’ll need to know about this or who knows you may save a pet’s life that you don’t even know ❤️
You’re welcome 😊

Missing Pet Partnership founder Kat Albrecht discusses how to use "calming signals" to attract, calm, and capture a panicked lost/stray dog. This video is us...

10/17/2024

WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE BUT WE ARE FINISHING UP WITH OUR MOVE AND WILL BE UNAVAILABLE UNTIL THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. Here is a list of tips on what to do initially if you’ve lost a pet

File Lost Pet report with Animal Control
Alert your pet’s microchip company and update your contact information
Search your immediate area
Post on social media… Facebook Lost & Found pages, NextDoor, Neighborhood, Ring etc
Hang flyers and make sure photo and your phone number both are easily seen from a vehicle
Place unwashed scent articles around your property (your pet’s blanket or unwashed clothing of the person(s) your pet is most bonded with)
Weather permitting open car windows and home windows for scent travel
Lay scent trails by cutting small pieces of scent articles and dropping trails
You (family members) are also laying scent trails just by walking so be mindful not to walk near or cross busy roads
If you have another pet you can walk the area with that pet leashed up to search
Check outdoor cameras if you have them and also ask neighbors and nearby businesses to check theirs as well
Cats typically do not go far from home
Search in trees and under structures, pipes, etc (using high powered flashlights at night is best)
Dogs can quickly launch into survival mode reverting to their basic instincts which is a “feral state of mind”
They become lost, frightened and confused and may see humans (even their owners) as a threat or a predator so it is imperative not to chase. You’ll want to make sure this is something that you reiterate to everyone involved in the search and also on your social media posts. We recommend adding DO NOT CHASE on your flyers as well. Chasing a pet can have devastating consequences… pushing an animal farther away from home or into traffic, etc.
Our following post will list some other Lost Pet Recovery Services and also we will share a great video of what to do and what not to do if you get eyes on your lost pet that is on the run from everyone
We may be able to help with coaching or a few very local cases depending on timing and situation but for the most part we have to stay focused on moving. Again we apologize for having to take a brief pause but this is a big move that we’ve not been able to accomplish due to not having the heart to stop working and saving animals but we have to now. We will be back up and running by the first of the year, if not sooner! Thank you for understanding.

09/14/2024

NIFLS IS SAFE! ❤️

This little furkid took a ride somehow and ended up 23 miles from her home! All the way from Waxhaw to across the street from Carowinds. Her family last saw her around 2 a.m. on Tuesday night safe and sound in their home but during the night she had gone outside thru the doggie door (she does go outdoors some) and around 6:30 a.m. her AirTag pinged showing her miles away in Fort Mill SC by Carowinds Blvd. They immediately drove there and started searching for her but had no luck. She was seen by a few people around the Hotels behind the Quick Trip and two more pings came through the next night, one around 2:30 am and then another around 6:30 am. NIFLS mom searched and searched for her, quickly becoming exhausted and distraught with worry.
She called us and we headed out there last night and set up a couple of traps where the last two pings were and started spotlight searching. Within a couple of hours we got eyes on NIFLS. We were 💯 sure it was her not only by her photos but we could see her AirTag thru our binoculars.
We immediately called her mom and started setting traps nearby. We got eyes on her again but she seemed to be making her way back towards the area where she had pinged at in the a.m. hours. We were good with that because we already had two traps there as well. Her mom & dad arrived and we had them sit in their car in the area we saw her last but she was on the move. So they drove and searched and so did we and then suddenly they got an AirTag ping! They had the windows rolled down and softly calling her name as they drove slowly in the area of the ping. NIFLS heard their voices and apparently had picked up their scent and she started crying for them.
We had already talked about what to do if they got eyes on her. So afraid and excited all at the same time they got out of their vehicle and sat down, still softly calling for her. They could hear her meowing and crying in the brush but they knew not to approach her and to sit and let her come to them… they did everything perfectly and NIFLS came slowly walking out of the brush towards them. She recognized her mom & dad and what a happy little kitty she was. Once they got her they safely secured her in a little cat cage and her little paws were reaching through the cage door trying to reach for her mommy. So incredibly sweet and heartwarming to see this!
We are so happy that this precious baby is back home safe and it is still a mystery as to how she ended up 23 miles away!
One thing is for absolute certain… having that AirTag saved her life. She is microchipped but skittish and no way would she have gone to a stranger so chances are she would have never been found had she not had an AirTag!
Happy Tails sweet NIFLS 🐾❤️🐾 🐈