02/09/2022
Update: True to his name, not only has DB Cooper done well at avoiding capture but he has managed to hide his identity. Sorry folks, he/she is so very matted and tangled in that region but we think that “she” is a “he” and seems to be neutered. The mats are quite bad with the longer fur and DB is extremely timid so we aren’t going to push the matter until the grooming appointment next week and offer a little time to adjust and decompress.
We finally managed to catch this super smart dog who we’ve dubbed DB Cooper. Kudos for anyone who knows why. 😅
Anythings Pawsable Foundation’s Mary Holley had to purchase a much needed, larger kennel system which we tweaked and made into a trap because the dog seemed to be trap resistant...it refused to enter into our usual traps.
Mary called us to help after her and Sid Skene spent a week of all nighters, setting a trap, tracking this dog’s prints in the snow, and asking local businesses, and people for any information they could gather that might help catch this dog. Mary did find someone at a local business who said he had been seeing this pup since the summer time.
Over the next two weeks we ordered new parts to help build and improve this newly built trap. Richard Jensen build a trigger with a motion sensor, that would trip the door he had welded in a specific way to drop when triggered. Most of the two weeks were spent tweaking the system and dialing in the the trigger to close properly and at the right time and letting DB get comfortable with the trap with food and water offerings. The last thing we needed to do was scare this already very weary dog, away from our traps even more so getting it right was crucial. We also had a time line. The dog was consistently going to the Jerome Fairgrounds, which is where we got permission to set up traps, but we were quickly running out of time as they had scheduled events coming up. They had given us until this Thursday to move our traps. …talk about cutting it close….2 days.
We started looking for an owner in an effort to get help getting this pup to safety. It’s possible that someone lost the dog at the stockyards or the fairgrounds and had since given up looking.
We knew from our game cameras that the dog had a collar with some kind of tag so we hoped someone loved and missed this pup.
With just 2 days left before needing to get our traps picked up, we had the parts with the last showing up that day. Rick put it all together, it worked a few times then stopped working. He had to switch out the mechanism with the trigger that we all use to lock and unlock car doors. The mechanism was strong enough to pull the pin. It worked. So we finished baiting the trap with ALL kinds of good foods and smells, drove to the gas station to watch the trap through binoculars.
It didn’t take long for the dog to show up. It quickly went to the water that was provided but was more timid to venture further into the trap for the food. After much circling and laying down to study the trap, a scene that we had grown accustomed to seeing after the previous 3 weeks. Finally she started venturing inside and then back outside to circle the trap a few more times. After leaving our sight for about half an hour, it’s return quickly brought our elation when we could see the pup jumping around in an effort to escape our trap. We couldn’t get to the trap fast enough as we ran across the field to calm her down so she couldn’t hurt herself or escape the trap.
This beautiful dog who had tested our trapping skills for weeks finally had a leash on her.
She acts like a fish caught on a line with the leash. We tried wrapping her in one of our coats to carry her the distance to the vehicles. She was so scared. We tried checking the tag , which is an old rabies tag, worn and almost unreadable.
Dave Wright with Friends Furever, offered to get DB to the vet to get checked out. Initially she was so matted around her belly and backend that we were unable to determine s*x. Sawtooth is going to clean her up and check her out. They already checked her for a chip and contacted that vet with info from the tag but were unable to find the owner. FFAR will still be able to use that info to verify an owner. The Jerome Shelter was contacted and said they didn’t have any leads for an owner but now had her pic if someone comes forward. If one isn’t located, FFAR will be looking for a foster to help rehab this poor pup who has seemingly became feral in order to survive. We believe she’s a corgi border collie mix or maybe a mini Aussie BC mix. Anyone interested in donating towards the cost of the trap, please contact Anythings Pawsable Foundation. Donations for DB’s vet care, foster care, or possibly an eventual adoption should watch Friends Furever Animal Rescues page.
Thank you everyone for your support and following our adventures.
Mary Patterson-Holley Richard Jensen Dave Wright