04/12/2022
After almost 14 days on the run, 13 days 8-1/2 hours to be exact, the ever elusive Miss Ellie was safely contained and brought to safety‼️‼️
HUGE SHOUTOUT TO VALERIE, AMY & CATHY - YOU LADIES ARE THE REAL MVPs!! 😻
Rescued from a backyard breeder by Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue and later adopted out to someone in Dundalk, MD, Ellie was very afraid and timid. More specifically, afraid of men. It didn't take her long to go into flight mode and the chase was on.
Valerie from Tri-State was quick to reach out to us and I headed to the adopter's house immediately to assess the situation and work on a game plan.
Flyers, scent items and feed stations went out immediately. We laughed, we cried, we yelled at one another but through it all I can't think of a better team to have worked with. Valerie, Amy, Cathy and their volunteers came down multiple times and spent days helping to secure Ellie. Their dedication and determination was unwavering.
John Roth from Freestate Pet Tracking was not available to track so a huge thank you to Carmen, Kenny & Rose from Professional Pet Trackers for being willing to step in and pinch hit. As usual, their track was right on target and we had an area to focus on.
Sightings were few and far between so when we got one we acted quickly. Traps were placed, relocated and more traps added. We even turned a basketball court into a makeshift trap (after a sighting)!! All we fed that night was Noah's Ark, every animal but Ellie. 🦝🦝🦊🦊🐈🐈🐰🐰
Feral cat colonies sure didn't make it easier!! Just know that if your feral cats seemed to gain weight or not be hungry, it was because of us!! Royal Farms Chicken, turkey, hot dogs, sardines were all on the menu. The wildlife around Grange Elementary and Stansbury Park had a feast fit for a king the past 2 weeks!!
The climax to this story is Ellie's capture. Earlier in the week, we had multiple sightings right where the tracking map said. Saturday morning, I received a call from Ellie's adopter, she had been in her yard not once, but twice overnight.
We knew this was our time to act. I placed a trap in the adopter's yard. We always like the ability to have a double barrier. (A trap inside of a fenced yard! Two opportunities to secure, extra protection in case the trap fails!! In this case, it was PERFECT because shortly before Ellie enters the yard a stray cat goes into the trap and it closes.
Valerie, Amy & Cathy held their position and sure enough, Ellie goes past them and into the yard. Val waits, as hard as I know that was! At the time, we didn't know the cat had tripped the trap. Ellie approaches the trap and the cat scares her,she starts to leave the yard, smells the camera, even moving it and, thankfully, just as she is about to exit the gate, she senses someone coming and retreats into the yard and under the deck.
Valerie goes in to retrieve
Ellie while Cathy holds the gate closed to prevent Ellie from slipping out. Ellie is brought out a little thinner because of her experience but, otherwise, healthy and happy to be off the streets. I swear she looked at me and said, "Life on da streets, is not the life for me"!
Per our advice, Ellie will be checked over by a vet to make sure she is good! She is currently still sleeping and SAFE and through all of the tears, stress, frustration and lack of sleep we all pulled together and did what we always set out to do BRING EM HOME!!
WELCOME HOME ELLIE!!
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If you've read this far and you'd like to help us in our endeavor to continue to help other pets like Ellie, please consider making a donation to our cause! We are a charitable organization and your donation is 100% tax deductible.
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