12/06/2024
Heidi
Unaltered female terrier mix (no chip)
Kenwood Heights Church - New Cut Road
Louisville, Ky
June 2-3, 2024
Another dumped dog. We were really hoping it was not the case. But the more we learned and spoke to people, it was beginning to seem that way.
Rachel and I had been following a post about little dog that had been seen several times near and crossing New Cut Road. Several people had tried to catch her, but she was very skittish and always seemed to run back towards Kenwood Heights Church. Some days the little dog would lay on the hill watching cars go by.
Kristen and her fiancee just so happened to be at Burger King one evening and saw the dog in the parking lot. They tried to catch the dog. She ran back across New Cut Road towards the church. They followed her over there and sat with her for a while, offering her food trying to earn her trust. They left her some food and water.
For the next 7 days, Kristen and her fiancé went to the church every day, sometimes twice a day to feed her trying to earn her trust. The dog began to become very comfortable with them. Kristen would whistle and the dog would come out from hiding to eat. But she just wouldn’t get close enough to be leashed. She tried everything on her own and was doing everything right, but the dog was too fast and too skittish. So Kristen posted for help. I offered to bring a trap out.
Rachel had been stopping by the church throughout the week checking on the dog. We made a plan to meet Sunday afternoon. We were a little unsure of how much she had eaten that day, but we thought we would go ahead and give it a shot. We set the trap and camera up where Kristen had been feeding her. We whistled and sure enough I see her trotting down the sidewalk along New Cut Road. Made me nervous, but it was as if it was something she did daily.
We were told by the church someone in a white minivan had driven up in the parking lot and pushed her out earlier in the week. It now made sense to us as to why she was staying close to the area and laying on the hill watching cars go by.
The little dog showed up and investigated the food at the trap. She was on high alert, a little stressed, running around anxious. She didn’t seem really hungry. Kristen’s fiancé showed up for a little bit, she seemed a little interested in him. She would follow him around, but not near the trap. We had him drop some food in the trap, but she still was not brave enough to go in. He finally left. Shannon W. showed up to help us. She was so kind she went and got Burger King and White Castles for the trap.
The little dog finally was willing to stick her head in and eat some of the trail of food, but not brave or hungry enough to go all the way in. We ended up finding out that the church had had a cookout earlier in the day. She had been fed all day long, so we knew she was not hungry. We decided to call it a night and would come back the next day when she would be much hungrier. We also found out the guy at Burger King was feeding her and another lady showed up to leave her food, so she was eating alot and in different spots.
Shannon messaged me early the next morning.
As she was leaving for work, very early, she saw her laying on the hill again. Just knowing that made me sad. She was probably still waiting for whoever dumped her to come back.
I arrived early afternoon and set the trap and camera back up. Once again, I whistled for her and out of the woods she appeared. She was very willing to follow me around, watch what I was doing. But she did not want to get very close. If she thought you were trying to catch her, she would run back towards New Cut Road, which I was not willing to do. So I left the area and let her investigate the trap. She was much hungrier today. She began pawing and trying to get the food from the back.
She made a few circles around the trap, checking her surroundings. She walked in a few times turning around and walking out. Finally, she walked in and stepped on the trip plate and was SAFE. Rachel showed up minutes later! Finally, we could get her away from the traffic and busy road. I called Kristen who had agreed to hang on to her until she could get to LMAS. She was so happy. We loaded her up and drove her to her home. No chip was found. She was so full of ticks.
We are very appreciative of everyone that shared sightings of this little girl. We are also so thankful for the members of Kenwood Heights Church for feeding this pup and allowing us to set a trap on the property. And for Kristen and her fiancé for their dedication and love for this little girl. They made our efforts much easier! We always appreciate the communities help.
We wish this adorable little girl the best future ahead!
Author -
Julie Foley
Trapping Team-
Rachel Marie, Julie Foley & Shannon Wethington