06/05/2023
Happy Saturday! I promised a 'story' about how Rex was captured so here you go! I've been providing updates so I'll just jump into the day of capture. (Reunion video in comments, for some reason FB wouldn't let me load it with photos. It's dark but you can still see the sweet connection).
First I want to thank Joe and Julie Schmitt who graciously let us use their home to set up a food station, trail cams, and the trap where we eventually captured him. I also want to thank all of the other property owners who allowed us to set up during the week as we tracked his movement. They are Jeanette and Don Hoffelt, the Brainerds, and Priscilla Capelle-Haehn. Additionally, every person who reported a sighting (which are too many to list), each of you contributed to getting a scared lost dog off the street and back into his loving home, thank you again.
We pick up the story from the night prior where we had visual confirmation that he went all the way into the trap (and fit) so we knew it was safe to set. He slept next to the trap the entire night but he left in the morning. Surprisingly he didn't show up on the trail cam all day (typically once they discover a food source they will visit frequently). Because of this, we knew we needed to plan on a night capture.
I arrived at 7:45 pm and immediately started up the grill cooking breakfast sausage with venison and liquid smoke. I waved the smokey pan in the air to move the scent around. After about 10 minutes I felt like I was being watched, so I looked over my shoulder and there stood Rex about 75 yards away, watching me cook. I was hoping the trail cams would have caught this image but it didn't (it's always neat when they watch you, because you know they will come to the trap after you leave).
I crawled into the trap and tied a thick pork chop onto the back wall. This technique requires the dog to go all the way in because they can not reach it with a long stretch, this further ensures that all of his four paws are inside the trap. I opened a can of sardines, drizzled the juice onto the ground, dropped a few pieces into a dog dish, and created a trail into the back of the trap. I left the frying pan with a few pieces of sausage and venison and the dog dish with sardines outside of the trap (appetizers :-) ). Triple checked the trap to make sure that even if his head hit the door, it was secure enough to not spring shut. We were ready.
Joe and Julie invited me in to watch from their home (given that I smelled like liquid smoke and sardines that was very gracious of them🤢 😂). Rex was still in the field but he did not immediately head over to the trap. Instead, he headed in the opposite direction to lie down. Then he walked the edges of the field going even further from the trap and laid down again 🙄. Finally, he headed toward the trap but just before he got close he veered away and headed toward the house 😲. He appeared to find some food that was left for him a day or two earlier, c'mon Rex!
At this point, it was getting dark, and was hard to see him across the field. Joe and Julie each had a pair of binoculars, I had my phone with my trail cam app. Finally, he headed to the trap. Joe and Julie watched his every move and provided a play-by-play. I would get pictures on my phone but it's about a minute delayed. I wish I had recorded the play-by-play because it was quite fun! It went something like this; "He's eating the food in the dish", now he's eating the food in frying pan, his head is in the trap, no wait, he's out, he's walking around the back of the trap, he's on the side of the trap, his head is back in, he's going in, oh nope, he's back out, okay he's going in again, looks like he's almost in" (insert a nerve-wracking silence) "he's still going, still going, the door just closed, he's in the trap!" YAY! High fives and hugs were shared, and Rex was finally safe. 🥳
We headed out to the field and as we got close, Rex was barking (not a friendly bark, he was still scared and in survival mode). As much as we tried to calm him down, he wasn't having it. We loaded the trap with him still inside to the rack hitched to the back of my car (while he barked and growled at us) and drove him inside Joe's big garage. Meanwhile, Rex's owner was on his way. We waited.
Finally, his owner arrived, walked into the garage, said his name, and immediately Rex started wagging his tail. It was at that moment, he snapped out of survival mode and was ready to go home. It's an amazing transformation to watch. We let Rex out of the trap and after a few head scratches, he plopped down and rolled over for a belly rub 😍. He was double-leashed, double-collared, carried into the car, and headed home.
Later his owners sent me a note saying he had a bath, was fed, had his teeth brushed, and was playing with the family and their other dog. He was so happy to be back home (as were all of us). If my dogs were ever lost, I could only hope it would be in an area like Bruce Wisconsin where everyone contributed to his safe capture and return. That said, let's hope we don't have to do that again!
Welcome home Rex, you stay put now!
