EPIC Animal Recovery

13/07/2025

Meet Isabella. After five months on the run, she’s finally safe — and it’s all thanks to one thing: flyers

Isabella’s journey began back in January, shortly after she was removed from a challenging situation and placed into rescue. During transport to her foster home, she managed to chew through her slip lead and escape. Though she returned to the area that evening, she remained fearful and unwilling to let anyone get close.

We responded quickly by setting up a trap, but Isabella had other ideas. We searched, put up cams and food stations but Isabela had vanished.

Despite the lack of sightings, Isabella’s rescue refused to give up on her. Flyers were continuously posted and replaced across the area for months. Social media posts came and went, but it was one flyer that ultimately made the difference.

One of the original flyers — still posted in the same location four months later — was seen by a local contractor. He recognized Isabella as the dog he’d occasionally spotted near a local landfill. A video from the landfill confirmed the sighting, and a plan was put into motion.

Due to limited accessibility in the area she was frequenting, we worked to gently guide her to a safer location. Two nights later, Isabella was safely trapped.

Her five month long adventure had come to an end.

Isabella is now back in foster care, receiving the medical care and emotional support she needs. She’ll be given the time and space to decompress, build trust, and learn what it means to simply be a dog again.

Her story is a powerful reminder: FLYERS WORK. While social media plays a role in awareness, it’s often physical flyers — the ones that stay visible and accessible — that lead to reunions like this.

Welcome home, Isabella. We cant wait to see you blossom

11/07/2025

LIBERTY (the white boxer stray) at FREEDOM PARK IN CHARLOTTE IS SAFE!!

This sweet girl certainly gained quite a bit of popularity over the last week..
On July 2, a trap was set for her by someone and overnight she broke out of the trap. They didn’t use a camera to notify them that she was in the trap and against our advice he left the trap set overnight anyway. You could see the marks/scratches on her legs that matched up w/ the trap they used.. Please know the importance of using a camera that sends you notifications when trapping… It’s too dangerous not to.
This made our efforts a bit more challenging but these two gals didn’t miss a beat!!…

On July 3, Nicole met up with Dina. Dina had known about Liberty and wanted to help!
Over the next week, Nicole & Dina spent hours each day working with Liberty to gain her trust..
Liberty really took a liking to Nicole so they used that to their advantage…
After days of trying to retrap, coaxing etc, Nicole & Dina were able to lure Liberty into a fenced in backyard..
After hours of trying to get Liberty to settle enough to slip lead her, in Liberty fashion, she started getting antsy and impatient.

Nicole knew she needed just a little bit more help so we called our friends over at CMACC!!.. Woody & the crew came out (thank you!) as back up, but after doing a few laps around the yard, Liberty came and sat right in front of Nicole as if to say, “I give up. Please help me!”
At that point, Nicole was able to get a slip lead on her and get her to safety!

Had this not worked, our next step was to bring out the Missy Trap…

It was a close call w/ her…
The heat was really starting to take its toll and we knew it was now a CODE RED situation and we had to get her out of there..

She was given the name LIBERTY, because she was found at Freedom Park.
Quite fitting, I think… 🧡🧡

This fabulous pup is now being fostered with Carolina Boxer Rescue.. She has some healing to do, but Nicole & Dina say that she is an absolute sweetheart…. Don’t you LOVE that face!!..

Huge shout out to Dina!! This rescue would not have happened without her help!
Great job Nicole! Thanks for helping this baby girl!

You guys got another stray off the street and into a safe place!!

05/07/2025

EPIC PSA!!

JULY 4 IS OUR BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR..
Even though we helping others, we are doing our best to get back to everyone as quickly as we can..

PLEASE NOTE!!..
Our search dogs are usually booked up for a couple of days at any given time. ESP JULY 4..
So if you reach out to our team for help, they are going to assist with some preliminary things that you can do immediately, to help you get your pet home quicker. THIS INCLUDES FLYERS/SIGNS…

If you are not willing to put flyers/signs up, then you are drastically decreasing your chances of being reunited with your pet….
EFFECTIVE SIGNS produce sightings. And sightings produce reunions!!
(Social media is a great tool & easy to do from home, but not everyone is on social media. GET SIGNS OUT)

04/07/2025

HEY!!!
DO YA KNOW WHAT’S COOLER THAN TAKING YOUR DOG TO A FIREWORKS SHOW???
-YOUR AIR CONDITIONING AT HOME!!

The calls/texts/emails & FB messages are already coming in..
Gosh!!.. These dogs & cats just want to be home & kept safe.. That’s where you come in…
In a quiet room, watching TV, listening to some tunes, eating their favorite treats with a nice fresh bowl of water!!

Just because a venue is allowing dogs to attend a fireworks show, does not mean that the pups (and cats!) should go..
Please, please, please leave your furkiddos at home!!..

And mind those doors and gates as guests come and go!!

We are here if you need us!!
But we hope you don’t.. 🧡🧡

We hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th!

03/07/2025

BLANCHE IN CHARLOTTE IS SAFE!!

This Golden Girl’s adventure came to a safe end on Sunday evening.

Blanche snuck out on June 16 and her Mom was beside herself with worry.
Jen reached out for help, so I took the Team out on Day 4 to look for Blanche.
K-9 Joker didn’t skip a beat… He pinpointed a couple of locations and based on what he showed us, signs started going out and scent trails were laid..
Jen wasted no time and was hanging those strips as we were working. 🧡😂

That same night, the calls started coming in. Unfortunately, we also were contending with a doppelgänger that had a tipped ear…. But Joker’s nose doesn’t lie..
A few days later, guess who showed up back at home.. That’s right! Blanche followed her Mom’s scent trail home!!
Blanche was eating in the sunroom, but ran when her mom opened the door.
So Nicole took a trap over and it was one and done!!!

WELCOME HOME BLANCHE!!

Good Nose Joker!!!! This boy has found his rhythm!!!..
Many thanks to Nicole for following up with the trap!..

01/07/2025

This is a great example of why it is so important to keep your dog’s abilities in mind when adventuring….
AND…. To keep your pup/s leashed.. Keep them safe!..
Happy Summering!!
-TEAM EPIC

Four rescues in June prompted SAR squads to issue a request to pet owners: “these pup emergencies can be prevented.”

30/06/2025

K-9 EPIC NEEDS OUR HELP…

EPIC UPDATE a/o Sat. 7/5..:
July 4 has us crazy busy, sorry for the delay in an update…
Epic is hanging in there. Wednesday was tough. She was very lethargic and seemed to have taken a turn for the worst… But luckily, a response to my email from the internist told me that it was probably just the stress and her being tired from the visit and reaction to the meds…
So, we’re just taking it day by day. She’s now tapering off of the prednisone but will remain on the other meds…
She’s definitely enjoying the increase in her food amounts.. (-:
Unfortunately, she still has the nasal discharge and is still wheezing… But at least she has not gotten any worse…
I’m keeping a very close eye on her and staying in contact with the internist… 
I’ll be honest, I was really hoping to see more improvement by now…
Tomorrow, I’ll be scheduling her follow up appointment for next week. (Unless otherwise deemed necessary to take her in sooner. )

On a positive note, they said she is no longer contagious so she is able to at least travel with me… it was killing me to have to leave her behind. 

Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.. Everyday that passes, I know we could possibly be getting closer and closer to more tests.. )-:

Again, many thanks to everyone.. You are all amazing and we appreciate your support!
-Michelle & EPIC

TUESDAY UPDATE:

I’ll keep this as short as possible. But I learned from this today and that’s always a positive..

Epic’s file was passed along to the Internist (thank goodness!!!!) and she was able to squeeze us in today for what we thought would be a CT Scan..
She looked over Epic and all the information on her situation. X-rays, bloodwork etc..

So get this.. Epic was originally diagnosed w/ Gerd from my local Vet and about the same time as when I started noticing the reverse sneezing and wheezing… As one got worse, so did the other… When my vet put her on medication, both symptoms somewhat subsided, but never went away. Which is why we are where we are…
So according to Dr. V (internist), gerd can cause reverse sneezing due to the acid causing inflammation in the esophagus and throat. This irritation, sneezing & wheezing can also cause nasal discharge!!!
It makes sense..

So, Dr. V put Epic on a stronger steroid than she was on before and another med that should help w/ the inflammation. And she will also continue with Prilosec twice a day. 

Our hope is that this will clear it all up.
Dr. V actually thinks this could be a GI issue and not in Epic’s noggin.. Gotta love a good internist!
We won’t know for sure though until we give the meds a chance to work.

So we aren’t quite out of the woods yet..
But cautiously optimistic..
If the meds don’t work, then we revisit the CT scan, MRI & scopes…

So nothing like a little education on the possible effects of Gerd in a dog..

As far as her weight loss, we are changing her diet a bit to try & fatten her up.. She still has that appetite!!..

With all of that being said..
If you donated & would like a refund, please let me know. (You can text me at 704.770.8625)
I’m happy to do so.
Any $$ that is left, will be put towards her follow up care and or having to move forward with more tests..

Of course I’ll update here daily to let you all know how Miss Epic is doing..

We felt the love from everyone. Thank you so so much for the kindness..
We truly have EPIC support.. 🧡🧡
Keep those vibes vibing!! 🫶🏿🐺

MONDAY UPDATE:
This is me. (Michelle) Not Chat GPT..
Yes I used GPT last night because I couldn’t put the words together.

I’m a bit worried right now.. My heart hurts. Losing Seeker suddenly was absolutely tragic. I can’t lose Epic too. She is so good. The kind of good that makes me want to be better. I wish I could trade places with her.  She is so much better of a “being”, than I could ever be. Even on my best day. She has been my mentor, my partner & my best friend for 12 years. That little black dog taught me everything I know about the search world.. What a gift she is..
My sister said, “Don’t borrow trouble.” She’s right.. Thx sis.. 🧡
So I’ll table my emotions and get to the point..

Another round of X-rays today that were clear. They did a swab of her nasal passages etc.. But, due to the fact that she still has discharge coming out of one nostril, they want to do a CT Scan in the morning… The concern is either a foreign object in her nasal passage or there could be a mass (cancer). .
Considering how much sniffing she does, I’m really hoping that there is just a seed or something lodged in that cute little black nose... 😢

I want each of you to know how much I appreciate you. It seems like we are all going through something.. So please know you are appreciated.
Your texts, your messages, kind words and donations. You are all EPIC in our book. Thank you.. 🧡🧡 time to go snuggle pups..
I’ll post another update tomorrow..
Goodnight
-Michelle & Epic

Epic has been a hero in our community for over 11 years, helping lost animals find their way back home. Now she needs us more than ever. After falling ill and facing some serious health issues, we’re headed to the ER for urgent testing that could cost over $3,500.
If Epic has touched your life in any way, please consider supporting her. Every little bit helps, and sharing this post can make a huge difference in getting her the care she desperately needs.
Let’s rally together for this amazing dog who has given so much to others! Like, comment, and share this post to spread the word!
THANK YOU!
-TEAM EPIC

Alternate ways to donate:
Venmo: Epicfinder
PayPal: [email protected]
Zelle: 704.770.8625 (Michelle Wilson)

30/06/2025

https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-k9-epic-get-the-care-she-needs/fb/o?utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&attribution_id=sl:e8a0e952-641b-4b0d-bda5-71c8c2caa40a

25/06/2025

THANKS EVERYONE!
Our poor girl is gonna have to goto Upstate for more tests.. Please send some healing vibes Epic’s way.. She needs all you can spare.. 😢🧡
-Michelle

EPIC FRIENDS!!!…

Recommendations needed ASAP!

Looking for a doggy nutritionist ASAP, for Miss EPIC..
I’m just needing a push in the right direction and just need a few questions answered…

PLZ Post here or text me @ 704.770.8625..

Thanks in advance, everyone!
-Michelle

23/06/2025

EPIC PSA!!!

HEAT WARNING!!
SEARCH K-9 SAFETY FIRST!!

Please be aware that due to the dangerously high temperatures, cool down breaks will be given to our team, as needed.

Dogs in general are at high risk for heat strokes in these kind of temperatures.. Be aware!

But toss in the additional factor that our dogs are working, puts them at an even higher risk…

I’m sure I speak for the other teams out there…..
The safety of our Search dogs will always be priority!!..
I absolutely will not compromise their safety on a search…

If you see a dog in need, then get help!!

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, THEN SAY SOMETHING!!

-TEAM EPIC

21/06/2025

Where OH where is this girl’s forever home?…
I can’t believe nobody has scooped her up from me yet!
TINZI is a Simply AWESOME girl!!!….

Did I mention, she comes with FREE dog sitting?
And no, that is not a selling point… That is just me trying to keep the connection with her… Lol. 🧡🧡

I would really love to be able to keep her local… But if not, she’s gonna have to go with with a very trusted Transport up North.. )-:

I know everyone is hoping I will keep her and don’t think I haven’t been thinking about it… But our team is expanding, which means we will be able to help our communities more…
And she truly deserves the best and her own EPIC human.
If that is you, or somebody that you know…. TEXT ME🧡
704.770.8625

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