Many dog owners feel we would do anything to keep our dogs happy and well, and would be prepared to go to the ends of the largest park to bring them all the treats and strokes.
One woman from Washington has shown herself to be perhaps the most dedicated dog owner on the planet; quitting her job as a postal carrier while she and her husband spent 57 days searching for their lost dog.
Carole and Verne King’s beloved border collie, Katie, had escaped from a hotel room while on a short getaway to Montana after supposedly becoming spooked by storms. The couple knew they would do anything to bring her home safe and sound, and proceeded to conduct a detective show-worthy search.
As former law enforcement agents, Carole and Verne cut no corners when it came to looking for seven-year-old Katie.
As reported by The New York Times, Carole and Verne were out until 4am on the night Katie went missing; searching nearby neighbourhoods to no avail.
The couple then went on to make and distribute 500 flyers throughout the county, all while spreading word of Katie’s disappearance through social media. Despite failing to find hide nor hair of Katie, they never gave up hope.
As the days and weeks went by, Carole and Verne looked for Katie using innovative methods; trying game cameras and animal traps containing her favourite snack of cheese sticks.
Carole even began jogging and biking around local neighbourhoods, with the hope her sweat would alert Katie to her familiar presence. They also left t-shirts, bowls and blankets at strategic locations.
When Carole was told she wouldn’t be allowed to take time off work for the search, she simply quit her job. Although the income supplemented her pension, Carole knew finding Katie was her priority.
Carole told The New York Times:
Katie was just more important to me, I just said, ‘I’ll finish this week, and that’s it.’
The couple reportedly kept optimistic throughout their lengthy search through the ‘kindness of strangers’, who encouraged them through Facebook messages. Many even came out and helped with the search for hours at a time.
Fortunately, Carole and Verne’s devotion paid off, and – after a 57 day search – Katie was discovered with the help of a community of strangers from a small town in another state.
On the morning of September 15, Carole and Verne received a phone call alerting them to the sighting of a dog matching Katie’s description in a neighbourhood where they had distributed flyers the previous day.
Katie had lost 12 lbs and was severely dehydrated, but Carole knew instantly it was her, telling The Spokesman-Review:
I just bear-hugged her; I wasn’t going to let her go,
Tears were flying, we were screaming, everybody is high-fiving, hugging each other. People are stopping in their vehicles, getting out and hugging us. I think the whole neighborhood knew that we found her.
A very big welcome home to Katie!
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.