Friday, April 30, 2010

The Search Continues

It is dark and wet tonight, and somewhere out there is a black dog with three legs, hungry, tired and wishing his mom would find him.

It has been six days now, six days he has wandered around in the bush, following scents that fade away or confuse him. Where did they go, his familiar pack of dogs and humans? He was only gone a moment, deafened by the sound of the river, distracted by the smell of the deer, intrigued by the movement of a squirrel. And then he realized he was alone. Where was Drew and Quinn and Vimy? What happened to Amy and Kabuki and Dolly? Most of all, where was MOM?

He was hungry. The dirt and grass did not sustain him. He needed food. His only back leg was aching from the endless hours of travel. He knew home was on the other side of that mountain, but .... that river – it was so strong, so noisy, so scary. How could he get across it? Maybe he should head back to where he lost them, back to the spot where mom had parked the car.

But it was dark now and he was tired and cold. One more sleep in the shelter of an old tree stump. One more night of loneliness. Tomorrow they would come for him. Tomorrow he would find them.

We continue to search and to hold strong to our faith in Luger's will to survive. May the Great Spirit guide us to him, or him to us, tomorrow.

7 comments:

Alphamutt said...

Luger, please find your way to your mama. She will never stop looking for you, but sweet boy, this is killing her and all of her friends, and yours.

Go back the way you came. Wishes and hopes and fervent prayers will guide your path.

Black Jack's Carol said...

You have been in my thoughts for six days, Luger. Oh, how I hope all of the "wishes and hopes and fervent prayers" from people who know and love you, and from the rest of us who have learned about you through Jean's blog, will give you strength to make it through this rough spot.

EvenSong said...

I can feel the hearts aching for reunion! How tired and hungry dear Luger must be! But hang in there, Buddy, they'll find you soon!

Jean said...

There has been a possible sighting, and it is a very viable one - A man phoned to say he saw a black 3-legged shepherd with a black collie when he was driving his 4x4 on a gravel road near Skutz falls after dark Friday night. If Luger went out the other end of the canyon/logging road from where he went in, that would be where he would end up - and closer to his home, too.
We are blanketing the area with posters today.

Black Jack's Carol said...

O-o-oh, how encouraging! Lots more positive thoughts coming Luger's way!

Jean said...

A black collie-type dog was picked up from that area today, and another person confirmed they had seen that dog with another "limping" (hmmmm...three legs?) dog. I am so hoping it was Luger and he is working his way home. We put up tons more posters and spoke to lots of hikers and 4x4ers in the area. However, the weather deteriorated by mid afternoon.
Another tip came in - a rather troubling one. A couple who have been searching are sure they heard whining in the canyon from a spot downstream of where he went missing. It is another viable tip - but troubling because if he is at the bottom of the canyon he may be inaccessible. Undercut cliffs of soft dirt and a class 5 whitewater river make for dangerous situations. If it is him, I hope he is just stuck in the bush somewhere and that he is brought home tomorrow.
It's an awful night out there tonight. Great Spirit, watch over him.

Black Jack's Carol said...

I echo your words, Jean. "Great spirit, watch over him." Thanks for keeping us posted. I know you must be very, very busy looking out for your own critters and doing everything possible to help Luger get back to Karen. Thoughts with you!