Woman Quits Job to Spend 57 Days Looking for Lost Dog

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Unfortunately, no matter how well you look after our cat or dog, it is possible that they can go missing. Visiting a new area with your pet, accidentally leaving a door ajar, and an unnoticed damaged fence panel are just some of the potential situations that can lead to a pet disappearing. Most people will put up posters, make inquiries among their neighbors, and post about the missing animal on social media. In most cases, this leads to their pet being identified and they are generally returned within days. Microchipping has also contributed to the safe return of animals as once they are found, it is possible to identify their owners and address. Sadly, some pets go missing for a longer period and their owners must resort to more extreme measures to ensure the safe return of their beloved pet.

When Carole and Verne King were enjoying a short break in Kalispell in Montana, they decided to book a dog-friendly hotel so that they could take their beloved dog Katies along with them on the trip. One night, they went out for the evening to a stock car race, says I Heart Dogs. They believed that it was perfectly safe to leave Katie, their seven-year-old Border Collie, alone in the secured room while they enjoyed their evening at the race on July 20, 2019. They were horrified when they returned to their hotel room to find that Katie had gone missing.

The first action they took was to report that their dog was missing at the front desk of the hotel. There, one of the workers said that she had seen a dog running out of the hotel’s door earlier that evening. A thunderstorm had passed through the area that night, and it was believed that it had startled Katie. It is possible that she somehow managed to unlatch the door in her panic and to leave the safety of the hotel. Once she had left the hotel, there was a lot of surrounding countryside for her to get lost in, and the nature of the landscape meant that searching for her posed many challenges.

Located close to the Glacier National Park, Kalispell is only a tiny city with a population below 25,000. The city is surrounded by stunning mountainous landscapes and lush wilderness. As Carole and Verne did not know the area, it seemed that finding their much-loved dog was an impossible task. They searched through the entire night, scouring the surrounding area in the hope of finding their dog. The area around their hotel consisted of small neighborhoods and alfalfa farms. There was also a couple of shopping centers where the couple searched. Their efforts were fruitless, and they returned to their room as the sun began to rise.

The next day, the local community pulled together to support the couple and to help reunite them with Katie. An attendant from the front-desk helped Carole and Verne to create some flyers to post around the town, while strangers helped the couple to search the area and go door-to-door in the local neighborhoods. Verne described to the New York Times how it got harder for them as the days passed. He said they would go to bed at night wondering if Katie was warm enough and if she was getting something to eat. The stress of Katie going missing was tearing the couple up inside.

In their bed to find Katie, they started treating the surrounding area as though it were a crime scene and examined the land on the alfalfa farms to look for tracks. Unfortunately, this didn’t give them any results, so they decided to resort to extreme tactics. They even bought some trail cameras that begin recording when they sense movement. These are the sort of cameras that are used by hunters to track game. They also laid out humane traps filled with Katie’s favorite treats as bait. All they caught in the traps were a cat, four skunks, and a magpie.

Again, their efforts brought no results, and the couple began to believe they may never see their beloved Katie again. Despite their fears, they were not willing to give up on their dog and were prepared to take any measures to find her. Their next strategy was to use scents to attract Katie. Some of her personal items, such as her favorite blanket and a bowl, were placed around the town. They also brought in buckets of manure and hair clippings from the farm where they live. Carole even began running through the woods in the hope that it would attract Katie to her scent.

As nobody had seen Katie during daylight hours, Verne and Carole began to believe that Katie was traveling around the area at night. They bought night vision goggles to aid them in their search. There were several reports of sightings, and Verne and Carole left no stone unturned, taking their night vision goggles along with them in the hope of finding their pet. Again, their efforts were to no avail. The couple was unwilling to leave the area without their dog, but Katie could not take any more time off work. In desperation, she quit her job so that she could continue with her search. Her husband then returned to their hometown, Spokane, so that at least one of them was earning a living. Before he left, he wrote Katie a note saying how much they missed her and how he hoped that she would return to them soon.

Despite more than a month passing since Katie’s disappearance, the community continued to support the search, and the Kings made lots of new friends in the area. It was the support of the community that kept Carole going at the times when she felt there was no hope. The perseverance of the Kings and the community finally paid off when they finally received some good news. On September 15th, someone living in the neighborhood close to the hotel called Carole. The caller said they had seen Katie in their back yard. Unfortunately, the dog had gone before Carole arrived at the house.

Carole and a friend then desperately searched the surrounding fields, using binoculars to extend their field of vision. They came across a couple who were out walking and asked them if they had seen Katie. The woman pointed out that the dog was under a tree across the field. Finally, after 57 days apart, Carole and Katie were reunited. Although the dog was dehydrated and had lost ten pounds, she has since made a full recovery and her parents are delighted to have her home with them.