Jewel is an brown adult Kelpie mix, who is wearing a collar with tags and is microchipped. She has been a regular visitor to a private off leash ranch in Pescadero for a few years and was familiar with the location and people. However, she lives a ways away in Palo Alto/Menlo Park. I was called after Jewel had been missing for about four days. The owner of the private ranch and several other people had been scouring the massive ranch looking for her, but had not seen any sign of her, and there wasn't a sign of her anywhere in town.
We did an extensive three day search for her following her track out of the ranch, past the company vans and down another road on the ranch and then out to a main gate of the ranch. However, she could not get through the gate due to wiring, so she cut through a large cattle field and then out the gate with a large hole underneath. This led her out to the heavily traveled road and then toward some sheep ranches.
She went up into ranches and more sheep farms and goat farms, traveling extensively throughout the canyons and fields of multiple farms. These search days averaged 10 to 12 hours each days. Jewel's person was not able to accompany me on the search due to health reasons so she had a very fit neighbor who was also an experienced hiker come with me on the searches.
We went very deep into many distant canyons following Jewel throughout Pescadero. We went over and under many gates and fences. At one point we got to a point where we could not get through a very thick set of trees and bushes and weeds. We decided to go around to the bottom and pick up Jewel's scent there and we did. She had come out of the bushes and then walked onto another private ranch, where we met the owner's of the property who were not happy to see us and got very upset that we were their with our viscious tracking dogs who could tear apart their precious livestock (distant horses off in a field who did charge at us!) at any times, especially being on leash the whole time.
Eventually all that got settled out and we continued the next day through gardens and more food growing land and then back into town. Her track was all over town in many directions including around and through nurseries. I intimately saw more of Pescadero then I care to remember.
By the end of the third day nobody could stay awake. The dogs were falling asleep at any rest stop and I was worn out to the bone.
Jewel's people and the ranch owner decided to check in the area again the next day to see what they could find.
Two days later Jewel re emerged back onto the ranch close to the place where she was last seen.
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