"Scruffy", Yorkshire Terrier, Black and Tan, Castro Valley

Scruffy is a 10 year old, neutered Yorkshire Terrier. He is wearing a collar with ID tags, but is not microchipped.

By accident, Scruffy was let into the part of the backyard that is not fenced. Normally he is allowed in the fenced only part of the yard.

There were some possible sightings of Scruffy after he went missing, but, with some great detective work on his family's part, they discovered that the dogs seen were other loose Yorkies and not Scruffy.

We found Scuffy's track leading down the driveway and then right onto Redwood Road. If he had made a left instead, he would have gone straight to downtown Castro Valley, and probably would have been found and picked up. However, going right instead, leads him into a very large open space area covered by public parks, private land and rural roads.

After traveling on Redwood Road, he made a turn onto a dirt hiking trail that would eventually, after several miles, lead into Lake Chabot Recreation Area. Once being in the park, he then made a loop around the main area and then out again to the other side of the lake, which leads to the dam and then eventually to Chabot Park in San Leandro.

There was a positive sighting of Scruffy in the parking lot of a Rite Aid store the night he went missing, which was along the track we followed him. An employee of Rite Aid saw him wandering around the lot that night as she got off of work.

After following his track for over six hours, his people called off the search, and said they would continue to look for Scruffy.



View Scruffy Track in a larger map

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total Distance: 17.78 km (11.1 mi)
Total Time: 6:10:56
Moving Time: 2:57:55
Average Speed: 2.88 km/h (1.8 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 6.00 km/h (3.7 mi/h)
Max Speed: 11.27 km/h (7.0 mi/h)
Min Elevation: -15 m (-51 ft)
Max Elevation: 140 m (461 ft)
Elevation Gain: 707 m (2320 ft)
Max Grade: 0 %
Min Grade: 0 %
Recorded: Mon Aug 29 12:24:17 PDT 2011

"Cloudy", Australian Shepherd, Red Merle, Los Altos - FOUND!

On Sunday, September 4, I received the following email from Cloudy's person:

First, thank you all for your words of encouragement, your help, your
suggestions and advice, your hopeful thoughts and prayers.

I'll start with Thursday morning when my daughter returned from Costa Rica.
It was Dawn's home that Cloudy went missing from 3 weeks and 1 day ago. We
spent the day posting notices in the stores of the village very near her
home (BOTH streets!).  It was good to be with her but it didn't seem
particularly useful to me.  Early Friday morning Dawn was at her computer
when she turned around and there at the glass door, was Cloudy!  Dawn and
Cloudy looked at each other for a few beats while Dawn was thinking that she
must be hallucinating from lack of sleep.  By the time Dawn got to the door
Cloudy had disappeared through the back non-fence to the neighbors.  Frantic
activity followed, I drove up there & we searched & called with no results.
Joe came up & with Dawn we plastered the neighborhood with more signs.
Since Cloudy had made her way back into Dawn's backyard we called Animal
Services and had a large trap delivered.  With stinky salmon kibble I baited
the trap, the path in the yard from her entrance area, the backfence
neighbor's yard from the hole in their fence to the street . . . I also
rubbed my hands on the wood in these areas to leave my scent.  (Dino and his
mom taught me a lot!)

Friday afternoon I received a call from a man who had seen Cloudy go down a
long driveway a half mile from Dawn's.  I was instantly in my car asking him
to JUST WATCH and if he sees her again, JUST FOLLOW & keep me posted.  Still
on my way, I received a call from a lady who had also seen Cloudy in the
area & asked her to also just track.  With the man, his two daughters, the
lady, Dawn & Ken, we figured out that Cloudy had disappeared down a
cul-de-sac which backed up to a deep drainage ditch (Adobe Creek).  On the
other side of that was a very high fence then Foothill Expressway.

Later that night (still Friday) I got a call from a lady who had seen Cloudy
at Shoup Park a couple of miles from Dawn's home at 9:PM Thursday night. She
also mentioned that there's a lady who works at the community center there
who puts out cat food to feed the ferals, suggesting that Cloudy may be
dining on that. Interesting, but not yet useful.

Early Saturday morning Dawn called to say that we'd caught NOT Cloudy in the
trap.  The first attached picture is a really cute but ticked off raccoon
that also likes salmon kibble.  Animal Services guy came out to release the
critter and told me that it's the nature of the beasts that he wouldn't
return, that the odors he left would warn off other raccoons, and that a dog
would find the odors interesting and worth exploring.  Huh.  All good news.
Somewhere in there I remembered that Shoup Park had a creek running through
it.  An aerial check on Google maps showed a crooked line of heavy foliage
running from where we last saw Cloudy on Friday afternoon, around & through
& eventually going through Shoup Park!  Ah-Ha, so that's her highway and the
good news is that this creek (now dry) runs UNDER Foothill Expy so she
doesn't have to cross any busy streets.  Smart girl!

Last night Joe and I went back to Los Altos to reset the trap and we left
the cover from her crate pad in it to lure her.  This morning at about 8
Dawn called and in a very quiet voice told me to pick up my keys & purse, to
carefully drive to her house, TO PICK UP MY DAMN DOG!!!

We don't know when she got herself caught but she was certainly in the trap
when the sprinklers came on - she was soaked.  And matted, stinky, dirty,
muddy, and did I mention stinky?  Oh, and happy.  Very happy.  We parked my
car in their garage, the guys moved Cloudy & the trap into the garage.  With
all the doors closed, we let her out.  She wriggled & squirmed & flipped
over for a belly rub & climbed all over me. She's not skinny at all - about
the same as when she left.  I've cut off most of the big mats.  She's
actually in fine shape as far as I can tell.  Not at all injured save for a
couple small cuts on her pads.  Mats.  She had these basketball size things
hanging under both ears.  Her pretty, fluffy bum is now much less fluffy,
lopsided, and headed for the shower.

We'll visit the vet this week.  I'm expecting some internal parasites &
realize that they may not have had time to show up yet.

And today is her 7th birthday - isn't that just the neatest thing?

Thanks again,
Lyn and Cloudy

(Follow up note a few days after.)

"Cloudy's doing well.  She had a bunch of thorns stuck into her sides but
with a sincere haircut I made sure all those were out.  She had a yeast
infection in her ear & during the exam the vet found a thorn deep in her ear
canal.  So glad that was removed before it caused serious damage.  Other
than that she's truly a different dog.  Happier, goofier, friendlier with
others . . .  And let me tell you, she no longer lingers over her meals!"

Cloudy is a microchipped, spayed, red merle Australian Shepherd. She is wearing a collar with ID tags. 

She was staying at a relatives house with her person while her person housesat. The rear fence had a hole that nobody knew about, but Cloudy found it in the middle of one night. 

We tracked her for three separate days, and there were sightings of her in various locations along that track. 

Day One:

View Cloudy Day One in a larger map

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total Distance: 17.33 km (10.8 mi)
Total Time: 6:55:06
Moving Time: 2:44:26
Average Speed: 2.50 km/h (1.6 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 6.32 km/h (3.9 mi/h)
Max Speed: 17.19 km/h (10.7 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 4 m (13 ft)
Max Elevation: 77 m (253 ft)
Elevation Gain: 583 m (1914 ft)
Max Grade: 4 %
Min Grade: -6 %
Recorded: Mon Aug 22 09:52:18 PDT 2011

Day Two:

View Cloudy Day Two Brief in a larger map

Total Distance: 0.61 km (0.4 mi)
Total Time: 15:14
Moving Time: 5:12
Average Speed: 2.39 km/h (1.5 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 6.99 km/h (4.3 mi/h)
Max Speed: 8.45 km/h (5.3 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 39 m (128 ft)
Max Elevation: 71 m (234 ft)
Elevation Gain: 32 m (105 ft)
Max Grade: 0 %
Min Grade: 0 %
Recorded: Tue Aug 23 14:39:30 PDT 2011

Day Three:

View Cloudy Day Three in a larger map

Total Distance: 11.12 km (6.9 mi)
Total Time: 4:07:02
Moving Time: 1:49:01
Average Speed: 2.70 km/h (1.7 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 6.12 km/h (3.8 mi/h)
Max Speed: 10.19 km/h (6.3 mi/h)
Min Elevation: -18 m (-58 ft)
Max Elevation: 59 m (192 ft)
Elevation Gain: 399 m (1309 ft)
Max Grade: 0 %
Min Grade: 0 %
Recorded: Fri Aug 26 08:14:48 PDT 2011

"Domino", DSH, Black and White, Monterey

Search details:

Domino is a 10 month old, neutered, white with black DSH. He is not wearing a collar, but he is microchipped. 

He was last seen on the deck in the front of his home. There were no sightings of Domino since he went missing. His people were out of town at the time he went missing. 

We found the track leading away from the home, through a local open space area, and down to the local elementary school. From there the track went to the high school and into town. 

The search was stopped after several hours by Domino's person. They are continuing to look for him.

View Domino Track in a larger map

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total Distance: 11.47 km (7.1 mi)
Total Time: 4:09:35
Moving Time: 2:07:24
Average Speed: 2.76 km/h (1.7 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 5.40 km/h (3.4 mi/h)
Max Speed: 13.10 km/h (8.1 mi/h)
Min Elevation: -14 m (-46 ft)
Max Elevation: 145 m (475 ft)
Elevation Gain: 371 m (1218 ft)
Max Grade: 0 %
Min Grade: 0 %
Recorded: Sat Aug 20 09:21:23 PDT 2011

"Stella", English Setter, Black and White, Pescadero - FOUND!

10/4/2011:

"I have been impressed by Jackie's responsiveness. I have contacted her twice when my dogs had run away, once from home and once when with a dogwalker. Both times the dogs were found shortly before Jackie began tracking. Her availability provided great peace of mind and her tips on searching and what to do to look for your dog were very helpful.

Melissa"

Stella is a seven year old, spayed, black and white English Setter. She is wearing collar with ID tags, but she is not microchipped. 

Stella was with a dog walker on a large private ranch when she got spooked by the movement of another dog jumping around. She was on leash at the time with the dog walker, but she escaped from the walker and ran off dragging her leash. The dog walker and her employer did a search of the area, but could not find her. 

Stella's people were out of town at the time she was lost. 

I received a call from Stella's people while they were on the East Coast, and I set a time for the next day to get down to Pescadero to look for Stella. 

Prior to me leaving the next morning, I received a voicemail from the dog walker that Stella was found tangled with a tree with her leash. 

"Maddie", Rat Terrier, Tri-Color, Belmont - FOUND!

A few hours after I completed the search, I received a phone call and voicemail message that Maddie had been picked up by an officer at Peninsula Humane Society, and they found her home through her microchip. The only information I have as to where she was found was "inside San Mateo, near the place where we stopped the search," per the voicemail.  

Search Details:

Maddie is a spayed, three year old Tricolor Rat Terrier. She is not wearing her collar, but she is microchipped. 

She got out of the house by accident when a construction worker left open the bedroom door where Maddie was staying, and the front door was also left open. There were numerous sightings of Maddie around the neighborhood, including by two Belmont PD officers who saw Maddie on near by CalTrain tracks. That is where we started the search.

The search continued for several hours and over nine miles all the way into San Mateo, near the Foster City border. The search was called off by Maddie's people. They said they would continue to look for her. 

View Maddie Track in a larger map

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total Distance: 15.12 km (9.4 mi)
Total Time: 4:04:47
Moving Time: 2:00:12
Average Speed: 3.71 km/h (2.3 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 7.55 km/h (4.7 mi/h)
Max Speed: 40.74 km/h (25.3 mi/h)
Min Elevation: -16 m (-51 ft)
Max Elevation: 25 m (82 ft)
Elevation Gain: 497 m (1630 ft)
Max Grade: 10 %
Min Grade: -3 %
Recorded: Fri Aug 12 13:35:54 PDT 2011

"Newman", Siamese, Lilac Point, Albany

Newman is an indoor only, two year old, neutered, microchipped lilac point Siamese. He is not wearing a collar.

On the way back from a vet appointment, Newman broke out of his carrier as he was being transported from the car back to home.

There were two sightings of Newman for the next 48 hours in the garden of the apartment complex where he lives, but he could not be caught.

I suggested setting a trap in the garden. By the time I arrived at the appointment early the next morning, Newman's person already had a trap rented. We set it up prior to the search.

First we checked the entire block surrounding his home, and only found one way out, and we followed that for a few blocks. Then we went back to complex and checked the last place that Newman was seen, which was just the previous early morning. We did find a track leading out of that yard, which was behind the complex where he lives. The track led around the block, into the complex and then back out, and then around the block and existed near the only place we found the only track leading out. We followed that for several blocks, and then we stopped at the request of Newman's person at the four hour minimum.

She said she would continue to look for Newman.



View Newman Track in a larger map

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total Distance: 7.79 km (4.8 mi)
Total Time: 2:49:27
Moving Time: 1:08:42
Average Speed: 2.76 km/h (1.7 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 6.81 km/h (4.2 mi/h)
Max Speed: 12.96 km/h (8.1 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 14 m (45 ft)
Max Elevation: 89 m (292 ft)
Elevation Gain: 381 m (1250 ft)
Max Grade: 0 %
Min Grade: 0 %
Recorded: Wed Aug 03 09:40:51 PDT 2011