So scary...

[Sofie, Maggie, and Luna]

So my boyfriend and our two curly doodle girls recently (as in exactly one week ago) moved 500 miles to the opposite side of the state. We now live in Missoula, MT which is a HUGE Dog-Lover town with numerous areas for hiking that are off-leash areas. Maggie (almost 2 years old) does great off-leash and I really don't worry about her running away. Luna (8 months old) actually does very well off leash too, generally always coming when called and she sticks very close when hiking. So on Tuesday My two curly girls and I, my sister and her two dalmatians all set out into a fairly wild area, lots of thick timber and heavy brush on a tiny seldom traveled trail to hike the 4 dogs. About 15 minutes into the hike a guy came running around a corner in the trail, flying right at us. He scared the heck out of all of us. My sister's male dalmatian is a little protective and started barking. The dalmatians and Maggie were on the side of the trail, but Luna who was last in the pack of dogs was on the trail. The runner kind of took a half-step and tried to kick the male dalmatian (Buddy), then he saw Luna and started growling and snarling at her and stomping his feet and shuffling them to scare her as he ran fast towards her. Little Luna panicked and just took off down the trail, tail tucked and yelping and crying, and the guy was right on her tail, like no more than 8 inches behind her trying (and maybe succeeding, I couldnt' see too well) to kick her and growling at her and just being really intimidating and scary to her. I called to her, but she was in full panic mode and wasn't hearing anything. In probably less than 20 seconds my baby puppy was out of sight. I had dropped everything and started sprinting down the trail after her, but the trail forked about 3 times and I had no idea where she had gone. My sis and the three dogs went back to my jeep where I gave her my jeep keys so she could drive and try to find her, and I dumped my backpack and grabbed Maggie, a spare leash, and my phone and took off back up the trail. Fortunately I was still wearing my runing clothes and shoes from my run earlier. My poor sister was in flipflops so she wasn't able to do much hiking through the brush. Sarah (sister) did some trail hiking and drove around talking to everyone she saw. I ran all over the trails talking to who I saw and calling Luna. We had NO idea which way she had gone and if all the people at the folf course had scared her into turning and going back up the mountain into the trees. I eventually called Eric (boyfriend) and the three of us, plus Maggie, Buddy, and Matia (9 month old Dalmatian) searched and called until 10:30 at night. AT 9:30 that night we were told by two people that they had spotted her right off the road and we rushed up there, but she had been startled by the people and had taken off again. So at 10:30 with darkness we were forced to call off the search, we'd been around on the pavement in the picnic area and on the road about 20 times and hand't had any luck, and couldn't go off road in the dark for all the brush and trees. It was a horrible, awful night to be at home and not have Luna-Bop with us. No thumper-butt, no wiggly puppy body, no "Luna, NO!"'s to be spoken. But I was up at 4am and out there at first light at 5am to look again. Sarah had to go out of town for work and Eric had to work and couldn't get the day off to help. I spent from 5-8am wandering around calling her. Convinced she was in the picnic area, but still no luck. Eventually I headed up a different trail and when I came back down the trail a lady in a white car asked if I was missing a dog, and then said that she was lying about 100 feet away right next to the road. I was so excited that I headed that way, and a car I'd just talked to about her was leaving the parking area and stopped on the road next to her to say she was right there, but unfortunately as soon as he got out of the car, she panicked and took off again. But at least I had seen her and knew she was still in the area and was still alive and clearly able to run. I spent the next hour searching the area for her and talking to people, and never did see her in that time. No one else had either. My brother in law (John) came out at 9am with the dalmatians again. And we all searched for about an hour and a half with no luck whatsoever. Around 10:30 I was on the phone with my dad and headed up the trail we had been on yesterday when she disappeared. I wasn't calling her because I was thinking our calling was maybe scaring her, and after 16 hours of calling, it was obvious it wasn't working. When all of a sudden on the side of the trail was a little curly white head sticking out of the grass. It was Luna. I just hung up my phone and started to call her softly. She looked at me with huge eyes and there was no recognition in them, just pure panic. I took a few steps towards her and she just stood motionless. Then Maggie barked once...and she was gone, just took off again. I continued up the trail to see if I could see her again, but she must have curved around to the folf course. As I came back down the trail the lady in the white car that saw her this morning by the road and got my number off the flyer, called me and wanted to offer her garage as a safe cool spot for Maggie if Maggie was getting too hot and tired, and then she wanted to come back up to the area and help me look for her. What a sweet lady and such an amazing welcome offer at that point. So I was headed back to the Jeep to drive to her house when as I came out of the trail to the picnic area I saw little Luna trotting along on the pavement. I froze and said her name and told Maggie to hush up and hold. Luna stopped in her tracks when I said her name, but she was still scared, her tail was tucked and her ears back, all panicky. All of a sudden from behind her came two dalmatians sweeping up to her and surrounding her and sniffing her and pretty much not letting her get away from them. It took her about 30 seconds to realize they were her Dalmatian friends. Apparently John had seen her in the folf course while driving around and instead of trying to catch her himself he just opened the car door and told Buddy and Matia to "get her". Then after she had relaxed just slightly with the dalmatians John came up towards them and called Buddy and Matia to him. Luna was now not about to separate from the dalmatians, and it took a little bit, but eventually I saw her little tail wag a tiny bit and she wiggled over to John and he was able to get his hands on her. At that point I had moved pretty close and Luna saw me and just went nuts, she was in my arms and nibbling on my ears and giving me kisses and wiggling. It was amazing. Such a poor baby. So she was missing for 17 hours straight and over night in the wild in a town in which she'd only lived in less than a week. But she knew enough to stay in the same general area where she went missing. I'm thinking if I'd let Maggie off her leash when I saw Luna on the trail Maggie might have been able to catch her, but the problem is, Maggie doesn't like being more than about 15 feet away from me while hiking, so I'm not sure she would have chased Luna.
I brought the baby home and gave her water and food and she wasn't even able to stand for more than about 30 seconds at a time and she's lie down and sprawl out. She slept for 8 hours straight, except for I woke her up once to go pee, and I carried her outside and when I put her down she didn't even try to stand, just let her legs go and laid down in the grass. I had to lift her and prop her on her feet to get her to go pee. Then back inside to sleep some more. Maggie was tired to after so much hiking and running while searching so the 3 of us all curled up in bed and slept for the afternoon. Luna's front feet, the pads are torn in a couple of spots and she has scratches on her belly, and it's obvious that her hips are stiff and sore and tired. She is still walking really funny and tenderly today, but her energy has returned.
I was so thankful to get my baby puppy back, and so thankful for all the help I had and for the offer by that wonderful woman whose offer I never needed to use. I called her back and thanked her profusely, but I wish I had an address or knew where she lived so I could send her a thank you card. The world is lucky to have people like her in it. I am thankful for John's help on his only day off this week, and for his amazing dalmatians. I am so thankful that God answered all our prayers and put Little Luna back in my arms safe and sound.
She is quite jumpy around people these past 2 days so I suppose she'll have a little PTSD that we'll have to work on with her. She'll be safely leashed while hiking for quite some time.
It was a nightmare of an event but thank God that it ended well.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

OK, I agree, next time start the story with (this has a happy ending). My heart was racing while reading your post. Sophie got out on me one day and just went to the yard next door which is in the direction of the street and I about had a heart attack. I cannot even begin to imagine what this was like for all of you. I'm pretty sure I would have been sitting in the parking lot in the park all night! I wouldn't have been able to go home. I am so glad that you are all ok, and hope that little Luna recovers completely. It really is a shame someone didn't get this AH's license plate number or something to report him!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Oh, my goodness. I had to skip to the end of the story and make sure there was a happy ending. It makes me want to chase that crazy man with a rolling pin, shouting and yelling. If I were Wonderwoman I would find him and give him good dose of his own medicine. So glad all ended well.

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

That was an absolutely frightening story. I don't know how you made it through the night Luna was missing. That guy should be reported to the police. That has got to qualify as abuse! I'm so glad that Luna is back safely. Poor baby.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm so glad you have Luna back home safe and sound. I was frantic just reading this, I can't imagine what you must have been feeling!
So scary is right!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Glad to hear this ended well. I think the safely leashed part sound good. It seems too hard to predict all the scary critters, including humans, who could be out there.

[BG and Gavin]

What a harrowing story! Thank goodness for a happy ending. Maybe karma will come back to bite that runner in the butt and he will turn an ankle or something. Take care of Luna and yourself the next few days.

[Sarah and Joplin]

I'm such a baby and totally teared up reading your sad story. So happy to hear the happy ending! I bet you were pretty tired after that emotionally and physically exhausting event!

[Sofie, Maggie, and Luna]

Thank you all for your comments. Luna does seem a little jumpy around people, and she barks a lot when she sees someone now. But hopefully we can get her around people soon and we can work the trauma out of her. I can't imagine how scared she was. She's never had a human treat her poorly at all, always used to just being loved. And then in a second this guy was just awful to her. And then to have to spend the night out there alone in the woods, I can't even imagine. I'm a big-time hiker and backpacker and even I don't like being in the woods all alone at dark, and she's just a baby puppy who has slept every night of her life safely in her crate on her fluffy bed. I bet she was terrified.

[Camilla and Darwin]

What the heck is wrong with that guy? Didn't he know he was jogging in an off-leash area? Grrr. I'm so glad you found her and that she was okay!

[Donna K & Quincy]

You must have been so scared and frantic. I am so happy you have your precious Luna home again. I cannot imagine what you have gone through. As for the guy that scared her I only hope that he gets payback in some way. Big doodle hugs to yourself and Luna and wishes for only good things from now on.