Russell's Adventure in Oregon

Russell out for a walk at home near Seattle

8/2/2017 Wednesday- RUSSELL TAKES OFF

While our family was on vacation in Redmond Oregon, Russell was staying with Grandpa and Grandma in Rowena, Oregon. Rowena is a rural town in the Columbia River Gorge, tucked between Hood River and The Dalles, with hills to the south and the Columbia River to the north. Grandma and Grandpa live on Historic Hwy 30, which was the major highway running through the Gorge before I-84 was built. 

Wednesday evening around 7:00pm, Grandma was sitting out back with Russell on his leash, while Grandpa was working in the garden.  As Grandpa chopped away at a large root, Russell got spooked! The plastic clasp on his collar broke and Russell took off running.  Grandpa and Grandma called for Russell, but Russell wouldn’t come.

The broken clasp on Russell's collar

Russell was first sighted at 8:15pm on I-84 running west on the eastbound lanes on the interstate.  Grandma and Grandpa were there, along with several other cars who had stopped to call for him, but Russell wouldn’t come.

That night Grandma called us, but we missed her call…

8/3 Thursday- THE SEARCH STARTS

While the kids and I were hiking Thursday morning, my husband received the call from his mom (Grandma) that Russell was missing.  He and his brother notified the local radio station, animal control, local mail carriers, and ODOT.  They posted on social media and posted an ad on Craigslist. As soon as the kids and I returned, we packed up and headed to Rowena to search.  We stopped in The Dalles and printed hundreds of “Lost Dog!” fliers.   We posted fliers and searched for Russell all afternoon and evening, but he was nowhere to be found. My friend who is a dog rescuer connected with me right away and helped us broaden our search. We notified more Facebook groups, vets, shelters, stores, news outlets, Pet Amber Alerts, etc.  Still no Russell.

8/4 Friday- STILL SEARCHING

Friday morning we expanded our search to include Mosier, a small town about 8 miles west of Rowena on Hwy 30. We weren’t sure he would have run that far, but since he had been running into the wind (west) we thought it was worth a shot.  It is a very dangerous place to be for a dog on the run.  Along the river are both Hwy 30 and I-84, and active train tracks! On the other side of the Old Highway are dangerous cliffs, and not a lot of water for a dog.  High temperatures that week were in the 100s. 

Aerial view of Rowena Oregon

The kids continued their search in Rowena and The Dalles, while posting flyers at street corners and local businesses, like The Pink Poodle Groomer.   My husband and I slowly drove on Hwy 30 through The Loops toward Mosier.  Not only did we post more fliers, but we left a trail of dirty clothes in hopes Russell would make his way back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Rowena.  We called and called, but Russell wouldn’t come.

Because our girls had to work on Sunday, and our boys had camp to attend, we drove home late Friday, devastated at the thought of never seeing Russell again. 

8/5 Saturday- SIGHTING IN MOSIER

While we were up early Saturday morning at home notifying more dog groups on social media, checking “Found Dog” reports, etc., we received a phone call from a man who had been working on the Mosier Creek Bridge on Hwy 30.  He saw our flier posted and called me to let me know he is sure he saw Russell running along the old highway just two days prior! Unfortunately when the worker called to him, Russell wouldn’t come.   Grandma and Grandpa searched in Mosier and Rowena, but Russell was nowhere to be found. 

Flier seen by a worker on the Mosier Bridge

8/6 Sunday- WILD GOOSE CHASE

A friend got our boys off to camp for us so we could drive back to Oregon to search for Russell. On our way to Oregon we printed out more fliers, updating them with possible sightings in Rowena and Mosier. We also updated our social media posts to include this sighting. 

As we neared Hood River, I received a message from a woman who may have seen our dog! We updated our social media posts with ANOTHER POSSIBLE SIGHTING, this time in Hood River.  We searched all around Hood River, posting more signs, but Russell was nowhere to be found.

One of the parks in Hood River where a dog like ours was seen

We left Hood River and headed east toward Mosier when a Facebook page started blowing up- ANOTHER POSSIBLE SIGHTING!  This time in Rowena. Someone wrote, “Large poodle running loose near Pinewood Manor!” People all over the area were following our Lost Dog post and were looking for him.  We drove through the area, calling for Russell, along with dozens of neighbors were searching as well.  We called and called, but Russell wouldn’t come. 

As we drove home Sunday night, we left more fliers at rest stops, businesses, and truck stops.  Another person commented on our Facebook post about ANOTHER POSSIBLE SIGHTING!  This time in Parkdale.  A friend of ours checked it out, but Russell was nowhere to be found.

8/7 Monday- SEARCHING FROM HOME

Monday I spent the day searching from home.  I updated my usual social media posts (now including Instagram and Twitter, #bringrussellhome), called animal shelters and vets to find out if anyone had brought Russell in over the weekend, and placed more ads in newspapers and other classifieds. We had a handful of friends checking out “Found Dog” listings on the internet.  Still, Russell was nowhere to be found.

8/8 Tuesday- ON THE ROAD AGAIN, HOOD RIVER

Once again we drove to Oregon. I received a call from a woman who saw our flier.  ANOTHER POSSIBLE SIGHTING! Again in Hood River. She said over the weekend she saw a dog that looked just like Russell, running loose.  The dog had a blue collar, but no owners in sight.  We decided to spend our day in Hood River searching and putting up more fliers.  

As we walked around town, I got a call from the employee at the Hood River News about ANOTHER POSSIBLE SIGHTING! A business man in Hood River had seen a white labradoodle on the loose!  We connected on the phone and he told me where he saw the dog.  We walked and called for Russell, but Russell was nowhere to be found. We talked to a man who was building a home. He said he hadn’t seen our dog, but he would gladly make a big sign for us using some extra plywood and spray paint.  He said big signs work. Thank you kind stranger! J  Dusk fell upon us and we headed home via Rowena, calling for our dog in vain. 

Sign made by a local builder 

8/9 Wednesday- THE LOOPS

At 5:40 in the morning, my phone rang, but I slept through the call.  Another call came at 6:30 waking me up.  It was a woman who said her friend had just been driving to work on Hwy 30 in Rowena, on “The Loops” and saw a dog that looked just like ours running alongside the highway!  I wrote down some details about where exactly the dog was seen, and was once again encouraged that maybe Russell was in Rowena after all!  I listened to the voicemail from the missed call. It was from flagger working at Rowena Crest (at the top of The Loops) who had seen a dog. She said she was sure it was our dog running through the brush down The Loops toward Grandpa and Grandma’s house! I called Grandpa and Grandma and they started the search (again) in Rowena.  My daughter and I rushed out the door, this time over the pass to Oregon to save time.  Having little to no cell service was frustrating, but my friend, the dog rescuer updated our Facebook posts, getting the word out that there were TWO POSSIBLE SIGHTINGS in Rowena this morning, so everyone be on the lookout!  My sister and her family (whom Russell loves very much) joined our search in Rowena as well.  When my daughter and I arrived to The Loops, there were over a dozen people walking, biking, and driving, searching for Russell!  Many folks called or messaged me letting me know they would be driving out to join our search!  We called and called, but Russell was nowhere to be found. 

Portion of Hwy 30 called The Loops

Perhaps it was too hot for Russell to be out in the afternoon?  High temps for a dehydrated and tired dog would be tough to bear.  After searching most of the day, my sister’s family met us at the bottom of a long gravel road where we strategized for a while and decided they should head home.  They left with my daughter, so I decided to drive up the long gravel road to search for Russell and leave fliers with the families who lived there.  Most of the home owners were gone, so I put fliers under their doormats.  I also used this time to pray and use binoculars to search from the high vantage point.  Still no Russell.

While everyone was taking a rest from the heat, I followed up on the SIGHTINGS in Hood River.  A white labradoodle with a blue collar had been turned into the shelter in Hood River that day!  Neighbors who were following our story closely had sent me pictures of the dog that did look kind of like Russell!  I drove to the shelter in Hood River to confirm that it was not my dog, but another labradoodle- the Hood River labradoodle that had gotten loose from his family.  Fortunately he was reunited with his family.  My labradoodle was still missing.

The Hood River dog eventually returned to his owners

I felt more certain than ever that the Rowena sightings were indeed Russell, so I decided to stay the night and search at dusk and dawn with Grandpa.  Maybe Russell would show up when the temperatures dropped?  We placed his dog bed and a bowl of water near the location of the last possible sighting.  Grandpa and I searched until 11pm, and were up at 4:45am searching again.  We felt so sure that Russell had been there just 1 day before.  However, Russell didn’t come.

8/10 Thursday- THE WORST AND BEST DAY

After our early morning search for Russell came up empty, Grandpa assured me he would continue to look for Russell.  Many others in the community continued to search as well.  I drove home with such sadness, considering what our new life would be like without our much loved Russell.

Having just returned home, I received a phone call from Grandma saying she might have Russell. Might?

A man from Rowena had just arrived home from a long fishing trip, and decided to take his dog to the groomer for the first time EVER in 11 years.  His dog was very hot and dirty.  When he was at the Pink Poodle Groomer he saw our flier and thought, “That’s too bad, someone lost their dog.”  Afterward, he drove home, up his long gravel road in Rowena, and found a flier under his door step.  He thought, “Wow! Someone must really want their dog, because no one EVER comes all the way up to my house!” And wouldn’t you know, a scared white labradoodle was hiding under his porch.  He hadn’t mended his fence yet, which made it easy for a dog to find a place to hide.  He tried calling the dog, but the dog wouldn’t come.  He called the local number on the flier, and Grandma came right over.  It was only about a mile from her house.  She called to Russell, and he came J Because Russell was covered in stickers and mud, and appeared much smaller, she had the vet confirm his microchip number.  Sure enough, it was Russell.  OUR DOG HAD BEEN FOUND!!!

We met up in Yakima to pick Russell up.  He looked so dirty and small, I understood why Grandma wasn’t sure it was him.  We brought his food and water, and I have never seen him eat so much so fast!  The next morning we took him to his vet. Because his fur was matted and covered in stickers that burrow into the skin, he had to be shaved.  He went from 35 to 30lbs, and had 4 ticks, but no other physical problems. At first Russell struggled with sharing his food and his toys, acting aggressively.  He shook quite a bit, seemed to have nightmares, and found the most comfort in his crate. It has been three weeks since his return, and he is doing better every day!

Russell just hours after being found

While all our efforts of posting, searching, and handing out fliers helped, I believe it was God who orchestrated Russell’s return. When people asked how they could help, I often said “Prayers and Shares!”  Did Russell hear our calls or follow our scent on the day of his recovery? We had just pulled over at the bottom of the gravel road so that my daughter could get in my sister’s car for her ride home.  Why this road?  Parking there led me to go up to the houses and leave another flier.  Why was it that this homeowner who had never taken his dog to a groomer, decided on this day to take his dog to The Pink Poodle?  How crazy that he also saw the flier on his front porch, leading him to take a look around his house, ultimately finding Russell?  I believe it was an answer to prayer.  The Bible says in 1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  The Bible also says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28   In Russell’s case, I believe God orchestrated each and every move we made, that would ultimately bring Russell back to us.  We were blessed to connect and reconnect with friends who would encourage and help us.  God is so good!

Russell after being shaved, at home with his pack