MIA for 19 days then unbelievably I found my fur baby my little dog Chewy

Whether you’re an owner or just adore dogs I promise you’re going to love the ending.

If you’re a dog owner you already know the last thing in the world you ever want to learn is your fur baby is missing. This happened to me on November 13th, imagine me receiving a phone call from my daughter telling me “Chewy is gone.” She had let him out unleashed and unattended and he was just gone. At first I almost couldn’t believe it I was horrified with this news. Chewy had been a visitor at Dawn’s home a few times surely he’s in the neighborhood I thought, and so the search for him began. Its November I’m in Wyoming it’s already dark and its darn cold outside. There were three of us looking in all different directions that night but after searching for hours little Chewy was still gone.

Night one would be like the next eighteen nights that followed, it was just terrible for me knowing my little fur baby was alone afraid cold and hungry. I was supposed to be this little guy’s protector and yet there he was somewhere out there lonely and confused not knowing how to find his way home. I couldn’t sleep my heart and mind was on him and my loss. Day and night over and over I opened my front door hoping, always hoping somehow Chewy had found his way back to me. But still he was gone.

Chewy was kind of a throw away dog, a mix of Chihuahua and Shih Tzu. His owner didn’t want him so I took this little two year old for my own, he wasn’t abused but he definitely had been neglected. Never had his shots, wasn’t neutered, and never had any grooming, he looked pitiful his long hair was so badly matted most had to be cut out by me and then the groomer.
As you can tell by his picture we practically had to scalp him. Of course I had to cute him up as best I could. Made Chewy a head dress using kool aid.

Folks I’d only had this little guy about seven months when this happened, yet it was plenty of time for him to steal my heart, long enough for me to miss every little cute thing he ever did that brightened my day.

Finding Chewy wasn’t going to be easy every groomer, every vet, was notified. Posters hung in buildings all over my little town, the Humane Society, the police, knocking door to door and searches up and down alleys and streets, and of course Facebook with people in town reposting Chewy’ picture and info to their pages and their friends pages. I was determined not to give up even though in my heart I though little Chewy had probably died from the elements of the weather. Of course you can imagine I wanted to imagine someone had him in their home warm and fed, rather than think my little Chewy had died alone afraid cold and trying to find his mommy in the dark while freezing to death.

Now comes the happy ending I promised you in the beginning.

I’m so glad I didn’t give up because 19 agonizing days later a miracle happened a lady I never met had seen a friend’s post and called and told her she believed she had spotted Chewy an unbelievable ten miles out of town. Ten miles in the middle of nowhere no way could this be true I thought. I had had other so called spottings around town that didn’t pan out. Each time leaving me feeling more and more crushed emotionally. Would this again turn out to be a wild goose chase I didn’t know but I had to take that chance.
Wyoming has plenty of wide open spaces in the middle of nowhere. Fields and briar patches, pastures. And from the highway farm houses could be seen in the distance. Could I really find him, could he really be out there. I know I told you earlier a miracle happened but actually it was two. Prior to going out in search for Chewy, Worland, Wyoming received a severe weather warning for later in the day. As it turned out it really would have been Chewy’s last chance for a rescue the weather turned brutal later that evening. Four painful hours of calling out up and down the main highway and off roads paid off Chewy was found yes there he was peeking out from some weeds that ran along a canal. I wish you all could have seen our faces when we found each other.

It’s still a mystery for sure how this little fur baby survived, but many like me believe …That someone had Chewy most of the time he was missing. Yes it did appear he had lost some weight maybe he missed me and wanted to be home and didn’t eat, and yes he had several stickers loosely caught in his hair but they appeared to be fresh. And it took about a week of feeding and watering before he could jump up on the sofa, or bed like he did before he went missing. But if he had been out in the elements all that time he would have died from hypothermia and his hair surely would have been much more matted. Others have suggested that because Chewy had become such a celebrity to so many in my little town all those that kept looking and posting and praying for his return felt whoever had him dumped him. What puzzles me the most is if that is true why didn’t someone just return him and claim the reward?

I know I will never know for sure what those 19 days were like for Chewy, I just know we both couldn’t be happier that he made is home.