Hailey the dachshund/chihuahua mix survived in the woods for more than two weeks.
The owners of a small dog that survived alone in the woods for more than two weeks are calling it a miracle.
Hailey, a four-year-old dachshund-chihuahua mix, got lost after she escaped from the truck during a stop near Smiths Ferry Sept. 12. Alyssa Talbert says her family searched for the pet, but eventually had to return home without her.
At first, the outlook for 17-pound Hailey looked grim.
“The first night, people were saying there’s a lot of coyotes out,” Talbert said. “It’s just hard to hear things like that.”
But Talbert and her mother and stepfather Stephanie and Shaun Bevan kept looking, returning to the spot where Hailey disappeared to set out food and call her name.
“It was kind of a rollercoaster: You’d go up there thinking you might find her that day, and you’d come back devastated,” Talbert said.
Local residents soon joined the search, with some people calling to say they’d spotted the pet and others volunteering to make missing posters or even scouring the woods themselves.
Last week the family, got another break: two different callers reported seeing Hailey near the Sage Hen Creek Campground. By the time the Bevans got there, it was dark and pouring rain. But a quick search turned up their missing dog, who was hiding behind a tree.
Hailey was skittish, scratched and had lost about five pounds. At first, she ran from her owners, but that was short-lived, Stephanie Bevan said
“Once she realized who we were, she was happy to see us,” she said.
The family says they’re just as happy to have Hailey home, and they want to thank everyone who helped find her.
“The fact that someone could just bring our dog back that we’ve had for years – it makes you realize how many good people are out there,” Talbert said.
Source: http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/09/30/lost-dog-found/16485499/
