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Success Stories
Maverick's story is a little different than most "success stories". Maverick got loose from the vet about 8 miles from home, and found a property close to the vet's office to claim as his own for the time being. As many scared, lost dogs do, "fight or flight mode" kicked in, and he didn't even recognize his owner. Once he was spotted enough times in that location, a feeding station, complete with blankets and items from home was set up, along with three cellular trail cameras. The missy trap was brought out and set up there at the feeding station, and we all thought this is how Maverick would be caught. During his last day out, we noticed he finally got a hold of one of the blankets that was laying there and carried it off. Long story short, under the supervision of Mitzi Troxell Brogdon of Street Dog Rescue and Recovery, his owner was instructed to belly crawl, roll, and toss hot dog chunks toward him. He began barking, but not running away. Then he began to cry between barks, and this is when we knew he DID remember his owner, and just needed a little time to realize it was safe to come to her. As he was barking and crying, he began to respond to his commands of sit and down from a distance . His owner was then told to get up and walk towards her car, opening one of the back doors, and to tell him “Let’s go home and find Luca" (Savannah, his owner's daughter's service dog - who he loves). He eventually got in the back seat of the car and let her put his collar and leash on him. It would seem that once Maverick remembered the "smell" of his people, it triggered something familiar to him, and when that happens, it's as though the "fight or flight mode" switch is turned off finally. It ended much less dramatically than the week spent searching for him!
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