Survival of the Fittest

I believe that one of the reasons that many dogs spend time in shelters is because, for a myriad of reasons, their owners or guardians give up the search for them. Some such dogs end their lives in shelters, some go on to be adopted, and possibly leaving other truly homeless dogs unadopted. But all dogs in shelters, even for short periods of time, require resources that have to come from somewhere, and be paid for. So, keeping lost dogs out of shelters is a good reason to learn how to recover lost dogs.

Of the many reasons that owners give up the search, one of the saddest for me is that they decide that their dog isn’t going to survive on its own long enough to be found, and captured. Between elements, wildlife and cars, many people begin to experience doubts very quickly if their pet has never spent much time on its own. It can be very difficult convincing someone not to give up a search after a couple of days.

Toby’s story of survival is one that is quick to tell, but it’s powerful. Little Toby materialized after almost four weeks on the lam.

He is a shih tsu, weighing nearly 15 pounds when he ran off, fearful of many things. He had been adopted into a new home the day after Christmas, after having spent a few months in a foster home after his rescue organization had received him from a backyard breeder. Not much is known about him, but he most likely was given few opportunities for socialization, and wasn’t taught to be confident in himself and his abilities. However, there’s no indication that he had had ever had to fend for himself.

Toby backed out of his harness three days after he arrived in his new home, on December 29th.

Over the next four weeks, there were a few sightings, and a lot of effort on the part of many volunteers who came together to search for him, make sure that feeding stations were monitored, and fliers were hung.

Just a half a mile from where most of the sightings were, on recovery day (January 24th), he was seen by a family that owns chickens. This little dog that was later, after his capture, found to be emaciated, severely dehydrated, covered in burrs, have lost about a third of his body weight, and who started out as skittish dog lacking in confidence, had killed one of their chickens!

Now who really knows if this kill was intended by Toby so he could consume the chicken, or if perhaps he was trying to eat the chicken feed and ended up needing to defend himself against the chicken. It doesn’t matter; it’s still a story that surprises people. Most people don't expect a tiny and weak little dog who had never lived on his own to be able to take down a chicken, whether in defense or for consumption.



Toby at home after his ordeal. He doesn't really make you think "survivor", does he? But he is!!

Hopefully the story can be used to convince lost dog owners in the future that their dog’s likely have more survival skills and instincts than they realize, and to keep up the search for their beloved missing pets.