Dog rescue
by Chrysa Smith
I get a text this morning. It’s Julie Metzger, Founder of K911 Lost Dog Search Inc. of Quakertown. “We got the Shep-mix on Allentown Road in the enclosure on Sunday night,” she says. She sends along images of the captured dog, Daisy, in one of their traps. A true success story for the organization, more casually known as Team Ruby—and a happy ending for Daisy, who went missing for three weeks.
“The dogs are in charge all of the time. We just respond,” says co-founder Beth Talierco who tells it like it is. At least that’s how it is for Team Ruby.
Talierco sits in a retro-fit construction trailer on a massive plot of land along with Metzger and volunteer Sue Guenter. These ladies understand that “dogs really do rule.” So together, this trio is a force that will literally stop at nothing to bring lost dogs and their owners back together.
Working in Bucks and Montgomery Counties and the Lehigh Valley, Metzger, Talierco and Guenter, and other volunteers have been at it for seven years. They bring together their various experiences as dog-lovers, an ER nurse and a veteran rescue worker. They brave the elements—unfriendly dogs and a round-the-clock schedule to accomplish their mission. An interesting niche for sure. And it all began with a lost Greyhound.
Unbeknownst to Metzger, Channel 69 in the Lehigh Valley had been following the case of a lost Greyhound named Ruby. Turns out, it was tracked at Metzgers property, while evading all sorts of attempts at corralling her and reuniting her with her family. Like many of us, Metzger always held a special place for dogs, especially the big ones. But it wasn’t until Ruby came along that rescuing lost dogs became her mission.
“It all begins on Facebook,” says Talierco. When a dog is lost, owners often turn to social media’s networking approach to reach as many people as possible. Metzger says there are numerous lost dog pages, primarily by geographic location. Owners can post their dog’s information and check in to see if someone has perhaps sighted such a dog.
Once finding lost dogs was done by police departments and animal shelters like the SPCA. The difference with Team Ruby is their active approach. People will find the K911 Lost Dog Search’s Facebook page or website and begin interaction. Chats are regular between the two and Team Ruby will literally not stop until a dog is found—preferably in good condition.
As you might expect, a grassroots effort takes place, beginning with the posted flyers found on many telephone poles and street lamps you pass while driving. According to Metzger, sightings disappear when posters come down, so it’s a seemingly simple but important step.
Either made by the owner or Team Ruby, the volunteers do offer some advice on which flyers to use for the best response. They suggest making a large flyer containing photographs of the dog and have them color-printed. Buying fluorescent poster paper grabs attention It should be cut it in half and flyers attached. LOST DOG should be written in bold dark lettering, preferably with a marker. The sign needs to be large enough for drivers to see, as they literally have seconds to catch the information and process it. Zoning dictates if posters can be attached to poles, and in some townships, it is prohibited, which makes it that much harder.
With Oliver, a Chihuahua from Emmaus, signs were significant. He escaped during a child’s birthday party. Heartbroken, the family, who had a portrait of their pet hung in their home, solicited the help of Team Ruby. Together, they posted a total of 1,000 posters and made daily pleas on social media. They had received notice that someone spotted him, but that lead turned up empty. Finally, a camera was installed on the owner’s property, a lure and a trap were set. But happily, they received a call from a neighbor a few doors down. They saw the poster and said they were staring right at the dog. Happy reunion.
Even when posters are put up, not all wind up so close to home. Darla, a mixed breed girl, escaped from a home in Hatfield. She wound up at the Doylestown Country Club. That’s over 12 miles and close to one half hour away. Through the help of online lost dog search pages, she was tracked and Team Ruby members not only rescued her but wound up getting to know the staff at the club as well.
The volunteers do suggest that you also call agencies such as the SPCA, humane societies, the local police, vets and animal control as well. “Owners fear the worst for their dogs, but dogs have a way of fending for themselves,” says Talierco.
It’s not uncommon that a dog goes missing for 20-30 days, which can seem like an eternity for owners. And if the dog is sighted, while owners believe their pet may come running into their arms, it doesn’t always go down that way. Then owners are even more disappointed. Pets can be spooked, especially if they’re trying to be cornered or chased. So Team Ruby suggests that owners and followers keep a notebook of sightings.
If an owner is contacted by someone online, the team suggests that you capture names, contact information, the exact location of the sighting, the direction they are traveling, whether running, walking or sitting. Would they come up to you? Did you see a collar? Describe the color, and how sure they are that this is the correct animal. They do emphasize how important it is not to chase a dog on the run. Much like directions given for a fire, the best bet is to stop, drop and in this case, lay down.
So how does one catch a dog? Food. It all comes down to luring pets with what they love, beg for, hunt for. As creatures of habit, they will not only find a source of food, they are likely to return to it. So when a couple of sightings are captured, Team Ruby goes about the business of mounting real-time cameras to capture location and habits. After two returns, they visit the area and set a trap.
Traps are quite humane. They measure 5 feet X 30 feet and can be configured in a variety of ways. The key is to get that dog through the door, so again, the lure is food. They have found that an appetizer of liquid smoke drizzled in front of the trap, followed by a bacon or hot dog entrée inside the trap works well. Often configured in an L shape, it can be easier to trap a dog as he enters the trap to find the food. As he turns the corner, where food is placed, the trap snaps shut and the animal is finally caught.
With the real-time cameras, the situation is constantly monitored, which is why Metzger will often get phone calls at every hour of the day.
Not all cases are easy. Balto, a Treeing Coonhound, looked much like a Coyote. He was what Talierco described as a true feral street dog. While many attempts were made to track him down, he managed to stay clear of humans. “Some dogs don’t want a human connection,” Metzger says. In fact, Balto was caught on camera playing with some foxes. “There is a pecking order in the wild,” Talierco adds, “They can take care of themselves quite well.”
Some cases are downright sad. Some pets are never found, subject to the dangers of railroad tracks, cars or what some people believe to be trespassers on their property. “This is very emotional,” says Talierco., “You never find yourself complacent; whether it be the first or last rescue you’ve done.” You can see it on the faces of the rescue ladies.
Still, the group is a success story. According to Guenter, this year, 86 cases were opened. During the first and second quarters, 79 were brought home. And of this number, only 11 were caught directly by owners. Team Ruby will keep at it. There are no cold cases for this organization. The goal is to get pets and owners together as quickly as possible. It’s just like missing persons. The shorter the time period, the likelihood that they are nearby or will be found is much higher.
One of the largest problems Metzger sees is the influx of dogs being brought up to the area from the south. She says this is where a number of feral dogs come from, and they often take up space in the shelters that would have ordinarily been given to local dogs. At overcrowded shelters, Metzger says dogs are ‘time stamped’—sadly given an expiration date if nobody comes forward to foster or adopt. This is why foster homes are so important. Metzger says soberly, “When you foster, you save two dogs. One dog out of the kennel frees it up for another one to come in.” At Team Ruby dogs will have a place. Even in their small quarters, dogs, even with personality quirks, will be given the chance to live out a good life.
Foster parents are just one of the many needs. The team agrees that they need ‘boots on the ground’ in order to do the work they do. Since Metzger’s phone does ring constantly, more volunteers are needed. And they’re needed in a variety of capacities. Some may help with the physical work, like stakeouts or daily care for those in-house. Others are needed to get the word out to the community and establish strong connections with more police departments and shelters, who often house missing dogs. They need grant writers to fund the operation, (as it is a 501c3 organization) someone to spearhead fundraising events. And of course, they need funding.
Presently the volunteers spend their own money on upgrading old-fashioned cameras to new live-feed, digital ones needed to surveil properties. They will supply posters, flyers, staplers, food, spaying, neutering, microchipping and traps. They have been blessed enough to receive donations of food from Fresh Pet and Chewy, but their needs are constant.
Annually in October, they hold a Dog Walk & Bingo fundraiser, sponsored by Wehrung’s Lumber & Home Center in Ottsville. “Our big donations are $1000 and up,” Metzger notes, “Smaller ones are $100-$200. And all are appreciated.”
So for now, the volunteers at Team Ruby will continue their quest to save and reunite dogs and owners at no charge. Talierco says of the reunions, “It’s always exciting to see the owner’s face, no matter how long you’ve been doing this.”
For more information on Team Ruby, or to make a tax-deductible donation or learn about matching funds, visit them at www.K911lostdogsearch.org.
Chrysa Smith is a dog-lover and regular contributor to the magazine.