Escape artist Bryson, has been safely captured in Mahwah, NJ
Bryson had been previously trapped by BDRR back in June and because of this he was now extremely trap savvy. Any type of trap, enclosure, doorway, fencing he was now acutely aware of.
Trapping a dog can be a process and when you are now dealing with a dog who is trap savvy, it takes time. So many people in the community expected immediate results and simply could not understand why he wouldn’t just go to the owner or go in the trap. Every day well intentioned people would approach him, try to catch him, call out to him, whistle, etc. which only made him more anxious and caused him to leave the area we were working so hard to keep him in. Everyday I would hear, “ just tackle him, tranq him, grab him” etc. etc.
Lost dog behavior and survival mode is one of the most difficult things for people to understand, unless you experience it first hand, it is a very foreign concept for people to grasp and comprehend. Often times lost dog recovery is counter intuitive to all the things you think are the right things to do.
The enclosure was left tied open as we conditioned him to go in. Last night after the torrential rains subsided, Bryson finally started to go in. It took hours before he made his way to the very back where we needed him to go before setting it for capture.
Today the area was quiet and it allowed him to settle and not feel pursued. Thankfully, he made his way to the enclosure early and headed in for a feast.
Seven days on the run… Bryson is finally safe!
