BREAKING NEWS!! We got her...Phoebe is safe after being lost in the Worthington State Forest/ Delaware Water Gap for five harrowing days!! Her amazing story to follow. Apologies for the unsteady video, was trying to keep phone still through ugly tears!
Monday afternoon Phoebe escaped her harness while hiking in the Worthington State Forest along the Delaware Water Gap... four and a half miles in on very advanced trails. While this is a beautiful area for hiking it is your worst nightmare for a thirteen pound dog to be lost. The wildlife, lots of bears, bobcat and coyote are all over these woods and trails making it virtually impossible to safely bait her to an area and out of the woods. Phoebe's deep bond with her momma and her sister Addie was what we were relying on.
Tuesday posters went up and Wednesday we received our first sighting that she was approximately a mile and a half up the Tammany Trail (a different trail than the one she went missing on) hiding under a rock and then bolted when she was approached. We immediately headed over and hiked up the trail of rock scrambles but no sign of her. The next day we received another call she was sighted on the same trail but a little further down. This morning I had Molly and her other dog Addie station themselves down the trail in a quiet spot where I felt Phoebe would come down. Molly sat there for approximately four hours. We stopped virtually everyone heading up the trails, instructing them if they saw her not to chase or call out to her but to mark a pin on the map and contact us as soon as they were able to pick up cell service again. Sure enough one of the hikers who we spoke with saw Phoebe way up and knew not to chase and told another hiker who was headed back down that she was sighted. We didn't know which direction Phoebe was headed but Molly stayed put, we knew today was the day. I had just hiked back in to bring Molly and Addie water, we were sitting there for about 15 minutes when Molly spotted Phoebe coming down off the side of the trail exactly where we had placed some of Molly's clothing like a breadcrumb trail. I had Molly slowly walk over with Addie and kneeling down and softly speaking to her, within moments Phoebe was running in to her moms arms!! Welcome home Phoebe, little warrior princess!!
