WORCESTER – A lost dog has finally found a foster home after being on the run for 555 days in Worcester. Trappers from Missing Dogs Massachusetts (MDM) have been with her for 19 months. She will soon be looking for a permanent home.
Long and difficult journey
The pup is now named Gracie, but was known as Roxy when she was still alone. Her journey was long and difficult. She was first found in the woods of Tennessee before being taken to a breeder in Massachusetts. MDM says Worcester Animal Rescue came to pick up dogs from that breeder because there were problems. Luckily, Gracie was adopted before that happened. She was only with her new family for a few days before she disappeared on February 10, 2023.
“The dog was missing but was wandering right across the street from her home,” said Bernice Gero, a volunteer with Missing Dogs Massachusetts.
CBS Boston
Gero has been trying to trap Gracie ever since she spotted the dog running by.
“I thought it would be OK if we could put her up. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too bad, but that was a stupid thought,” Gero said. “She never really left this area except for July 23rd when she went to Worcester Airport.”
For the first few months, the dog’s leash was still attached, but Gero believes she probably bit it off. They tried to catch her for months, but to no avail. Sometimes she would get partially caught in the trap but then escape. Gero suspected she might have been caught before. MDM has trail cameras with hundreds of videos of their attempts to catch her. They fed her for 16 of the 19 months she was on the run.
“We cooked chicken, hamburgers and steaks, she ate well. We had dry food, but we had to up the ante to get her interested,” Gero explained. “Around January of this year, she came to us limping. She was literally standing in front of our camera and we could see how her hip was deformed.”
Gracie may have been hit by a car
Bernice believes she may have been hit by a car. In May, a neighbor noticed Gracie limping several times. She told Bernice to sit down in her backyard.
“We thought this would be the perfect place for a kennel trap,” Gero said.
It took three months to get it done, but she was finally caught. She is now with Shelly Duprey, a foster mom from PAWS New England. Gracie is very scared and has spent most of her time in a crate or hidden under a bed. The dog is very sweet, but scared. She has never barked or shown aggression toward Duprey. Gracie will be the 38th dog Shelly has fostered. There is a picture of each one on the wall in the room where Gracie lives. One day Gracie will go on the wall.
“Oh no, I’m going to let her go. I’m just a small part of her journey,” Duprey said. “All I can say is, when she’s ready, she’s going to open up and be a wonderful dog.”
Duprey is taking things slow with Gracie, letting the dog open up at her own pace. When she calms down, Gracie will need medical attention for her leg and shoulder. Duprey says MDM will cover the cost of that, but MDM is also happy to accept donations.
Michael Sullivan
