A dog simply cannot understand when something happens that totally changes her world and sometimes its so devastating that she goes into deep depression. That's what happened to Sarah, a young Beagle, when her mom Penny escaped and disappeared.
An elderly gentleman who had kept Sarah, Penny, and two other Beagles in a kennel at his home passed away, leaving the dogs with no one to care for them. The man's family didn't want them and called animal control to come get them. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, only two dogs were still in the pen. Penny, the mom, and Buster, the father of her pups were still there but the other dogs were gone, so animal control assumed the family had given them away. Penny and Buster were extremely bonded.
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Buster had health problems and had to be taken care of. He was sent to an animal hospital for treatment and Penny went to Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge
Penny was just about to be adopted when her daughter, Sarah, was found and brought to the shelter. The dogs were so happy to be together again but it was to be short lived. Penny went to the potential adopter's home for a trial period, but after just two days, she ran away. So RBARI asked for help from a woman famous for the dog-catching successes. They called Nicole Asher of Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery.
Asher set up a feeding station in the woods where she hoped to capture Penny. However, Penny proved to be elusive. She was so skittish that she ran at the mere hint of a person approaching. "Penny's capture was difficult due to lack of sightings," Asher wrote. "She was traveling the woods of the Painted Forest and her coloring blended in perfectly with the leaves and landscape ... I had her at my trap only to have her spooked off by a well-meaning person driving by slowly while out looking for her."
Penny was smart enough that each time Asher set up a trap, she eluded it and they had to start all over. "We watched Penny go in and out of her trap," D'Annunzio said. "She was so smart. She didn’t want to be caught."
All the while, Sarah was becoming more and more lonely and depressed. A family wanted to adopt her, but the folks at the shelter wanted to wait for Penny to be caught. "When Penny was still missing, I said to our executive director, 'When we get Penny back, they should be together,'" D'Annunzio stated. Eventually their persistence paid off. Penny was caught and brought back to the shelter to be reunited with her daughter.
Watch the video below to see how ecstatically they greet each other. It's so fortunate that Asher was around to help capture Penny. The other puppy is still at large, but hopefully that one, too, will soon be captured. Meanwhile, mother and daughter are decompressing. When they are ready for a new home, they will be offered together. If you're interested in giving Penny and Sarah a home, fill out an application here. And be sure and share this happy reunion with your friends!
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