An unlocked gate that was accidentally left open by a delivery man was all the opportunity that Gunner, a golden retriever-collie mix, needed. He ran out of the yard and went on a journey for nearly two years before finding his family again.
Gunner's brother, Shooter, initially joined him in the escape venture, but Shooter returned home. Gunner disappeared. His owner, Joseph Karl of Verona, Pennsylvania, desperately searched for Gunner, but to no avail.
At the same time, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Animal Care and Control began to receive phone calls reporting a loose dog who resembled Gunner at a nearby park. First, the officers tried to lure Gunner with food and catch him with a humane trap, but Gunner outsmarted them every time.
Time passed, and Gunner still evaded every attempt to capture him. Officers got in the habit of leaving sandwiches for him in the park so that he had something to eat. When the winter came and brought the Polar Vortex with it, the officers dedicated even more time to saving Gunner.
“When it snowed, we would track his fresh paw prints for miles around the neighborhood, cemetery, and the trails in the park, always leaving behind some food for him,” the officers wrote. “We would dress in multiple layers of clothes and fight the elements to try to save him.”
Gunner finally stopped running away from the officers, although he wouldn't let them get near him nor would he come near the humane traps.
In the meantime, the Karl family kept the faith, hoping to find their dog. They hung posters around the neighborhood, posted and shared notices on social media, and took out advertisements in the newspapers. Karl also kept in contact with local animal shelters in case Gunner was surrendered to one.
"Anybody who could possibly catch a dog, I called that person," Karl said. "I wanted to make sure he was scanned."
As his disappearance neared two years, Gunner was still sighted by many people in the community, some of whom often left food and opened garage doors for him.
Finally, one person who had been feeding Gunner got him in a humane trap and took him to a local shelter. Once there, Gunner was scanned for a microchip, as he had lost his collar and identification. When the microchip information came up, the Karls were informed that their beloved dog had been found.
When the family was reunited with Gunner, the dog rejoiced, jumping up on Karl, licking him, and hugging him.