Hankies at the ready
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 10:15 pm
SANDWICH (CBS) – A story straight out of a Disney movie. Two golden retrievers were lost in the woods, and trapped for two weeks before one of the dogs broke free and led others back to his brother.
Baxter and Bailey were tied together with a double leash in front of their home on September 26th. Somehow they got loose and ran away.
Their owner, Penny Blackwell, was heartbroken. She put up flyers and begged for help on Facebook. The online posts went viral with friends and neighbors vowing to help. But two weeks passed and there was still no sign of Baxter or Bailey.
“I had pretty much given up hope that they were going to come home,” Penny said.
Then a message, while she was away on a business trip, Penny got a message she almost didn’t believe.
“My friend sent me a text message that said give me a call I think I have one of your dogs.”
Turns out a family who had seen the Facebook posts had found Baxter wandering near their house. Now he had a job, tracking down his brother.
Penny took Baxter back near the area where he’d been found.
“Baxter kind of led me off the side through the woods. I had twigs in my eyes and leaves in my hair,” Penny says. Baxter kept pulling Penny down the path until finally they came upon Bailey with his leash all wrapped up around some bushes.
“I could hardly get him untied because he was jumping on me and jumping on Baxter because he was so happy to see us.”
Penny thinks her goldens spent most of the two weeks trapped together, until Baxter broke free. Then she believes he kept going back to check on Bailey.
“I can’t imagine what they lived on. It rained a lot,” she said.
Just days after finding their way home, the two dogs are hungry. They each lost 8 to 10 pounds, but otherwise are in good health.
They are staying close and giving extra love to a thankful owner who never thought she’d see their faces again. “Baxter’s a hero for taking me there,” Penny says.
