Happy Trail Tale

Ragnar

Suki

Ragnar

"Ragnar" had already had a difficult start in life. He was born in the wild and his mother was completely feral. He was over four months old before he had his first positive encounter with a human being. By some miracle, he was adopted from a rescue even though he never truly trusted his human caretakers. Over the next year and a half his owner struggled to make Ragnar as normal of a dog as possible. He did well within his own home but outside of his home...it was a different story.

One night Ragnar decided to take an adventure. He escaped the fenced backyard and found the Pinellas Trail very near by. Not going anyplace in particular, he headed north. For some reason, he found a two mile stretch of the trail, nearly seven miles from home, to his liking. For three weeks, dog walkers would see the black chow/lab mix patrolling "his turf." He would approach the dogs but would quickly spook when the walker tried to reach out for him. No one could get close, and it was especially frustrating because two tags dangled from his collar.

This scene was played out day after day for three weeks until Suncoast Animal League volunteer Linda Bock got involved. She used her own dogs to lure him into backyards where a capture would seem eminent, but every time she led him into a backyard, he would escape. Linda, however, was relentless in her pursuit and found the chink in Ragnar's armor. That chink was "Suki", a neighbor's Weimaraner that Linda walked often. Ragnar was immediately smitten by her and let down his guard, ever so slightly. Linda and Suki coaxed him into a fenced yard where he immediately escaped, but he quickly returned to Suki.

Linda then called the League for help and Executive Director Rick Chaboudy arrived a short time later. Ragnar panicked and again tried to escape but Suki stayed by his side and led him to a narrow path along the side of the house. Confined to a small area, Ragnar was an easy capture with the control pole. He immediately gave up and seemed relieved to be caught. They read his current rabies license and called for owner information. Soon, Ragnar's owner called back, almost in disbelief; Ragnar had been missing for over a month, and after checking shelters routinely for four weeks, she had given up. In less than an hour she was at our shelter for a very emotional reunion.

Hopefully, Ragnar will realize how good he has it at home with his loving family, and that it's a cold and lonely world out there for a stray. And that he has a very dedicated volunteer and a really sweet Weimaraner to thank for his safe return.