MARSTONS MILLMS, MA- Dutch the puggle was home safe and sound this morning, albeit a little thinner for his three days and nights in woods and thickets near the Marstons Mills Airfield.
The young pug-beagle mix had been missing since Monday night when he escaped the fire that destroyed the Cape Cod Animal Hospital and killed three cats and a dog. A dozen other dogs also survived the fire.
Cape Cod Animal Hospital fireThis morning Dutch ran into the outstretched arms of his owner Stephen Elio after being found in the parking lot at the airfield. Stoli, an aging lab-chow mix owned by Elios older brother greeted his little canine friend with whines and rapidly wagging tail. The brothers had brought Stoli on their search in hopes he could lure Dutch into the open.
This is one of the happiest days of my life. Hes my little buddy, said Elio in a choked voice as medical technicians from the Animal Hospital checked out Dutch in the bed of a pick-up truck parked at the airfield.
I was going crazy worrying about him. Dutch survived three nights in an area thick with coyotes, a rain storm and high winds.
After the quick on-site check by the animal medical experts, Dutch was bound for home where he was bathed and fed small amounts of food throughout the day. Today, after being found, he seemed to want nothing more than to lick his owners face and hop into his owners car.
Elio, 22, was away on business in Washington D.C. when he got news of the fire and his little dogs escape. Dutch hightailed it away from the animal hospital after he and other dogs were released from cages in the burning building by veterinarian Scott Munson and a neighbor.
Video from today's happy reunion with Dutch:
Elios older brother Tony, along with other family members, friends and concerned strangers spent hours searching the area near the airport where the puggle was spotted a few times Tuesday. But Dutch, described by animal experts as traumatized by the fire and his escape, darted away from Tony Elio and others when they called him.
Tony returned at 5 a.m. Wednesday to retrace his steps through heavy brush and woods in hopes of finding his younger brothers dog. He repeatedly checked a wire dog kennel where Dutchs bed, a bowl of food and one of his owners jackets had been placed and he spent hours walking through the brush and woods looking for signs of a dog amid all the obvious signs of coyote feedings along trails.
This morning the Elio brothers were back at the airfield searching for the little pooch. They looked around the field, in the woods, and headed out to check nearby residential streets.
Katie Randolph, a Falmouth resident, who works at the Doane, Beal and Ames funeral home in Hyannis, stopped at the airfield while on her way to work. I just wanted to tell the family that a lot of people are praying for them, to offer them support, she said. She saw vehicles parked outside the airfield office, but no humans.
I was turning around to leave and there was Dutch standing in the middle of the parking lot - I recognized him from the newspaper, she said. It was surreal. There he was and there were no other humans around. Randolph called her office in search of a contact number to notify the Elios that she had the dog in sight. She got out of the car, got on my knees and started talking very quietly to him.
About the same time, the Elio brothers and Stoli appeared from the street side of the parking lot and spotted Dutch.
Randolph said the little dog cautiously approached and retreated from each of the humans until his owner laid on his stomach and stretched out his arms. That little dog ran right nto his arms, she said. I havent stopped crying since. Its so wonderful to see this story have a happy ending.
CapeCodOnline.com
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thats so amazing, i live in the area im glad to hear some of the animals are being found
HippieMan323 2 years ago