Maya missing in Wantage, NJ is safe after three days on the run.
Invisible fences offer a false sense of security for numerous reasons and can be no match to a determined Labrador. Maya didn’t need to wear her collar to stay on the property, that is until Tuesday night when a herd of deer were all too tempting directly outside the perimeter…and off she went.
Even though she was not wearing her collar, she eventually tried to come back home but was too frightened to cross the line to come back into the yard and she quickly disappeared.
We tracked her prints through the snow and were able to locate an area a little over a half mile from home where she had hunkered down. We had hoped that her mom could calmly lure her, but she was in flight mode and when Maya heard her slowly approaching, she bolted past her and took cover deep into the woods.
Well intentioned searchers kept pushing her back into the woods each time she attempted to make her way to our trap. Late this morning when all was quiet and no one was in sight, she finally made her way out and into the trap to safety.
Please be respectful when asked not to chase or approach a lost or frightened dog. You may be “good with dogs” or “dogs love you” but when a dog is in survival mode and won’t come to their own family, they are most likely not going to come to you. Maya was out there longer than she needed to be due to this mentality.
She is exhausted and has a sliced paw pad and the family got a crash course in just how unreliable invisible fences are. For five years, she never crossed that perimeter… until she finally did!
Welcome HOME Maya!
