As I sat in the kitchen at my computer I realized something was wrong.  I heard barking unlike any I was used to and then it  stopped.  Rushing to the front door I looked around the yard - no dogs.

They had escaped before but usually all came back within minutes - so  I did not panic.  Twenty minutes passed and the female mastiff came trotting back.  Another fifteen passed and the male mastiff came drooling back to the door at a slow lope.  But then an hour passed, then another, and no yellow Labrador.

Of all the dogs, "Lucky", the yellow Lab, was most likely to know his way back and have the most common sense.  The sky darkened into twilight and still Lucky had not come home. I pretended not to be  overly concerned for the kid's sake, but glanced out the door every ten minutes to see if he was sitting and waiting to come in.  The  kids went to bed, I continued to peer outside and call for him - but no Lucky dog.

I tossed and turned that night.  I consoled my wife and kids with "Lucky has really thick fur, it's only going to be in the 30's tonight, and he's going to be home - you'll see!"  Morning came and made a liar of me.  I saddled up with hiking gear, first aid kits and my 38 pistol.  We live in the high woods of Colorado and I had to be  prepared for anything that may have happened to Lucky - to include  Mountain Lion.

I have fibromyalgia so hiking up and down the steep hills and valleys of our property takes a toll.  Six inches of fresh snow had fallen the day before the dogs got loose so I was able to see some sign and  tracks.  I slugged up and down for hours calling Lucky's name with no success.  Finally, at lunch time, I worked my way back up the hill to our cabin to see if my wife had found him.  She had not.

Lucky's collar had been taken off the week before because he had been skunked.  He had no easy way for someone to call us.  However, he had been micro-chipped and the website of the company, Homeagain.com, was  invaluable.  They had an "amateur" pet detective portion that gave us common sense ideas.  More importantly, though, it steered us to a website with certified pet detectives that used dogs to track wayward pets.  I searched the directory for the closest detective and found  one in Wyoming.  I called and got a return call from Cathy Orde and her tracking dog Zoe.

First, let me say, how reassuring she was to us on the phone.  She walked us through, step by step, all the things we could be doing  before she arrived at our cabin the next day.  Second, the fact that she was willing to come out two days before Christmas was ... well,  simply amazing.  We finally had hope!

Lucky did not come back and was out for a second night.  Cathy was to arrive in the afternoon so we waited and watched the barometer as a winter storm was due to arrive the next day.

When Cathy arrived the kids and myself swarmed her.  The kids begged  "please .. all we want for Christmas is for Lucky to come home!"  She reassured them, put on her gear, placed her tracking dog, Zoe, into her harness and then let her smell the children's bed sheets where Lucky sleeps.  Off we went!

Cathy, Zoe and myself took off down an incredibly steep ravine in the snow.  Zoe beckoned as we did our best to follow her up and down the hills where Lucky had been. For hours we tracked Lucky until we arrived at a beautiful cabin in a clearing at dusk.  I went to the side door and knocked to give the folks a flyer about Lucky being lost.  To my surprise a tiny older lady came to the door who looked  just like Mrs. Santa Claus.  She begged us to come in out of the cold and listened, with her daughter, as we told our story.  Nicer people we could not have met as we finished our story and went back out into the dark to track the missing Lab.

We continued to circle, with Zoe's nose to the ground, their Red cabin.  Tiny spring fed ponds lay around the house and I began to worry that Lucky may have fallen through the ice.  We cracked and slipped across the icy ponds as we followed Lucky's trail.

Then a crackling voice came over the radio "W.. zzzz, Dad!"  It was my 12 year old son and he sounded excited but I couldn't make out what he said.  We went back up the small hill towards the red cabin as I asked my son to repeat his message.  "We just got a call - LUCKY HAS BEEN FOUND DAD!"

Cathy and I jumped up and down as Zoe frolicked around us.  I broke into tears as the pent up emotion caught up with me.  We walked back to the cabin as the ladies (the two Mrs. Park's) joined into our celebration.  I called home on their telephone and heard my wife's happy tearful voice explain how a family had found Lucky and spied our road side signs with our telephone number.  Cathy had give us very specific instructions on what kind of signs and where to locate them.

My wife went on to explain that she was on her way to pick up Lucky and he was only a few hundred yards from where Cathy, Zoe and myself  had tracked him.  We would have found in 30 minutes had the family not called!

The younger Mrs. Park (Rita) volunteered to drive us back home. We would have had miles to trek back through the snow uphill and through the moonlight woods back to my home had she not!  Lucky and my wife arrived moments before we did and a celebration ensued!

My children got their Christmas wish - Lucky was back home before Christmas and he spent the night nestled in between all of our children.

If this story does not move you I don't know what would.  Remove any doubts from your mind about asking for Cathy's help!  Believe me, she does not charge nearly what she could - this is truly a work of love for Cathy and Zoe!

Feel free to call me if you want more background on why I believe you should hire Cathy.

"D" Shannon
LaronDShannon@mac.com
(719) 749-2781

PS - want to hear something even MORE amazing.  I knew of another dog owner who was panic stricken about their lost Mastiff puppy.  I had recommended Cathy to her but the lady decided not to hire Cathy (frankly, a dumb move).  Being the kind soul she is Cathy still gave the lady advice on where and how to put up signs for her lost dog.   As Cathy drove home from our house she got a call two hours later.   The mastiff owner had put up ONLY one sign and someone called within  two hours with her lost mastiff!  It's almost like magic!  Don't hesitate ... call Cathy if you really want to find your lost pet!

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