After more than five weeks alluding rescuers, a stray dog that captured the attention of thousands has finally been caught and taken to safety. Rescuers said she was first spotted last year, and might have spent years roaming West Tennessee.
Affectionately named Dora (like Dora the Explorer), the female bully breed was first noticed more than a month ago by Linda Perry at the Milan Walmart. According to Perry, the dog was skittish around people and wore a dark harness.
Perry then learned the dog had also been in Trenton, and Three-Way. Then, she was on her way to Jackson.
“She would not stop. We tracked her one time, and she would go 15 to 20 miles in like 12 hours,” Perry said.
But, every time she got close to Dora, the dog ran away. Sometimes it was into the woods or down the street. Other times, she ran straight into traffic.
“She would only stay in high traffic areas, which made it so difficult for us to get because she was constantly jumping out of their cars, you know,” Perry said.
Soon, a Facebook page was made, dedicated to alerting rescuers to where the dog was at any given moment. Dora’s location was tracked by dozens of pictures and posts, showing her all over Jackson, I-40, and surrounding areas.
It was through that Facebook page Linda Perry and other volunteers were finally able to capture Dora. Someone had posted a picture of Dora, in her signature harness, laying in the Jackson Clinic parking lot. Immediately, the team was on the way to trap her.
Perry said the team set a trap with pieces of rotisserie chicken as bait, and hid in their trucks while they waited for Dora to find the chicken.
“So she went back, and she started eating the chicken,” Perry said, “Then I saw the door slam and also Dora jump forward. So I knew we had her.”
Captured at last, after so long on her own. Perry said the dog was stressed and confused. But, that quickly subsided after a few good night’s rest. Now she plans to take her to the vet and get adopted.
And wherever Dora came from, she was loved. Perry said she is sweet and well-mannered. She even knows basic commands. Knowing how far Dora would travel in just a day, the volunteers are looking across the southeast for anyone who could have been her owner.
“She would sit and shake hands. Then I said, ‘Dora, lay down.’ And she went down. Then I told her to roll over and she rolled over,” Perry said, “She remembers any command that her prior owner had taught her. She did not lose that.”
And it turns out that the dog nobody could capture has captured the hearts of people across West Tennessee.
Julia Ewoldt, julia@jacksonpost.news
