WORCESTER — A stray dog is finally in foster care after being on the run in Worcester for 555 days. Trappers with Missing Dogs Massachusetts (MDM) has been working on her for 19 months. She will soon begin looking for a permanent home.
Long and difficult journey
The pup is now named Gracie, but was known as Roxy when she was alone. Her journey was long and difficult. She was first found in the woods in Tennessee before being taken to a breeder in Massachusetts. MDM says Worcester Animal Rescue came to take dogs from that breeder because of issues. Thankfully, Gracie was adopted before that happened. She was with her new family for only a few days before disappearing on February 10, 2023.
“The dog was gone, but still roaming across the street from where they lived,” said Bernice Gero, a volunteer with Missing Dogs Massachusetts.
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Gero has been trying to catch Gracie ever since she saw the dog run by.
“I thought it would be okay if we could just get her settled. Hopefully it wouldn’t be that bad, but that was a stupid thought,” Gero said. “She never really left this area, except for July 23rd when she went to Worcester Airport.”
For the first few months, the dog still had her leash, but Gero thinks she probably bit it off. They tried to catch her for months, but to no avail. Sometimes she would get partially trapped, but then escape. That made Gero think she might have been caught before. MDM has trail cameras with hundreds of videos of their attempts to catch her. They fed her for 16 of the 19 months she was on the run.
“We cooked chicken, hamburger, steak, she ate well. We had kibble, but we had to up the ante to keep her interested,” Gero explained. “Around January of this year, she showed up with a limp. She literally stood in front of our camera and we could see her hip deformed.”
Gracie may have been hit by a car
Bernice thinks she was hit by a car. In May, a neighbor saw Gracie limping past several times. She told Bernice to set up her tent in her backyard.
“We thought this would be the perfect place for a dog kennel,” Gero said.
It took three months for it to work, but she was finally caught. She is now with Shelly Duprey, a foster at PAWS New England. Gracie is very scared and has spent most of her time in a crate or hiding under a bed. The dog is very sweet, but scared. She has never barked or shown aggression towards Duprey. Gracie will be the 38th dog that Shelly has taken in. Each has his or her picture on a wall in the room where Gracie is staying. One day, Gracie will join the wall.
“Oh no, I’m letting her go. I’m a small part of her journey,” Duprey said. “I can just see that she’s going to open up and be a great dog when she’s ready.”
Duprey has been taking it easy with Gracie, giving the dog time to open up at her own pace. If she starts to calm down, Gracie will need medical attention for her leg and shoulder. Duprey says MDM will foot the bill, but MDM is accepting all donations.
Mike Sullivan
