LOST BRIEFLY AT SMITH ROCK, Buddy gets reunited WITH THE HELP OF A VillAGE
February 9, 2023
Around 2:45 PM yesterday we received a call about a found Weiner dog in the Smith Rock State Park area from someone trying to reconnect him with his owner. What happened next demonstrates the power of the Smith Rock community's care and connectedness, including the extended Facebook one.
February 8:
2:40 PM:
We ask the caller for details and are sent 3 photos of a fuzzy little dog with a leopard print harness. We are told a family found him about an hour earlier and had tried in vain to find his owner and were about to take it to Brightside Animal Center. We ask if a ranger has been contacted. When the answer was negative we asked the caller to ask them to wait a few minutes while we called the Park Manager.
2:42 PM:
We ask the Smith Rock State Park Manager if he or anyone at the park’s headquarters had spoken with or received a message about a lost dog. When that answer was also negative, we thought it was strange that the dog would be wandering around alone with no one reporting him missing. We asked the rangers to check the area for any injured people.
2:44 PM:
We call the original caller back and update her with what we know, and she says the family needs to leave, so they plan to take the dog to Brightside. We said thanks for the photos and tell them we’ll get the word out.
2:45 PM:
We post the 3 photos and what we know on our Instagram and Facebook feeds.
5:13 PM:
We get a comment on Facebook from someone who has seen a Craigslist posting for Buddy. He texts the person that posted details about a dog that perfectly matches the description.
6:00 PM:
Brightside closes for the night, too late for his owner to come and get him.
February 9:
10:00 AM:
Buddy and Diana are reunited as soon as Brightside opens.
10:15 AM:
We leave a message for the owner to check if all is well.
10:35 AM:
We get photos of the reunion, in a text from Nica McConnell, the daughter-in-law of Diana McConnell:
”That (woman in photos) is my mother-in-law, Diana. We live in Prineville and went out for the day with my daughter, Addy. We went out along the Rimrock Trail and down to check out the campground. She let Buddy off his leash for a minute, and as he is pretty old, he stays by her side. He was following us down to look at the view of the Crooked River and the next thing we knew, he was gone. We searched all through the campground to no avail. She thought maybe a cougar had gotten him as he normally doesn't wander off or run much because of his age and the tumor on his hip. We didn't check down toward the center of the park until an hour into our search as she never thought he would go so far. By then the Visitor Center was closed. We were absolutely devastated. Luckily, a beautiful family found him running down the road and took him to the visitor center and then to Brightside. He must have taken the road out of the campground onto the main road to find her truck in the parking lot. We are all so grateful for everyone helping reunite them!”
We love happy endings. Thanks to all that made this one happen quickly!