Reunited: A Follow-up on Jeff the Dog

With just a slight fever, a few burrs in his fur and one pound lost on his tiny frame, Jeff the dog is now back where he belongs.

The 2½-year-old Havanese pup recently put his owners through a heartbreaking 10 days that wrapped up with a very happy ending. After an effort that involved 7,000 flyers, 2,500 reverse phone calls, a search dog, a pet detective, a Facebook page with nearly 200 fans, three humane traps, several hot dogs and a group of volunteers, Jeff returned to his home near .

“He doesn’t try to escape,” said owner Charli Daniel, who has had Jeff since he was a six-week-old puppy. “He doesn’t sit by the door plotting ways to get out.”

When he was a puppy, Jeff ran across the street a few times to visit with two other Havanese, but he never went far.

On Oct. 12, the Daniels were having their bathroom redone. Jeff was in a back room, but that door hadn't latched properly. The front door was left ajar by the workers as well.

Not looking for a big adventure, Jeff popped out and made his way down to a neighbor’s house. She spotted him and started to chase after him, and Jeff was spooked and took off.

Charli and her husband started looking on foot for Jeff. She updated her status on Facebook to tell family and friends the little guy was missing. They started with 25-50 flyers that first night.

“I thought that would be plenty,” Daniel said.

Family and friends—who often tease Daniel about how she dotes over her dog—quickly went into action, helping knock on doors and distribute flyers with a picture of Jeff and the $500 reward posted. Soon, a full-fledged plan was in place.

The group canvassed the area around Reeves Park, contacted the SPCA, called all veterinarians within a 100-mile radius, posted on Craigslist, local news sites and rescue sites and used any resources they could find to get Jeff back.

A pet “emergency broadcast system” called FindingToto.com helped alert 2,500 households within a one-mile radius about Jeff. All flyers and notifications noted that Jeff would run if chased, and other details like the fact that the dog enjoyed cheese were also included in some notifications. Searchers were urged to report sightings to the Daniels.

“We were out every single day,” Daniel said.

Along the way, one misunderstanding was that Jeff wasn’t microchipped—he was, and had been since he was six weeks old. He was also wearing a collar with his name and phone number on it. The microchip system, however, doesn’t work like a doggie GPS.

“He has to be caught in order for it to work,” Daniel said.

Catching him proved difficult. Friends, family and volunteers mapped out sightings. The service Dogs Finding Dogs was used, and a woman brought a search dog up from Baltimore. The dog, however, couldn’t get a firm grasp on a continuous scent.

Getting advice from a Washington state pet detective, Jeff’s owners cut up clothing and put it outside, hoping to lure Jeff back with their scents. They took Jeff’s little buddies—other dogs he is familiar with—for walks around to spread those scents and hopefully lead him back.

For the first couple days, Jeff apparently didn’t stray too far. Then, he took off, heading a mile and a half from his home around a cornfield on Wells Road.

“Dogs are known for going to cornfields,” Daniel said. “He was hanging out there for about a week.”

Knowing where he was didn’t mean the family felt any closer to getting him back. Even though he had been gone for days and was likely struggling for food, the little guy remained fast.

“He’s quicker than lightning,” Daniel said.

The group procured three humane cage traps and set them up in the area near the cornfield. One trap sat on the property of a man named Jeff, Daniel said, noting that the couple ran into a few people who shared the dog’s name the hunt to find him.

The traps were stocked with hot dogs and cat food to lure in Jeff. On Oct. 22, Daniel, family, neighbors and volunteers went out for two hours, and then another two hours later. Jeff still hadn’t come to the traps, and it was getting chilly.

“I was bummed,” Daniel said.

Her sister-in-law said she’d go take one more look at the traps.

“In my head, I was just like, what’s the point,” Daniel said.

Then her phone rang.

“She was screaming that he was in the trap,” Daniel said.

He recognized his owners immediately, and though he didn’t smell the best after his big adventure, Jeff received a hero’s welcome when he returned.

“The whole block realized what was going on,” Daniel said.

Jeff ran around the fenced-in yard, and neighbors came by to say hi to him. The Daniels took him to a veterinarian in Frazer and the little guy was a pound lighter and had a slight fever, but he wasn’t dehydrated and didn’t need blood work or X-rays after his 10 days on the lam.

She explained that she was grateful for the community’s support throughout the ordeal. Businesses were happy to display flyers, friends and neighbors sent over food and they received dozens of calls wondering if Jeff had made his way home yet. Even after his return, someone tucked a box of Milkbones and a card addressed to Jeff in the door.

“Everyone feels like they know him,” Daniel said.

Once home, though he seemed to have a nightmare or two, Jeff settled right in and got back to naps on the couch, careful watch over the house and showing his lightning fast speed in tears around the house.

“He seems to be adjusting well,” Daniel said.