26/04/2026
GRAB A CUPPA ☕️ and read Champion's Story, written by Champion's Nanny Natalie Morgenstern) ❤️
🐶 Champion’s Return
If you're reading this on the Milly’s Search, Trap and Reunite Melb page you already know this is a story about a lost pet. This would be Champion’s story if he could tell it, but you'll have to settle for my version.
My husband and I were minding our son and his partner’s dog, Champion, while they were away for three weeks. Champion is a rescue dog, a five-year-old Red Heeler who hasn't been out of foster care for long—he only moved in with my son this past January. He’s an anxious boy, but the sweetest thing ever. Because his home is in Pascoe Vale, he didn't know our Mordialloc neighbourhood at all, though he did know me from previous dog-sitting visits at his place.
We took him for walks around the block several times a day. But on this particular day, we decided to take him down to Main Street for a treat and lunch out. In hindsight, it was a bad idea. Once there, something spooked him, and he bolted, slipping right out of his collar. I didn’t even see it happen; I was inside a shop buying him treats while he waited outside with my husband.
My husband rushed home to wait in case Champion somehow made his way back, unlikely as that seemed. He would have needed to cross the train tracks again, which are a construction zone with loud noises, large diggers, and other noisy equipment. I walked the neighbourhood for hours, calling his name, stopping by the police station, and doing everything I could think of in my frenzied state. I put out a plea on social media, and even the City of Kingston sent a van out to look for Champion. I was terrified for him; I couldn't imagine how he would find his way back to an only half-familiar house.
When I finally went home that night to check the social media posts, I was completely overwhelmed by the community of well-wishers. So many people reached out to offer help or send good wishes. It was incredibly heartening. The shared posts spread in all directions; even colleagues from work messaged me to ask where they could help join the search. There were plenty of tips, including the great recommendation to check in with Millie’s Search and Trap Community. Thanks to them, I quickly learned that calling out his name was actually counterproductive, and scanning bushes with a torch was more likely to scare an anxious dog away than encourage him out of hiding. I read that smell was my greatest ally. So, I grabbed the blanket he slept on, dragged it all over the neighbourhood to create a scent trail, and plastered the area with signs.
Meanwhile, Champion’s "real mum," who was all the way in Japan, managed to get a friend to access their Pascoe Vale house. She gathered up a stash of smelly, dirty laundry and Uber-ed it over to my house in Mordi by midnight. I scattered the familiar-smelling clothes and pillowcases outside in the carport and crossed my fingers.
The next day, after updating my post, armed with more tips from the community, I went to Woolies first thing in the morning to buy a hot BBQ chicken. The plan was to walk around with it, hoping the irresistible smell would draw him out. We had received a report of a sighting from the day before—likely right after his initial dash across Main Street. He was seen darting in and out of the chaotic roundabout near the bridge before ducking into the bushes near the railway line. I concentrated my search there—under the train tracks, and down by the creek. I found some amazing hiding places (if ever the day comes when I feel like running away myself, I know exactly where to go!).
Of course, I wanted to find him at all costs, but a dark dread hung over me: I was terrified of finding him dead. What if he’d been hit by a car? Or was hurt, wandering off somewhere to suffer alone? I stayed close to the creek until the weather turned. The rain came down hard, followed by thunder, forcing me to retreat home to recoup—and to pop that BBQ chicken in the air-fryer to make sure it stayed fully, irresistibly, undeniably stinky!
But amidst all the sharing, I learned a hard lesson: when you get new information to update your post, only update your original post—do not create a new one. I made the rookie mistake of creating a separate, brand-new post as an update. Because everyone had already shared my original post, my new update didn't circulate in those same circles. I reckon I lost 8 crucial hours of potentially finding Champion because people were responding to old news on the original threads, which I didn't even see. If you just edit that first, singular post, your new information automatically updates across every group that it's been shared to.
While at home, I was astounded by messages from people I didn't even know, saying things like, "Please tell me that he’s home. I can’t sleep." Outside, the dirty laundry left in the carport was completely drenched by the storm, but conveniently, the wetness cast an even danker, stronger smell. Undeterred by the weather, I headed back out to put up more signs in the neighbouring suburbs, just in case.
That night, someone messaged me about a post on the Waterways community page. It noted that Champion had been spotted running towards Lorikeet Avenue! However, the post was from earlier that morning, meaning the chances were high he had already moved on. It was getting late, but I packed up my hot BBQ chicken, grabbed a fresh stack of flyers, and drove out to Waterways to patrol the streets and search by the lakes. I wasn’t really expecting to find him in the dark, but there was nothing I wouldn’t try.
When I finally returned home, defeated, I received a call from the ladies at Milly’s Search, Trap and Reunite. They were such a comfort! Voices of reason and of true expertise. They gave me a concrete plan to hold onto, advising me on all the things I could still do set up scent trails, create a food station, and even lay down a sand circle to capture paw prints. They also gently warned me that the weekend brings out the prank callers: be braced!
I mentioned the post linking Champion to Waterways. Milly’s immediately tracked it down and found a photo attached that I hadn’t seen. They identified the image as CCTV footage and insisted we get in touch with the original poster to pinpoint exactly which direction he was running and where he had started. They dissected that photo and teased out details I never would have noticed—I didn't know what I was looking for! Given the heavy rain, they advised there was no point going back out that night. Their instructions were clear: get a good night's sleep, then go back in the morning to set up the scent trails, build the food station, and start doorknocking for more information.
That chat completely enlivened and reinvigorated me. It gave me hope. Champion still wasn’t home, and he may have wandered even further, but I had a plan to keep me going. I was hanging onto threads of possibility. Most importantly, I had an army of people on my side. Fuelled by the incredible support on social media, I printed up another massive stack of flyers. I even resorted to desperate measures: I peed on some tea towels in a bucket, planning to cut them up in the morning and hang them in trees for some serious, identifiable smelliness (the people of Waterways may not be pleased)! Exhausted but focused, I went to bed and set my alarm for 5:45 AM.
I woke up the next morning and blearily stumbled toward the bathroom. My husband was already up. As I walked, I heard him calmly, softly say, "Hey Champ."
For a split second, I thought he had finally lost it—that the stress had gotten to him and he was talking to a ghost. Or to himself. But then, Champion walked through the back door. I had left the side gate open on the wildest of chances, and he had taken it.
Amazingly, this day was his real mum’s birthday (I, only being the ‘granny’)! I called her in Japan immediately, woke her up, and told her the news. What a birthday present! We did a quick video call so she could see his beautiful face for herself.
Then, at 6:00 AM, I received a message from the lady who had first captured Champion on her CCTV. She said her cameras had spotted him again at 12:55 AM, right in her backyard. He was still in the area then, which meant he somehow made his way back to our house on his own between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM. What a dog!
It’s almost 6 km of unfamiliar land between where he was and where we are. He would have had to follow his own scent trail back, but how he got from the creek to my house is a mystery. That was a good four blocks that he had never even walked before. It’s his little secret now. I would love to know where he hesitated, where he confidently decided to cross a bridge he had never seen, or if he actually dared to return to the chaos of Main Street in the quiet of the night to find his way home.
To me, it feels like black magic. It’s a beautiful madness. Even now that he's safe, I’m almost afraid to blink, worried he might be snatched back into the unknown. But he is back, and I am happy not to ask any more questions. I’m just savouring every moment with him.
And, for the record: we are using a harness and collar (Double Leaded) for all walks in the future!
