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10/23/2026

15 days ago, Animal Control contacted us about a loose sheep. Sheep? We don't do livestock!!! But, me being me, well...... They have a truckload of brand new cattle paneling and they took it out and set it up. Could we add a camera so that they can monitor it? Sure! So I set up a camera for monitoring and shared it with one of the AC deputies. The property owner was EXTREMELY helpful! It was 4 days later when the sheep finally went in the pen and Fred (homeowner) had tied a rope to one of the pen panels with the other end on his golf cart, and he was able to shut the pen with the sheep in it! Hooray! I contacted AC to let them know (in case the deputy wasn't watching the camera, and they came to pick up the sheep. Well, the sheep wasn't having any part of it! He charged the pen and was able to get his head under it and got out. So, I got my thinking cap on (which doesn't work as quickly as it used to!). I went out and flipped the pen upside down so that it wasn't on raised legs. I had to buy 10" bolts and washers because the pins that are in the panels can't be removed and dropped to the bottom, being useless. There is a sheep farm about 2 miles away from this house, and another AC deputy made contact with them, but they were not missing any sheep. I took it a step further and was able to get the name and number of the farm owner via Google search. He lives not far from me! He and one of his workers met me at the house (and they saw the sheep -- named Jeff or Te**es, depending on which neighbor you talk to) and agreed that they pen needed to be upside down. They gave me some suggestions and I came home and thought about them for a few days. In the meantime, Jeff kept returning, but wasn't going in the pen. When he wasn't at this house, he was at the house next door. But no one had contacted them because the house is a rental, with different people in and out. It was a Saturday, so I went over to talk to whomever was there (and I wanted to see where Jeff was going) and the owner was there! He said Jeff was hanging there all of the time, and sleeping there! His favorite place was on the ground-level patio, by the sliding glass door. He loved to look in the door. The man could get within inches of him if he was at the door. So, now more thoughts swimming in my head! We could use his property for capture, but it could be dangerous -- just off of the lower porch was a hill with stairs and landscaped with big rocks leading to the lake. Finally, my brain cells connected that he liked the patio because he could see his reflection in the glass! He thought there was another sheep there! I scanned online for non-breakable mirrors and came up with mirrored film that I could peel and stick on a 1/4" board. It took 3 days to arrive (and that was with Amazon Prime). I made 2 mirror boards and drilled 4 holes in them. This morning, I went and tied them to the inside of the pen. I also added Timothy Hay mixed with Alfalfa (which he was not at all interested in) on the ground in front of the mirrors, and made a small trail to the exterior of the pen. Before leaving, I went next door just to see if he was there, and he was. I grabbed 3 slip leads and put them together in case I could get close enough to leash him and wrap the leashes around a porch support. I called Laura with an update, and she was on her way to see if she could help. Nope, he wouldn't get any closer. But, I could get within 10-12 feet of him and he didn't charge at me. Finally, he was bored of me and went back to the yard with the pen. Son-of-a-gun he went right in! And he saw his "friends" in the mirrors! I called the property owner (Fred), and he got on his golf cart and waited for the sheep to have his back turned. Then, he made his way to the end of the rope, tied it to his golf cart, and was able to shut the pen!!! I immediately called Mr. McConnell (sheep farm owner) and he gathered his crew to come over. Then, I contacted Animal Control. The deputy who headed this case happened to be off, but lives only 10 minutes away, so he headed over (I love having a group text with all AC deputies!). It took 7 of us, but we were able to shrink the pen in order to give Jeff less running room, then they guy from the farm was able to get a harness on him. Then, into the van and off to the farm to be with real sheep, not mirror images of them! This one took a village! Thank you Fred and Anita for giving us free-range of your property, and Carter, the neighbor, who also gave us free-range, and to Curt McConnell of 5-Point Farms and his crew for coming to do the sheep wrangling, and to Deputy Lussier for putting up with my MANY texts about "how are we going to capture this sheep???" and for coming on his day off to help secure him.

10/21/2026

Last night I received a call from Animal Control about 2 pit bulls who had been hanging around a house since Saturday. It was nearly dark, so he put food out for them (and they came right up and ate) in order to encourage them to stay there (the homeowner feeds outdoor cats, so they had a food source) and after my 10:00 appointment this morning, I headed out to trap them. Laura called me earlier this morning and offered to come along and bring a second trap so that I didn't have to COMPLETELY empty my car in order to fit 2 traps in (thanks, Laura!). Both dogs were by the driveway when we arrived, and did not run (but barked at us) when we got out of our vehicles. They watched as we set the traps. The younger one (a male) went in almost right away! The female (his mom??) took a bit more convincing. She liked the Vienna Sausages, liked the chicken jerky and sweet potato treats a bit more, but REALLY liked the gravy based dog food! It took about 10 minutes of trying different things before she decided to go in the trap. They are both now at the Spotsylvania Animal Shelter on stray hold.

10/21/2026

Over the weekend, we helped a woman who's cat has been missing for 2 years. He's missing from a neighborhood with MANY cats. But, this one was showing up fairly regularly, and was definitely not feral. So, I met up with her, armed with a few traps, and we set them and waited. We caught 1 cat who was not neutered, so we put him in the car and waited. Then, the cat we wanted showed up! He went in the trap. But, when I scanned him for a microchip, none was found. I felt around a bit more and found that he was also not neutered. So, he, too went in the car. The friend who lives here was able to pick up and put a 3rd cat in a trap (an unspayed female). So, although we didn't find the missing cat, we did manage to TNR 3 cats.

10/16/2026

THIS!!!!

LOST PET RECOVERY TIP:
LESS ACTIVITY, MORE OPPORTUNITY!

When a missing pet is spotted, the natural reaction is to rush to the area and start searching. But that can actually make recovery more difficult!

Fearful lost pets often seek quiet, familiar, and predictable environments. Increased foot traffic, unfamiliar voices, and repeated searches can cause them to remain hidden or move elsewhere.

Finding your lost pet isn't always about doing MORE. Sometimes it's about creating the conditions that allow them to feel safe enough to be recovered.

10/12/2026

Blaze and Hazel are home after a 12 day adventure (and they got into a bit of trouble!). Sadly, their brother was hit by a car and didn't survive.
We received a message from their owner asking if they could borrow a trap because they were hoping to get them home before the rain this weekend. Laura contacted them and explained that it's not that easy. You can't just stick a trap out and expect your missing pet to just show up and go in it. So, Laura explained the process of how we do things. She asked about sightings and was told that they were at 1 house where they killed a few of their chickens. Uh, oh! Not good.... The owner of the chickens was, obviously, not happy. And they wouldn't allow a camera on their property. But, that was fine. We really didn't want to put food there and lure the dogs back because who knows if they would eat the food, more chickens, or both? But the property that is behind this house is owned, and leased by a hunt club. The hunt club gave us permission to do whatever we needed to do. Laura set up a camera and feeding station, but no one came to eat. Then, it rained all day yesterday, which generally keeps activity at a minimum. Then, last night, the dogs owner received a call from the chicken owners again -- the dogs were back! Laura grabbed leftover rotisserie chicken, already had the trap loaded in her truck, and headed out, meeting the owners at the house. At this point, the chicken owners said that we could do whatever was needed because he needed the dogs to stop attacking his chickens. The location where the trap would be most effective was in an area that could not be accessed by vehicle, so Laura and the dogs owner hauled the big trap, camera, and food so that it could be set up. But, then they heard noises -- dog noises! The wife looked and saw Hazel, and talked to her. They were on the other side of the fence, but Hazel came right over, happy to see them! The owner had their leashes in his pocket and the put one on Hazel. They had lost their collars, so he used it like a slip lead. Her owner was able to lift her over the fence. Blaze approached, but much more slowly. Again, they put a leash on him and lifted him over the fence. Safe at last! Then they had to haul all of the equipment back to Laura's truck, through the mud. Phew! What a way to end the week! 1 cat and 3 dogs rescued in 1 week! Great job, Laura!

10/11/2026

HUGE news!! We caught Oliver!!!! He's been out for 1 year and 5 months!! Thank you to Sarah (volunteer for Old Dominion Humane Society who assisted us because she can run fast!), Sylvia with Flag n Fleece Alpacas for calling animal control when you saw him hanging around your farm 2 months ago, and for feeding him and putting up with us for 2 months! Also Bill, neighbor to Flag n Fleece Alpacas who let us put up a Missy trap on his property (which Oliver said "nope! I'm not falling for that again!), and to every one of you who made a donation towards the drop net!! Sadly, because of the delay (1-2 seconds) in the camera, we just missed the net dropping in the video (I had 1 hand using Laura's night vision binoculars in order to watch Oliver, and the other hand on the remote control. Laura was recording, but as soon as I dropped the net and yelled "go" she had to shut it off and she and Sarah bolted out of the truck to grab Oliver while I went to my car to drive to him with a wire crate. Lots of moving parts!!).
Here is Oliver's back story: he was adopted in February of 2025, and quickly escaped. He was out for about 3 weeks when we finally received a sighting at a small farm that had goats and mini horses. They said that they had been seeing him for a couple of weeks. We put out a box trap, and he would have nothing to do with it. So, we set the Missy. It took a few days to acclimate him, but we finally trapped him and took him home (3 miles away, as the crow flies, straight through the woods). Fast forward to August of this year, and animal control contacted us about a Pyrenees, or mix, who had been seen at a small farm, for about 3 months. The owners had only bought the house in May, and wondered if the previous owners had maybe left the dog behind? When we got there, it was the same farm where we had trapped Oliver over a year prior! But, now it's an alpaca farm! I showed the owner a picture of Oliver, and she said that she thought it was the same dog! I called Oliver's owner and she said yes, that he had escaped again, a year ago in May. She didn't report it because she was going through difficult times (husband was in hospice at home and ultimately died, then she had her own health issues). So, at least we knew who we were dealing with! We tried the box trap -- nope. Not happening. Then, we put the Missy in the neighbor's woods. We set it up without the door and he went in and ate. But, when we added the door, no way, no how. We even took the door off and tried again, but he was not going near it. So, after a month or so, we started the fundraiser for the drop net, and we moved his feeding station to one of the fields at the alpaca farm. He came every night to eat, but his times were not consistent. One thing we learned is that he much preferred human food over dog food! We've spent a small fortune on food for this guy! Once the drop net arrived, we tested it at Laura's first, then set it up at the farm. He went under it with no problem! So, we went "live" tonight. I think we were on stakeout for 3 hours when he showed up. The rest is history! He's now back with his rescue where he will decompress, get a much needed bath, and a medical evaluation. His next home needs to be a farm where he has animals to keep watch over! He's definitely not suited for most households! If he ever gets loose again, I doubt that he could be caught.

10/09/2026

After 18 looooong days, Killua is home!!! With zero sightings, the owners never gave up hope! Cameras were put out in 2 locations, signs all over the neighborhood, and another black cat (who is an outdoor cat and wears a collar) showing up on their porch frequently, the husband continued to put food out. After this much time, it's not unusual for the family to start to lose hope. Then, out of the blue, he showed up on one of the cameras today!! He even laid down and hung out for a few minutes under his "lost cat" poster! But, the trap was not armed and the sardines were from last night. So, as soon as he showed up on camera, the wife headed home and armed the trap. I went and showed her how to arm another trap (it's completely different from the one in the picture) and baited this one with both Friskies cat food and a can of salmon. 2 hours and 15 minutes later, he came back and this time was interested in the fresh food. And we got him!! Welcome home, Killua!! Please don't do that again!

10/03/2026

Onyx is safe after a loooong 8 day adventure! I don't have all of the story, because we didn't deal much with the new owner or previous owner on this case, which is very unusual. New owner wouldn't allow a camera on their property, and previous owner was so bombarded by people calling him and giving him advice that he was just ignoring everyone. But, a woman named Tammy had worked with us a couple of years ago when a stray showed up on her property and we trapped him. She's friends with the previous owner and she called asking if we'd help. Also, 2 animal control deputies had called me because they were getting calls but couldn't capture her (she was always gone by the time they arrived). Anyway, new owners had had the dog for less than 10 minutes when they let her off of her leash in their poorly secured backyard, and Onyx took off. They had 1 or 2 sightings posted on their social media post, but they didn't put signs up until she'd been missing for 5 days. And even then, they never put signs up in their own neighborhood! *smh*. Once I got involved (day 6) I drove around the area to get a lay of the land. I know 2 people who live in the neighborhood and alerted them. There is a good sized section of woods next to the new owner's house, so I looked on the gis map to see who the owner was. Maybe they would let me put a camera and trap on their property? Well, don't you know, one of my 2 friends who lives there owns it! She was out of town, but her husband gave me free reign to do whatever I needed to do in order to safely capture the dog. So, I put up a trap and camera, but bungeed the trap open. With large breed dogs I never know if the 60" will be big enough -- it all depends on whether or not the dog stretches to reach the food. Fortunately, Onyx is crate trained, so she didn't hesitate! As soon as I saw her on camera I headed over to arm the trap. I met her on the road, and stopped and talked to her. She approached me, but not close enough that I could get a leash on her, so I just let her be and continued past her. She followed my up the road and watched as I put more food in the trap. She was hungry! As I walked down the hill (about a foot or two from the trap), she walked up on the other side of the tree with the camera on it. I turned and talked to her, and she stopped. So, I quit talking to her and moved to the other side of my car. As soon as I did, she walked in and started to eat. She needed to move forward just an inch or two in order to step on the trip plate, and she did! Her previous owners live about 30-40 minutes away, but were in the area because they were going to put up signs. I called them and they arrived in less than 5 minutes. It was a happy reunion. Needless to say, they took her home with them where she will stay for the rest of her life! She lost a noticeable amount of weight, but otherwise seemed fine. Everyone, especially Onyx, will sleep well tonight! Thank you, Tammy, for your part in this! And thank you JoAnn, who lives in the neighborhood and contacted neighbors and was able to give me some intel on previous sightings. And thank you to the Steinigers who let me do what I needed to do with a trap and camera on their property in order to get Onyx back home!

09/21/2026

Alastah is home after a 2 day adventure! She'd been in her foster home for 3 days. Being a house without a fenced yard, the foster would put her on a leash and walk her around their large yard. And before Alastah came to this foster home, her sister was here. That's great because there was another familiar scent "imprinted" in the yard! Anyway, Saturday morning things were going as usual. Mom put the leash on Alastah and they headed out of the front door. I'm not clear whether the leash caused a porch chair to move or if the foster mom moved the chair, but the sound was unfamiliar to Alastah and she was able to jerk her leash out of mom's hand and she took off into the woods. (Unfamiliar sounds are scary! When I first got my Golden Retriever, Flynn, who was born and raised on a farm, I walked him around my cul-de-sac. He went around a plastic trash can, causing his leash to move it, and he tried to bolt! Luckily, I had a firm hold on the leash. Then, a neighbor came out to get his mail and he met Flynn. When he closed his plastic mailbox door, Flynn tried to bolt again! It took a few weeks of taking him out A LOT to familiarize him with "neighborhood sounds"!) The family searched for her for a couple of hours, but couldn't find her. The rescue contacted us for help. I took a trap and camera over to the house and set it up just inside the woods. Foster mom was given instructions about bungeeing it when no one is home, and how to reset it. We also talked about the importance of putting up lots and lots of easy-to-read signs. She had been posting on social media, but that's just no where near good enough. They got a few signs up that day, but no phone calls. They did get 1 response from someone who lives only 1100 feet away (but through the woods) that Alastah had run through their backyard at 3:00 on Saturday (the day she went missing). Nothing at all on Sunday. More signs went up, and plans for many more to go up today. Then, at 4:30 this morning, I heard a notification on my phone (when we have traps out, we sleep with our phones next to our heads so that we hear it when we get notifications). I looked, and it was Alastah! I went to the "live" view, and watched. She ate what was at the very front, then left the camera view. Then, she came back and went in about a foot, then left again. In the meantime, I called the foster mom and told her what was going on (she didn't hear the notification because I went "live" and that stops the camera from taking photos). She was ready to sit on the porch and do calming signals if the pup wouldn't go all of the way in the trap. But, she did! It only took her 9 minutes from the time she first showed up on camera. Welcome home, Alastah! Once given time to decompress, I'm sure the foster family will be working on carefully introducing her to "everyday" noises!