05/06/2026
I was supposed to be taking a break after the last rescue when I got the call about Caleb.
Honestly, it sounded simple enough. Caleb had been spotted regularly at someone’s property, and food had been left out for him every day for nearly a week. It felt like one of those cases where all the pieces were already lining up.
I decided to say yes because, after all, it should have been easy… and I would be helping save another dog’s life.
But Caleb, this sweet 11-month-old cutie, was anything but easy.
He was already deep in survival mode by the time I took the case on. When I arrived and saw where he had been visiting, I immediately got to work and set up the trap. I placed a food bowl right at the entrance, but even that was too much for him. Even on the outside of the trap, he was stretching to eat the food. He tried to stay as far away from the trap as possible, so I knew I would need to adjust and take things slowly.
I started with the bowl on the outside of the trap. Eventually, Caleb worked up the courage to eat from it. From there, I slowly began moving the bowl farther inside… inch by inch, day by day.
Sometimes I pushed too far too fast and had to move it back toward the entrance again. Progress was slow and entirely on his terms. Even when he was feeling brave, noises from around the area would spook him.
This continued for weeks.
As you’ll see in the video, Caleb remained incredibly skittish of the trap the entire time. We adjusted constantly, trying new approaches and reevaluating every detail. We even moved the trap at one point, which is something we don't usually do once we have established a feeding station. We sprayed a path of liquid smoke from the old area to the new one to make sure he would find the new area we moved the trap to. He found it the same day we moved it, even though it took a little time.
Throughout the process, I leaned heavily on other experienced trappers for support and ideas. There were countless messages and phone calls with Deb Liden, who monitored Caleb’s movements through my cameras and became just as emotionally invested in this case as I was. There were nights and early mornings where we were both feeling every high and low right alongside each other.
Michelle, another trapper and friend, even drove out to assess the area herself and quickly became deeply invested in Caleb’s rescue too. She continued making the hour-plus drive over multiple days, helping brainstorm safer and smarter ways to capture him. Together, we talked through plan after plan, adjusting little details. We tried every snack on the planet to entice him into the trap. Big turkey legs, Portillo’s beef sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, liverwurst, salami, hot dogs, lunch meat, fried chicken, cat food, tuna… nothing was enticing enough for him to overcome his fear.
One of our plans turned out to be the golden ticket. We saw the garage as another option to trap him, so we dropped food at the threshold of the garage door to see if he would be willing to go inside. He went inside the garage - ALL THE WAY IN - and that was the sign we needed… this was how we were going to get him.
We concocted a plan to make sure nothing would fail. We even took our shoes off so we wouldn't make any noises by accident. Michelle got there by 5pm, everything aligned perfectly, and we had him saved by 10pm!
The only hiccup is that there was a nearby deer and some dogs too, and he was barking at them for probably an hour before he finally turned his attention toward food. He visited the trap, but we had no food in there this time, so he headed immediately to the garage.
I watched from the window, and Michelle was hidden around the corner, waiting for him to walk through the door. The second he reached the food bowl and was far enough from the door that he couldn’t bolt, I whispered to Michelle, “GO GO GO!”
She closed the door immediately and that was it… Caleb was safe.
We did it.
This case was heartbreaking. Draining. Frustrating. Nerve-wracking. I watched his skinny little body get thinner every day on the trail cams, and I felt utterly helpless at times.
But it was also a reminder of what it takes to save dogs like Caleb. Patience. Persistence. Community. And the willingness to keep showing up, even when progress feels impossibly slow.
And in the end… every second of it was worth it.
Special thanks go out to:
Sue, for alerting me to this case and lending me her large trap.
Deb Liden, for the constant emotional support and for feeling every emotion alongside me, even during the exhausting early morning hours.
Michelle, for coming out multiple times, teaming up with me, helping develop new ideas, and assisting the night of capture. We both committed to pulling an all-nighter that night.
And an extra special thank you to the people at the house Caleb returned to every single day. Chet and his wife, and Jason and his wife. These guys made sure food was in that trap every single day, even when I couldn’t get there because of work. That consistency mattered more than they probably realize.
Thanks also to Chet for taking footage of me feeding Caleb and throwing his ball. That was such a special moment.
I also want to be transparent about something…
Over the course of this month-long case, I ended up investing a significant amount of my own personal money into supplies, food, cameras, bait, gas, and other expenses needed to safely save him.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. Caleb was worth every second, every tear, and every dollar spent.
But rescues like this do take a real toll financially, especially when they stretch over weeks like this one did.
I’ve started a GoFundMe to help replenish the supplies I used during Caleb’s rescue and help offset some of the costs associated with saving him. If you’ve ever wanted to support the work I do, this would genuinely help so much. I've shared more info on how to help below.
Even a few dollars goes directly back into helping me continue rescuing lost pets like Caleb.
Thank you all so much for cheering us on, sharing his story, and caring about this sweet boy as much as we did. 🧡
Stay Safe, Don't Chase,
Kat 🐾🧡
