Leigh’s Lost and Found: The seven week long saga to catch a Shiba Inu on the run

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - In today’s Leigh’s Lost and Found, a seven week saga to trap a lost dog on the run.

Alfred, a Shiba Inu, got away from his owner in mid November and it took professional trappers and dozens of tips and sightings every day to finally get him back home.

Alfred was too scared and too clever to let anyone grab him.

His owner, Megan Schlueter says, “we had tons and tons of people calling and texting.”

Megan’s posts on my Leigh’s Lost and Found page spawned sightings every day. Finally, she got him cornered in a dog park near Galloway.

“He did end up having to use a pole and cinch him and he did freak out. He’d been pacing us for eight hours, trying to get to know us. He’d smell me and sit behind me, but then something would spook him and he’d be moving again.”

That delicate dance eventually ended when two professional dog trappers got a cinch pole around Alfred’s neck.”

Megan tells us, “he immediately put a blanket over him and tossed him into the crate and that was it. I slept on the bathroom floor with him for two days. I needed him to trust me again. It was like he’d totally forgotten everything.”

Alfred is now back to his normal sweet self but his surroundings have definitely changed to keep him from escaping again. There’s a baby gate to keep him contained and at the front door.

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“We’ve got the deadbolts on, we have a chain lock on and then we have some furniture up against it that he can not push.”

The back yard entrance has similar strong locks and a strong warning sign to keep the fence latched.

Megan is beyond thankful to have her baby back and beyond grateful to the many people who helped make it happen.

“For all the people that were giving sightings and contacting and calling and helping rescue, it blows my mind. It’s amazing how much humanity came from trying to get him home.”

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