Bobbi and the Strays

Sadly Wednesday was not the day we would find Frances.  I spent the day searching Prospect Park with another one of my dogs, a pit bull named Lucky Charm. We searched more of the northside of the park. We went by the zoo, to the Vale of Cashmere, all along the bridal paths. There was absolutely no sign of Frances. We posted flyers along the way. The more we post, the better chance we have of a sighting being reported.  The park seemed so big. When I took Lucky home at four o’clock, I felt a little overwhelmed.  After two and half days of searching, there were parts of the park that we hadn’t even touched yet.

I met Christine, Anthony and Sonia (our morning supervisor at the shelter) in the park at seven pm that night. We hadn’t had any sign of Frances. No one had seen her. We were getting a little desperate so we took a shot in the dark and decided to set a humane trap on the hill where the cane corso was seen which is also right next to a water source. It was a likely place where she would be hang out… but there was no real evidence. Christine reasoned that even if we got the cane corso, it would be a good thing. We just prayed we didn’t get any raccoons … especially rabid ones. We had just read that there was raccoons with rabies in the park and someone had gotten bitten recently. This coupled with last nights screams from Lookout Hill,  had me a little on edge.

We met at 7th street and Prospect Park West again. Christine had brought us all face masks because it was freezing outside. So here we are. Four people with face masks on, carrying flashlights, a huge wire trap and two snag poles, walking through the pitch black darkness of Prospect Park. Its a wonder someone didn’t call the police on us.

The trap was extremely heavy and difficult to hold, esp because it was cold out. Anthony had to create a shoulder sling.  Quaker Hill was in the middle of the park and it was no easy trek.  We shone the flashlights over the vast fields along the way. A lot of people let their dogs play off leash when its dark.  There was so much hope every time one ran past us, and then disappointment when it was Frances. As we neared the woods we saw a medium sized dog sitting on a path under a shadow.

And then: “Oh my god, there she is!” Christine exclaimed. She dropped what she was carrying and ran towards the dog, “Frances!” She exclaimed. She ran to the dog… and to the dog’s owners and then realized that the dog was not Frances at all.  She apologized to the people and explained we were looking for a lost dog. We have them a flyer.  “I’m losing my damn mind,” She said as we resumed our trip into the woods with the trap.It was heartbreaking. The dog had looked like Frances from a distance and we had wanted it to be her so badly. The mind plays tricks on you sometimes, especially in the dark. I walked in silence. My heart hurt and I knew others felt the same.

Getting the trap up Quaker Hill was the hardest part. It was a pretty steep hill and we went through some thorny brush and then over two huge fallen tree trunks.  I was on the look out for the Cane Corso and raccoons with abnormal social behavior. Christine and Sonia walked to the top of the hill while Anthony set up the trap.  Sonia and I went to the Chinese restaurant before we came to buy fried chicken as bait for Frances. We also had a blanket with her scent on it given to us by Vicki, the volunteer who fostered Frances before she was adopted. Sonia and Christine had no luck searching the top of the hill and helped us wrap the trap in a tarp which would hide the trap and also keep Frances warm if we caught her.

I can’t say I wasn’t happy when we finished setting everything up so we could leave Quaker Hill.  We left a garlic powder trail down the hill. Its easy for the dogs to smell and follow the scent. Garlic is not good for dogs but since its a powder in the dirt its hard for them to eat it, but easy to smell.

We then walked around the park with the flashlights searching under bushes, in hollowed trees and in any small hiding spot that we could find. It was so cold all I could think about was if Frances had found a warm spot to sleep. A spot out of the wind. She has been outside before, I told myself, she is smart. But still it was so cold my own fingers were numb through the gloves. I couldn’t help worry about her. We searched all the water sources again since it was likely she would be hanging out around there. We went to the boathouse area and then the stream that leads to the boat house from the lower pool. Then we searched by the lull water and the lake. We posted flyer after flyer to make sure no one walking in the park would miss it. Then hours later we went back to check the trap. It was empty.

We kept going though. We walked all around the cemetery looking for holes in the fence where she could get in. We went down any dirt path we could find and fanned out in the woods with our lights. We searched by the lake and over by the ice skating rink. We searched for hours and hours. We check the trap again. Nothing.  Maybe she would go in sometime in the morning, we reasoned. She was probably sleeping now anyway…

I kept thinking about how wonderful it would be when I saw her. Would I find her hiding in some hollowed tree, all curled up? I would shine my flashlight in and there she would be. Just like that. Or maybe she would just be trotting across the field. I kept thinking about this. The moment we would find her… I was trying to will this moment into existence.  But it just wouldn’t happen.

We posted flyers all the way out of the park and to our cars… It was around midnight when we finally left.

Tomorrow, we had said. Tomorrow would be the day…