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Posted on 01/07/2017 12:04:27 AM PST by nickcarraway
After two months on the run and countless attempts by adults to capture her, it took the charms of a 6-year-old dog whisperer named Meghan Topping to finally bring "Daisy" in from the cold.
"I used all my experience with dogs" said the Morgan Hill girl.
The tale of "Daisy" began in late October when the shepherd-mix, rescued from a Northern California animal shelter, was adopted by a "forever" family in Hollister.
She escaped their back yard just two days later.
For close to two months, members of the Hollister Animal Lost and Found Facebook group chronicled "Daisy" sightings all over town. Repeated attempts to capture her, though, failed.
"She was in fight or flight mode," said Deanna Barth, and expert in animal rescue with decades of experience. Barth likened "Daisy's" skill at eluding capture with that of a coyote. But even coyotes can be captured eventually.
"All the typical things like cage traps and baiting with smelly foods was not working," Barth said. "Our only way to earn her trust was to get someone she might remember."
Barth had heard that before being adopted, "Daisy" has spent time with a foster family and had become attached to a little girl there. They set out to find her. That girl turned out to be Meghan.
Meghan, and her mother Karen Topping, are prolific at fostering and training rescued and even feral dogs. Seventy-five dogs have passed through their home in the past year along. "Daisy," though, was special.
"Her bond with Meghan was uncanny," Karen Topping said.
This all explains why, in late December, Meghan and her mom drove from Morgan Hill to Hollister to see if they would have any luck at capturing the dog.
They found her in one of her usual haunts, an empty field.
Karen Topping began taking pictures and video to document the sighting, but it was Meghan who decided on her own to take action. Well, not completely on her own. Meghan says "Daisy" told her what to do.
"She told me. Because you can talk to dogs in your brain," Meghan said. "She told me if Mom stayed in the truck she would come to me and I believed it." So Meghan got out of the truck, walked to the middle of the field, sat down, and waited.
"Daisy" was cautious at first eventually crept closer and closer to the little girl, seeming to recognize her as an old friend.
The last few moments were captured on video by Karen Topping.
Tail-wagging, "Daisy" comes up to Meghan and allows the girl to pet her. Meghan eventually walks back to the truck, gets a leash, returns to the dog and puts it on her. "I was just amazed," Karen Topping said.
"It's hard to watch that video and not cry," Barth said.
"I was just thinking whatever was meant to be was meant to be," Meghan said. "And that was meant to be."
"Daisy" and Meghan have spent plenty of time together since the rescue, but the dog won't be coming to live with the Toppings. They say there are focused on the thousands of other dogs out there in need of fostering and training. They have already found a great family to be her new "forever" one.
Though, if she ever goes on the lam again, they'll know just who to call.
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A kid after my own heart.
Blessed are those who can hear the animals.
LOL!
Holy smoke, I need a tissue.
If she truly is hearing them, that may be more than someone 10 times her age could ever understand.
Giving up—as it got too dark to continue—I tripped myself up, and fell down with the bicycle on top of me. A little slow in getting up, the "lost" dog came out from bushes to give me a nuzzle. :-)
Thank you, sweet story
What a wonderful gift.
And to know you have this gift, at such a tender age, is amazing.
I pray she uses her special talent and serves it well.
God Bless the children and the animals. {{{sniff-sniff}}}
Dogs know who individual people are.
Very touching story.
But I think the mother should be arrested for child abuse for using her 6-year old daughter as bait to capture a dog that was described by an experienced animal rescue ‘expert’ as being in “fight or flight mode”.
Another weird one was when I was a kid one time I woke up and their was a huge alligator lizard probably at least 8-9 inches long, who had crawled through the hole in my screen window, sitting on my chest as I woke up in my bed in the morning staring me straight in the eyes and darting his long tongue out. We stared at each other for a while and I wasn't scared at all and I guess neither was this big lizard. I slowly crept out from under him and he gently slid down on to the bed. I went to get my mom or anyone else who was around to witness the lizard but when I came back a minute later the lizard was gone and must have finished his visit and crawled back out the way he came in.
It's seems to be a natural thing with me as I have never had any fear of any animals in my life. Really quite strange, unexplainable and true. So I totally believe this girl has a gift with dogs.
A story to warm the cockles of your heart. Thanks for posting the good news story.
I always use 6 year old girls to catch stray Shepherds in fight or flight mode...
Meghan is a very old soul and has always had this skill.
Lucky for her, she has a Mom who supports this type of learning. I would be inclined to make the little girl wait in the car with windows rolled up high.
Sweet post... Thanks for sharing.
Sipping indicates how you drank the wine not how much, nice try.
So did the neighbor ever find or try to find the dogs rightful owner ?
You have a gift, a natural trait we are all born with, but in your case refined and more fully developed. Sort of like Dousing, or the ability to find water underground.
St.Francis of Assisi was also said to have that ability, allowing him direct communication with animals.
Just as with Meghan, your gift tells the animals that they have nothing to fear and will feel better by getting close to you. Maybe it’s a skill that can be taught.
I did something similar as a child but “ boots” spent the rest of his life living with us as a tough scrappy loyal little buddy
The "Foundling", like many others with my neighbor's, was found (and adopted) from an inner-city college campus where she was employed. No collar, and skinny. (The dog, that is).
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