Violet’s spectacular return home

It is never an easy thing when a beloved family pet goes missing. It is even harder when the pet is a rescue, trying to recover from unbearable conditions in a new, loving home. This was the case for Violet, a six-year-old basset hound, rescued by Elizabeth Kowieski’s family only six months ago. She slipped out of a friend’s house on Christmas Day and spent a few days eluding those who only hoped to help her make a safe return.

Over 80 people answered the Kowieski’s call for help when their rescue basset hound, Violet, went missing over Christmas. Due to the concern and willingness to help in the community, Violet was returned home safe and sound.
(Contributed photograph)

Rescue dogs who have been abused, or who have lived a difficult life previously, need special considerations, and it can be difficult to know what might cause them to bolt and run. Once a dog such as Violet does escape, because of their natural apprehension of people, it can make it exceedingly difficult to get them back home again, every pet owner’s nightmare. 

With dogs who have been in difficult situations, once they do escape, getting them to trust a human being enough to come back can be quite a difficult task. Many of these dogs will turn back toward the tendencies of wild animals, staying safe, in their minds, by staying elusive and avoiding capture.

Violet’s break out was, unfortunately, coupled with an ice storm, making it more difficult for all family members, and rescuer Michelle Bushor of Fetch Foster and Rescue, to be able to get back to assist in bringing Violet home. Multiple other people pitched in in an attempt to locate Violet directly after her escape, but to no avail, due to her learned response to people. She had gone into a survival-like mode, seeing humans as a threat.

Violet did have a GPS collar on, Kowieski said, so she knew where the basset hound was, but they were simply not able to get her to trust enough to get close enough to capture her and bring her back home.

A friend got Kowieski in touch with Bushor, who came to help as quickly as she could.

“She actually saved Violet’s life,” Kowieski said. 

Bushor said dogs such as Violet could not be called in or chased, but all that could be done was to wait until the dog stopped in a place where it felt safe. At that point, a live trap could be set with food, and eventually the dog would come to the food.

“We were very fortunate that she was hiding between houses on Woodland Drive,” Kowieski said. “Ironically, one of the houses is our friend. The Woodland Drive community was very kind with letting us go in their backyard or doing what we needed to do.”

Violet had been out for three nights, and her GPS collar battery was running low. On Dec. 27, she had been sitting behind their friends’ house for nine hours. Kowieski asked Bushor if she could go out near the dog and simply sit and talk calmly to Violet. Kowieski said she had gotten close enough to Violet twice that her phone actually pinged that basset hound was with her, meaning she was within a 40-foot radius. Although she sat for hours, Violet would not come to her.

At that point, a plan was put together to close in on Violet and capture her. This would normally be totally against what a rescuer would recommend. However, with the battery being low on the GPS collar, and the length of time Violet had been out with no success in getting her to come to anyone, Kowieski said it was felt this would be a last ditch effort to get Violet home safe.

Kowieski put out a call for help on Facebook, asking people to come to the Rhinelander High School at 9 a.m. on Dec. 28 to help. More than 80 people answered the call.

“It was absolutely incredible,” Kowieski said. “We are so grateful. We cannot express our gratitude enough.”

A map was created and a plan put in place for rescuers to circle around where Violet’s collar was pinging. At one point, Kowieski’s group saw Violet walking toward them. They all stopped, staying as still as possible, but to no avail. Violet sensed danger when seeing people, as she was conditioned to do in her previous life, and bolted once again. She had turned toward another group of rescuers, then darted under a tree to hide. One of Kowieski’s son’s friends was able to dive under the tree and grab Violet, meaning she would finally be spending the night in a warm, loving home again, relearning how to trust, and how to be loved.

Kowieski said her family was also grateful for Bushor, and Fetch, which is a non-profit rescue service, staffed completely by volunteers. More information about Fetch can be found by searching them on Facebook, or by heading to their website, fetchfosterandrescue.com.

Life with a rescue dog

“The number one thing, if you’re rescuing a dog, is you have to fully understand what that commitment is and that it can take a dog months and months to adjust to even simple things,” Kowieski said. 

For a dog such as Violet, this can mean that fear issues will always be a part of the challenge. Potential rescuers should be aware that taking on a dog with a difficult past means more patience and more understanding than it might for a dog who has never experienced those things.

The breed, too, can make a difference. Hounds can be especially loveable, but also drastically different from many other breeds, for instance. 

Kowieski said it is important, too, to know the specifics of the breed of dog and to understand that particular breed. From there, with rescues, that lifetime commitment also means doing research on the particular type of abuse the animal has suffered and what that carries with it. 

Kowieski said she also recommends GPS collars for rescued dogs from difficult situations. This will ensure that an owner can at least pin point the area in which their dog is hiding, increasing chances of it being returned safe.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].