How a Lost Dog from Wilmette Helped Another Find His Way Home

By Beth Dalbey | Patch Editor

Hoss, a German shepherd missing from his Michigan home for more than 500 days and homeless throughout last winter’s brutal polar vortex, had the good fortune to look like Holly, a lost dog from Wilmette.

And he also had the good fortune to camp out near the Edgebrook Golf Course in Cook County’s Northern Forest Preserve District. People living nearby spotted the noble-looking dog and left bits of food to help him survive in the miserable elements.

How Hoss came to be rescued by people who weren’t even looking for him is “just short of a miracle,” dog rescuer Maria L. Therese told Patch in an email.

A group of dedicated dog lovers who call themselves the “North Shore Posse Team” have been searching for Holly, a German shepherd mix who disappeared from her Wilmette home more than a year and a half ago.

The volunteers thought they had some leads on Holly’s whereabouts in early October and set up trail cameras near the golf course, only to realize when they got a good look at the dog’s face that the pooch wasn’t Holly, Therese said.

But the dog did have distinctive markings – a white stripe down the middle of his head – which increased the likelihood he could be identified and reunited with his family. The volunteers began scouring lost-pet sites, and spotted Hoss’s photo on Lost Dogs Illinois. Like Holly, Hoss had also been missing for about a year and a half. And his family lived a state away across the southern tip of Lake Michigan

The Michigan couple, Dawn and Roger Malcolm of Lakeview, brought their other dog to the Chicago area and camped out for the weekend in the woods where Hoss was living. Skittish after a year on his own, he wouldn’t approach while they were there, so the Malcolms left disappointed.

The volunteers kept the feeding stations going, according to a story on Lost Dogs Illinois. More attempts to humanely trap Hoss were made. Eventually, on Halloween, he walked into the trap and was slip leashed.

Hoss is back home now. He lost about 10 pounds during his absence and has tested positive for Lyme’s Disease, but doesn’t appear to have any other health issues or injuries.

Therese said the story is a powerful reminder to others whose pets are missing to never give up.

“That dog lived through the polar vortex. I mean, he was stinky. Everybody said he was bad,” Therese told CBS Chicago.

“How could a dog be out a year and a half?” she added. “The point is, it can; and don’t write off your dog. If it was your kid, would you stop? Absolutely not.”

Meanwhile, the search for Holly hasn’t ended.

“I don’t know if Holly is still out there, but I do feel like she is working with us and if she’s still alive, we have hope to catch her,” Therese told Raining Cats and Dogs, a blog on ChicagoNow.com.

You can learn more about Holly on a Facebook page established by the North Shore Posse.