Dog Missing 40 Days Along Salem/Swampscott Line Found Safe

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — In the face of a missing dog owner's despair, Kristin Ericson advises never to give up hope as long as there's a chance the missing puppy is out there somewhere looking to be found.

On Monday, 40 days after a black Labrador retriever/collie mix went missing from the Salem/Swampscott line, Zoe reaffirmed Ericson's perpetual optimism for a happy ending for every report to Missing Dogs Massachusetts.

"This definitely is the feel-good story we all need to hear these days," the Missing Dogs Massachusetts director, who lives in Peabody, told Patch on Tuesday.

The story starts with a family moving from the housing complex on Whaler's Lane at the edge of the Salem Woods to Maine. Ericson said movers left a door ajar and Zoe took off still wearing her leash back way back on Dec. 2.

"Neighbors saw her try to come back to the old house a few times," Ericson said. "But anytime they saw her she was running. She was terrified by everybody."

Soon, the sightings waned and those invested in finding Zoey began to fear the worst.

Except for Ericson.

"Everybody goes to the worst-case scenario," she said. "Does that wind up happening? Sure. But there are many dogs that go missing for a long time and come out fine. Even the littlest ones that you might figure would get snatched up are found months, even years later."

Still, with the winter cold and a few bouts of snow and freezing rain, the thought of Zoe out in the dark nights where many coyotes are known to roam was a scary one. Weeks went by without any signs of her except for random reports from those snowshoeing in the area.

"We had some calls from snowshoers right before Christmas of dogs tracks with no human tracks but what appeared to be a leash being dragged behind," Ericson said.

She said she believes Zoe eventually got that leash caught on something, then was able to break free with the leash left behind, allowing her to roam more freely and pop back on the radar.

With the help of Swampscott Animal Control Officer Dan Proulx and Marblehead trainer Rocco Costa, Ericson and her group tracked the renewed sightings and set up traps, cameras and feeding stations in the Salem Woods. She said they had to set them up in a couple of different places as Zoe moved around, and the traps came up with woodland creatures that were not canine, but eventually, Zoe found her way into the secure Tru Catch trap.

"She looks good," Ericson reported. "She's lost a lot of weight. Otherwise, physically in really good shape considering how long she's been out."

Ericson said the owner had been coming back and forth from Maine on most weekends — even bringing Zoe's bed in her last visit — and was thrilled to find out that she was safe and sound.

"Just ecstatic," Ericson said. "This was very stressful for her. Her friends video called her to let her know Zoe had been found."

Ericson said those friends were driving Zoe up to her new home in Maine Monday night.

"It just goes to show that nothing is impossible unless we have some proof (otherwise)," she said. "There weren't any sightings of Zoe for a couple of weeks and then there she is."

Ericson said Zoe was one of 1,181 lost pets reported to Massachusetts Missing Dogs in 2020. The grass-roots organization provides resources to those looking for their pets through flyers, social media outreach, information and local contacts.

"A lot of owners don't really know what to do and who to call," she said. "Some of them don't even know to call Animal Control. We provide the steps to help and support them along the way. Sometimes it is a post on Facebook and a flyer, and the dog is found a few minutes later, and some go all the way to what we did with humane traps and cameras.

"You never know what can happen. A dog could be off the grid for weeks or months and then they show up one day six towns away."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)