Yo. Blog people. Elroy here for a change. Here to share a fantastic, wonderful, incredible, heart-warming, happy-ending story with you. (Today also happens to be Thesaurus Day – so the Boss made me start off that way). I’m writing this story with his help, because my version would be a whole lot shorter….I’d rather spend time watching. Nobody knows what I’m watching – because they just don’t SEE and hear the way I do. We Picards are special in that way.
Anyway, if anybody from Disney is reading this story- it’s a movie waiting to be made.
It’s the story of Bumble – a Berger Picard just like yours truly. Bumble lived with his breeders and best peeps – Donna and Mike in Minnesota. And besides being a loved family member, Bumble was an awesome show dog – winning all kinds of ribbons.
On January 6, Bumble was being transported to another state – possibly to be in some dog shows. That part I don’t know for sure, but what I do know is that when Bumble and the people caring for him stopped for a break in Wells, Nevada, somehow Bumble got off his leash. And like yours truly, decided to go on an adventure. Quickly. In the vast Nevada wilderness. But unlike my adventures, Bumble’s adventure was a whole lot bigger.
When Donna got the news that Bumble was on the lam, it was a story like “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. Minus the train. She hopped on a flight to the nearest airport – which was over a three hour drive from Wells. She then jumped in a car and possibly drove over the speed limit. I don’t know because I wasn’t there – but Donna was a woman with a mission: Find Bumble.
And so began the search and a massive media campaign to spread the word about Bumble – far and wide – so that it would increase the likelihood of him being found. HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of people around the GLOBE shared the news about the missing Picard. Thousands followed the story. In the area where Bumble made his exit, probably EVERYONE in the town was on the lookout. Signs were posted. Traps were set. Cameras were set up. A professional tracker was hired. A drone was used.
What no doubt made the story doubly heartbreaking was that when Donna arrived she actually SAW Bumble in the distance. But here’s the thing- when dogs go into flight mode, they often do not respond to even the people they are closest to. Bumble took off. And for almost a week, the search continued with no other sightings by Donna. Foot prints were found and initially there were reported sightings by others, but then they stopped.
Throughout this terrifying ordeal, people all around the globe (including Her Highness), obsessively checked social media for updates. And many people hopefully learned some valuable information for when a dog is lost- some of which I’ll post in a minute.
Anyway, after almost a week, the professional tracker said the trail had gone cold. Sadly, it was believed that Bumble was possibly hit by a vehicle and had been subsequently been picked up. Of course shelters and vet clinics had been notified – but it seemed Bumble had vanished. Although the media blitz continued, Donna made the sad decision to go home. Her final post before she left was heartbreaking.
But of course, the story doesn’t end there. We Picards are such crafty clowns. And pretty darn resilient. Bumble waited for Donna to get back to Minnesota and he then appeared and went up to the vehicle of a ranch worker, Juan. Juan unfortunately didn’t know Bumble was friendly, so he sadly did not invite him in the vehicle. But Donna was notified – and she turned around and headed back to Nevada. Operation Bumble: Part 2. Donna arrived with all kinds of smelly things from home to attract him.
The small local community continued its ongoing outpouring of support. Traps were set – and then, of course, snow came. Lots of snow. Making it a challenge to check the traps. I’m telling you – this IS a Disney movie.
And around the world, people waited. And prayed. And sent good wishes. And repeatedly checked for updates.
And yesterday, the ultimate update came – after an 11 day walk-about, Bumble was FOUND. Yup. Busted. After MUCH walking and searching, Juan (who joined in the search) and Donna, found some tracks way back in a field. Fresh tracks. And they followed them and found more. And then – because it was meant to happen, by luck and through the thousands of prayers and good thoughts from around the world, Donna spotted Bumble sitting under some sagebrush. Timid but tired. She slowly and carefully approached him, and with a slight touch to reassure him – he agreed that his walk-about should come to an end.
He was gathered up and carried as he was pretty weak – and he was taken immediately to a vet clinic – where he stayed to be thoroughly checked out and cared for.
He will probably have to wear an ankle bracelet with tracking device for the rest of his life. Just joking about the bracelet. Although one of those GPS collars MIGHT be a good idea.
Even though we don’t know Donna or Bumble personally- their story was one that touched many people owned by dogs. And not just people owned by Picards. Dog people. They felt they KNEW Bumble – and they could feel the anguish in his search. When news was posted that he had been found, you could literally hear a sigh of relief from around the world. Thousands of people indicated their happiness with on-line posts.
Donna is admired for her incredible persistence in searching. And one has to acknowledge the great support from the local community – who helped in the rescue efforts including Juan. And throughout it all, even when things looked somewhat bleak – HOPE remained. That desire. That wish. That anticipation that everything will be all right. And it was.
We’re glad you’re back Bumble. I guess we should thank you for the adventure – it’s been quite the journey – and most of all, we were happy for the grand finale.
We all deserve a happy ending now and then.
Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.
Hopefully you will never need the following info, but here are some resources about lost dogs:
https://www.branford-ct.gov/sites/default/files/field/files-docs/lost_dog_tipsheet.pdf
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 
We have all followed Bumbles’ adventure & cried buckets over various posts.
I really hope this could be featured in a film 🙂 Such an amazing story. A very happy ending.
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