Chapter 26--Hutch in Enumclaw
Hutch is a beagle mix, eight years old at the time of his disappearance. Hutch spent the first 3 years of his life in a cage in a research lab. After the research ended, Mark and Susan adopted Hutch. He hikes in the woods near Enumclaw with his family every day. On July 28th, 2013, Susan visited a neighbor’s house with Hutch, unaware of the electric fence. When Hutch tried to greet the goats, he received a shock on his wet nose that sent him running in panic toward highway 410, the main street through Enumclaw. Susan ran after him right away, but Hutch had disappeared.
Life stopped for Susan and Mark as they searched for Hutch for twelve to sixteen hours a day for the next twelve days. Every telephone pole in Enumclaw seemed to have a poster for Hutch, and Mark and Susan spent many hours each day holding up large neon signs at major intersections, to alert people that Hutch had run away. Because of their signs, they received a sighting five days after the escape, almost two miles west of home. The witness said someone was trying to get Hutch to safety, but he had to leave before seeing if Hutch was successfully captured. Mark and Susan set a humane trap and a wildlife camera near the point last seen, in case Hutch wasn’t picked up. They continued their publicity campaign in case Hutch was picked up by someone. Hutch has a microchip, but he wasn’t wearing a collar at the time of escape. They wanted to make sure that anyone who found Hutch knew where he belonged.
Although neither Mark nor Susan had used Facebook much in the past, Hutch soon had his own Facebook page, and in just a couple of days his picture was seen by 60,000 people, six times the total population of Enumclaw. [ https://www.facebook.com/FindHutchInEnumclaw ] Neither Mark nor Susan went to work for most of the twelve days Hutch was missing. They weren’t eating right or sleeping well. While friends and strangers supported their search, being without Hutch created a hole in their lives. They did everything they could to find him. (Kelsy, the search dog, was not available in the days after the first sighting because she was already scheduled for other searches.)
On Friday, August 9th, at three in the morning, they started receiving calls of sightings of Hutch on a road less than half a mile east of their home. They received many calls over the next three hours, and each call brought them closer to Hutch. Finally, right as the sun came up, they came upon a police officer pulled over on the side of the road. He pointed ahead of his car, and there was Hutch.
Having been advised not to shout his name or make any sudden movements, Mark and Susan approached slowly, with food. They talked softly so that Hutch could hear their voices without feeling pressured. Hutch moved away from them, into a muddy ditch and out again. They could track his movements in the tall grass by watching where the grass moved. Mark approached again and offered food. Hutch didn’t come to Mark right away, but he didn’t run away again. As Hutch took an interest in the food offered, Mark was able to grab him. Once in Mark’s arms, Hutch returned to his old self, acting normal. He had many scrapes and cuts, possibly from barbed wire or an encounter with a critter. He had lost weight, but otherwise he checked out okay at the vet.
Now that Hutch is home, Mark and Susan can get back to their lives. Their tireless search for Hutch paid off, as seemingly every person in Enumclaw knew about him and many people actively searched for him. After some rest for all three of them, Hutch will help Mark and Susan go around Enumclaw to take down all the signs.
Large, bright signs solve more cases than search dogs can. Search dogs are one effective method of finding your dog under certain circumstances, but search dogs can't be everywhere. Also, there are many situations where a search dog won't be effective, such as if too much time has passed or if the weather is too hot and dry. Signs are relatively cheap, you can put them anywhere at any time, and if done properly, they are your most effective means of finding your dog. If you want to have the best chance of getting your dog back, you should use all methods at your disposal, including signs and search dogs. If you only have time or money for one thing, do great signs.
When you are done, you will have posters on neon paper 22 x28 inches, with bold black letters 6 inches high at the top and bottom, and two standard sheet protectors taped side by side in the middle. One sheet protector has a clear, sharp, simple picture of your dog. The other sheet protector contains an information sheet with a few descriptive words, and your phone number. Most important of all, your phone number is in a font of 100 or larger, and when you place your poster and go sit in your car in the road, you can read the phone number without getting out of the car. Make it as easy as possible for people to help you. The other descriptive words are along the lines of “OLD BLACK SHAGGY DOG” or “BROWN PIT BULL MIX”. Be sure to place the sheet protectors with the openings down, to keep the rain out. Once your inserts are in, secure them with a tab of tape. The large black letters read REWARD at the top and LOST DOG at the bottom. You can do the lettering with a thick black marker. Be sure to trace the outlines of the letters in pencil before you start.
Make at least ten of these signs, although twenty would be better. To generate immediate impact, you might tape a few to stop signs or telephone poles in your neighborhood. Most likely, this isn’t allowed by local codes. To make your signs last longer, mount them on cardboard with duct tape, and then tape them to wooden frames on stakes. Then get permission from key property owners at the best intersections, and place your signs on private property where they are clearly visible from the street. If your sign is on private property, chances are that the local government employee in charge of code enforcement won’t remove your signs. You can also tape your signs to sandwich boards like real estate agents use.
Choose intersections near the point where your dog was last seen. Intersections with stop signs or stop lights are best, so you can catch people when they aren’t moving. Think about how people normally get in and out of your neighborhood, and choose your sign locations to catch the attention of the most people possible. Check your signs every day or two, and make sure they are intact and legible. If you have a storm, chances are your signs will need repair or replacement. Don’t let your signs get weathered, bent, torn, and illegible; this tells people you have given up looking. For at least a month, or as long as your dog is missing, keep your signs refreshed and easy to read. Don’t be surprised if someone vandalizes your signs. Some people will become irrationally angry that anyone would put this much effort into finding a dog. Whatever the reason, these signs are vandalized from time to time. If this happens to you, replace them immediately with new signs, perhaps in a slightly different location. Make a simple map of where you placed the signs, and use your map to make sure they are all maintained properly. If you get reported sightings in a new area, and you don’t immediately find your dog in that area, be sure to put up new posters there. Last but not least, take your signs down once you find your dog.
Hutch is a beagle mix, eight years old at the time of his disappearance. Hutch spent the first 3 years of his life in a cage in a research lab. After the research ended, Mark and Susan adopted Hutch. He hikes in the woods near Enumclaw with his family every day. On July 28th, 2013, Susan visited a neighbor’s house with Hutch, unaware of the electric fence. When Hutch tried to greet the goats, he received a shock on his wet nose that sent him running in panic toward highway 410, the main street through Enumclaw. Susan ran after him right away, but Hutch had disappeared.
Life stopped for Susan and Mark as they searched for Hutch for twelve to sixteen hours a day for the next twelve days. Every telephone pole in Enumclaw seemed to have a poster for Hutch, and Mark and Susan spent many hours each day holding up large neon signs at major intersections, to alert people that Hutch had run away. Because of their signs, they received a sighting five days after the escape, almost two miles west of home. The witness said someone was trying to get Hutch to safety, but he had to leave before seeing if Hutch was successfully captured. Mark and Susan set a humane trap and a wildlife camera near the point last seen, in case Hutch wasn’t picked up. They continued their publicity campaign in case Hutch was picked up by someone. Hutch has a microchip, but he wasn’t wearing a collar at the time of escape. They wanted to make sure that anyone who found Hutch knew where he belonged.
Although neither Mark nor Susan had used Facebook much in the past, Hutch soon had his own Facebook page, and in just a couple of days his picture was seen by 60,000 people, six times the total population of Enumclaw. [ https://www.facebook.com/FindHutchInEnumclaw ] Neither Mark nor Susan went to work for most of the twelve days Hutch was missing. They weren’t eating right or sleeping well. While friends and strangers supported their search, being without Hutch created a hole in their lives. They did everything they could to find him. (Kelsy, the search dog, was not available in the days after the first sighting because she was already scheduled for other searches.)
On Friday, August 9th, at three in the morning, they started receiving calls of sightings of Hutch on a road less than half a mile east of their home. They received many calls over the next three hours, and each call brought them closer to Hutch. Finally, right as the sun came up, they came upon a police officer pulled over on the side of the road. He pointed ahead of his car, and there was Hutch.
Having been advised not to shout his name or make any sudden movements, Mark and Susan approached slowly, with food. They talked softly so that Hutch could hear their voices without feeling pressured. Hutch moved away from them, into a muddy ditch and out again. They could track his movements in the tall grass by watching where the grass moved. Mark approached again and offered food. Hutch didn’t come to Mark right away, but he didn’t run away again. As Hutch took an interest in the food offered, Mark was able to grab him. Once in Mark’s arms, Hutch returned to his old self, acting normal. He had many scrapes and cuts, possibly from barbed wire or an encounter with a critter. He had lost weight, but otherwise he checked out okay at the vet.
Now that Hutch is home, Mark and Susan can get back to their lives. Their tireless search for Hutch paid off, as seemingly every person in Enumclaw knew about him and many people actively searched for him. After some rest for all three of them, Hutch will help Mark and Susan go around Enumclaw to take down all the signs.
Large, bright signs solve more cases than search dogs can. Search dogs are one effective method of finding your dog under certain circumstances, but search dogs can't be everywhere. Also, there are many situations where a search dog won't be effective, such as if too much time has passed or if the weather is too hot and dry. Signs are relatively cheap, you can put them anywhere at any time, and if done properly, they are your most effective means of finding your dog. If you want to have the best chance of getting your dog back, you should use all methods at your disposal, including signs and search dogs. If you only have time or money for one thing, do great signs.
When you are done, you will have posters on neon paper 22 x28 inches, with bold black letters 6 inches high at the top and bottom, and two standard sheet protectors taped side by side in the middle. One sheet protector has a clear, sharp, simple picture of your dog. The other sheet protector contains an information sheet with a few descriptive words, and your phone number. Most important of all, your phone number is in a font of 100 or larger, and when you place your poster and go sit in your car in the road, you can read the phone number without getting out of the car. Make it as easy as possible for people to help you. The other descriptive words are along the lines of “OLD BLACK SHAGGY DOG” or “BROWN PIT BULL MIX”. Be sure to place the sheet protectors with the openings down, to keep the rain out. Once your inserts are in, secure them with a tab of tape. The large black letters read REWARD at the top and LOST DOG at the bottom. You can do the lettering with a thick black marker. Be sure to trace the outlines of the letters in pencil before you start.
Make at least ten of these signs, although twenty would be better. To generate immediate impact, you might tape a few to stop signs or telephone poles in your neighborhood. Most likely, this isn’t allowed by local codes. To make your signs last longer, mount them on cardboard with duct tape, and then tape them to wooden frames on stakes. Then get permission from key property owners at the best intersections, and place your signs on private property where they are clearly visible from the street. If your sign is on private property, chances are that the local government employee in charge of code enforcement won’t remove your signs. You can also tape your signs to sandwich boards like real estate agents use.
Choose intersections near the point where your dog was last seen. Intersections with stop signs or stop lights are best, so you can catch people when they aren’t moving. Think about how people normally get in and out of your neighborhood, and choose your sign locations to catch the attention of the most people possible. Check your signs every day or two, and make sure they are intact and legible. If you have a storm, chances are your signs will need repair or replacement. Don’t let your signs get weathered, bent, torn, and illegible; this tells people you have given up looking. For at least a month, or as long as your dog is missing, keep your signs refreshed and easy to read. Don’t be surprised if someone vandalizes your signs. Some people will become irrationally angry that anyone would put this much effort into finding a dog. Whatever the reason, these signs are vandalized from time to time. If this happens to you, replace them immediately with new signs, perhaps in a slightly different location. Make a simple map of where you placed the signs, and use your map to make sure they are all maintained properly. If you get reported sightings in a new area, and you don’t immediately find your dog in that area, be sure to put up new posters there. Last but not least, take your signs down once you find your dog.
