WENATCHEE — Nothing tears at the heartstrings like an animal in peril. It’s a good thing too, because it took the efforts of many to bring about the rescue of a stranger-wary dog that had been apparently abandoned by the side of U.S. 97 near Blewett Pass earlier this month.
“You could get him to come up to you and feed him, but he wouldn’t let you put a leash on him,” said Jody White, animal control officer for the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. He was finally captured March 10 after several failed attempts by dozens of concerned passersby. The dog, since named Blewett for his former roadside residence, is now safe at the Humane Society’s animal shelter.
Blewett is a very happy, very friendly dog now that he is safe at the pound, White said. He will likely be put up for adoption sometime next week.
But Blewett would not have survived without the help of many caring people. White said the black Labrador retriever mix had been living near a highway turnout just north of the Blewett Pass summit for at least five days, based on reports she had received from many callers.
White said the dog was very likely “dumped” by someone who no longer wanted him. There were no homes nearby and no reports of a missing dog of that description. The 2- or 3-year-old dog had no collar or identification. He would not leave the area, which is typical of what abandoned dogs do, she said.
Gary Haley said he saw the dog March 7 when he was returning home to Wenatchee from Ellensburg.
“There were two or three cars stopped and people were trying to get the dog to come to them, but he wasn’t having anything to do with that,” Haley said. He returned the next morning with a bag of dog food and a leash. Blewett was still at the same place.
“I actually got him to eat out of my hand, but when I lifted the leash, he’d back away,” he said. The frightened dog bit one man who tried to jump on him, Haley said.
Cle Elum animal rescuer Betsy Dyer heard about the dog and went to the Blewett Pass area March 9. She spent six hours with the dog that Monday and almost got him to jump into her truck, before he ran off again. She returned the next day.
“You could tell he wanted to come with you so bad but he was just too scared,” Dyer said.
Snowplow drivers, skiers, snowmobilers and Forest Service employees all had stories about how they fed the dog and tried to catch him. Animal control officers had driven up two or three times to try to catch the dog during the week.
Last Tuesday, White went there again, determined to catch the dog before it froze to death in a second night of single-digit temperatures. Dyer was there to help, as well as Don McKenzie, a DOT snowplow driver who had been feeding it daily. Mike Kaelin, an avid snowmobiler, had also taken an interest in the dog and brought a package of hot dogs.
“Mike threw a hot dog into the back of my truck. The dog was very wary. He wouldn’t get all the way into the truck,” White said. The two worked together while Dyer and McKenzie blocked the area. Finally, the dog partially entered the truck. Kaelin pushed him in the rest of the way and White shut the door.
“It was such a high. We all just danced around with excitement,” Dyer said.
“It took a community effort,” White said. “He’s a beautiful dog. I’m so happy this has a happy ending.”
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