Yep, the search for Buddy has been going on for a long time now! We are able to keep going because we do get rewarded with sightings and photos of Buddy on wildlife cameras we have trained on a feeding station that we've had going for a time now. Whenever we are out in the area canvassing neighbors or searching for evidence that Buddy has been moving about in the area, we speak to people that have seen him.
But as for the humane trap that we've had set up for some weeks, left open but stocked with tempting food inside, we've noted with disappointment that Buddy has really not shown even a temptation to enter the trap. We think he's likely finding food somewhere because he just meanders past and around the trap, and doesn't appear to be hungry. We need him to be hungry to go in a trap.
So while it's a problem that he doesn't seem to be hungry, we have at least addressed the problem of his fear of the traditional cage-like trap by procuring an enclosure trap, which is an interesting alternative to the traditional humane trap that looks like a cage. The trap is available via Sam Connolly with
Pure Gold Pet Trackers, and here's a picture of the trap at work with another dog in an other time and place:
It looks like a minature dumpster, don't you think? So it's less threatening to fearful dogs, and we feel there's a good chance that Buddy would eventually enter this type of enclosure. We did start this new trapping effort over the weekend, in a different location. We've left the old trap in place so there's no real change to the environment, but we've removed the food element at that site. The enclosure trap is being used as a feeding station at times when it isn't being manned by volunteers or the trapper, Sam Connolly.
We gave it a good try this past weekend and didn't see enough of Buddy to make it work, but we do know that this trap has worked in many cases in the past with hard to trap dogs. We are optimistic about the prospects for capturing Buddy with it. While he wasn't caught this past weekend, we are excited to have access to the enclosure trap at this time. We do ask that it be left alone so that there is minimal activity around the trap -- mostly just the volunteers assigned to check on it and replenish food.
As always, please spread the word about Buddy, and please ask everyone you know to call with any Buddy sightings. Until he's captured, we will need sightings to know just where he is, and where to set up the enclosure trap. To that end, what we most need volunteers for at this time, is fliering. Please leave a comment if you can help!
Stay tuned!
